citrus pruning

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2ndChance Tempe, AZ(Zone 9b) Nov 20, 2008

My key lime and meyer lemon are throwing a lot of shoots off the trunk - should I let them bush or keep them pruned into trees for best fruit production?

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bettydee La Grange, TX(Zone 8b) Nov 26, 2008

2ndChance, Are the shoots coming from below the graft? If they are, you need to prune those off. They are coming from the root stock and if left on, they will eventually outgrow the grafted portion.

If the shoots are located above the graft, consider leaving them especially if the trees are very small. The extra leaves will help the trees gather more nutrients. They also help increase the trunk diameter. Later if you want a taller tree you can trim the lower branches. Citrus are naturally bushy trees and have branches almost all the way to the ground. This helps protect the trunk from sun scorch which can damage or kill the cambium layer.

Post #5832162
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Dlmcgrw Colton, CA(Zone 8b) Nov 27, 2008

2ndchanch, bettydee gave you good solid advice,but the other side of the coin is if you want a traditional tree shape for landscaping reasons or to prevent splash onto low hanging foliage and fruit, you can always paint the trunk white with a dilute latex paint. This will protect it from sun scald.

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