Citrus Growers Forum

Luvcitrus · Joined: 31 Dec 2010 Posts: 4 Location: central florida

Hi, I am writing to try and get some assistance with a tree I bought recently. It intrigued me and has made me very interested in grafting but I would like to make sure I take care of it first before jumping into grafting to it.

I bought it somewhat neglected in pruning (the lemon is outgrowing everything else and I think some of the rootstock has sprouted)

What I want to do is try to identify if a couple sprouts are from the rootstock (I think it was let to grow fairly large then topped and grafted) and where exactly the other varieties were grafted for a better idea of whats been done. Obviously I know generally where since they are marked, but I want to know if they were grafted to the trunk or onto scaffold branches so I know what wood is rootstock and what is the variety.

Best guesses is that they were T buded.

If you guys need any information or other pictures to help just let me know.

Here's a general view of one side of the tree.

Here's a close up of 2 of the grafts and the shoot that I think is from the rootstock. Where I'm guessing the 2 are grafted circled in red and the suspected rootstock growth in red/white.

An alternate view is below that.

There's 2 other sprouts I suspect as rootstock and I want to identify exactly where the other 3 grafts are as well, but I will add that later.

After I get the tree under control I want to try and graft key lime to it.

Sylvain · Posted: Fri 31 Dec, 2010 9:19 pm

It seems you have leaves on what you suspect to be root stock sprouts. If you don't see any difference in the leaves shape you can chew a piece of leave of each branch. You will see that the taste is very different for each variety. You can smell them too.

Luvcitrus · Joined: 31 Dec 2010 Posts: 4 Location: central florida

Sylvain wrote:

It seems you have leaves on what you suspect to be root stock sprouts. If you don't see any difference in the leaves shape you can chew a piece of leave of each branch. You will see that the taste is very different for each variety. You can smell them too.

Thanks, I may try that but all the varieties have leafs that vary, this particular offshoot does not match any of the other 5 leafs.

of the other offshoots however, the leaves are different then this offshoot, but before where I suspect the variety has been grafted. Which is why I am so confused. I will try to make a picture that explains this.

So here's an image where grapefruit and Persian limes are grafted, my guess is where circled in red, but there's another offshoot here that doesn't match the closest grafted variety, and this one is different from the one in the post above. It looks like it MIGHT be a grapefruit branch (thats the yellow tag) making me think maybe the grapefruit was grafted much sooner then where I circled in yellow.

To confuse even more, here's where the last graft is, with yet another offshoot that doesn't match the closest graft. This is why I am wondering what's going on. either there's extra grafts on this plant or possibly I am wrong as to where they originated. Also there's two branches here making me think maybe it was a cleft graft and not a T graft.

The only reason I think the grafts are where they are is because the branch is cut off at those points making me think they were forcing buds to grow.

Any info would be appreciated.

citrange · Posted: Sat 01 Jan, 2011 1:00 pm

Even with your photos it will be difficult to identify the graft points without having the plant itself to view. I've never seen one of these multi-variety trees for sale, but I wanted to point out that it is quite possible that some varieties may not be grafted directly to the rootstock. In other words, you could have some of the varieties acting as interstocks.
That possibility should add to the confusion!
Mike/Citrange

Luvcitrus · Joined: 31 Dec 2010 Posts: 4 Location: central florida

citrange wrote:

Even with your photos it will be difficult to identify the graft points without having the plant itself to view. I've never seen one of these multi-variety trees for sale, but I wanted to point out that it is quite possible that some varieties may not be grafted directly to the rootstock. In other words, you could have some of the varieties acting as interstocks.
That possibility should add to the confusion!
Mike/Citrange

Yea that's sort of what I'm suspecting with the grapefruit, I have a feeling it and the lemon were grafted very early, and then the lime and tangerine variety to the grape fruit, but that would still leave an unaccounted for growth (the last picture which would should have been grapefruit if so)

I guess I'll just let them grow and see what happens, but I wanted to prune them if I could identify them.

Millet · Posted: Sat 01 Jan, 2011 3:40 pm

Note: Because fruit on a citrus tree develops only on new growth, any pruning will greatly reduce (or eliminate) future fruit production. - Millet (744-)[/u]

Luvcitrus · Joined: 31 Dec 2010 Posts: 4 Location: central florida

Millet wrote:

Note: Because fruit on a citrus tree develops only on new growth, any pruning will greatly reduce (or eliminate) future fruit production. - Millet (744-)[/u]

I'm talking about taking off growth completely that I don't want to bear fruit anyway (not pruning for aesthetics). But that is very good to know.

Or in the case of the lemons, you can see in the first pic it's going to far outgrow the rest. And it bears so much fruit I think the tree's going to fall over, haha.

I will keep that in mind though, I wasn't planning on pruning back the lemon until after it bears this fruit to see how it handles it.

Also, doesn't pruning facilitate new growth a lot of the time.