If you would indulge me with one more post on this subject. Any seedling tree should be grown with resistance against the wind, or if grown in a greenhouse or residence, with resistance provided by a fan, starting at 2 inches in height. The flicking back and forth is one of the very best methods to developing strong firm trunks and branches. Additionally, ALWAYS leave the lower limbs on the young tree's trunk as long as practical, before cutting them off. Research has shown that leaves on the lower limbs contribute most to the development of trunk's diameter and strength, plus develops good root growth. Trees properly grown will have trunk taper like a good deep sea fishing rod. One will not get such trunk development without leaving on the lower limbs, and allowing sufficient light and space to function. Tree height is not the criteria to use when evaluating young tree quality. Trunk diameter, or taper, is far more important. Tall weak seedling trees, requiring staking, is normally the result of three mistakes. 1) over fertilizing with nitrogen, 2) growing the tree in still air, without the advantage of wind flicking the tree back and forth in resistance, providing the tree's strength. 3) leaving a tree in a undersized container to long. Once trees in containers, any containers, reach the sidewalls , the space for further root development becomes limiting, it is like squeezing tooth paste out of the tube, the trees growth is straight, and there is no way to get it back into the tube. Tall slender trees ALWAYS have poor root systems, because roots cannot grow without energy, and the energy for their growth comes from the lower limbs. - Millet (1,050-)

Point well taken and well explained..

I personally have a good strong fan that runs continuously in my GH and fully understand how the swaying of the limbs and leaves strengthen the tree. I never limb a tree up from the bottom. It is only selective pinching/cutting from the top and is never what I call severe.

With all this said, none of my trees have had the effects described. It has always been with ones that I purchased.

I believe we are on the same page as far as these practices are concerned.
As I said earlier, I didn't know that tipping would delay maturity. I will soon be starting another batch of seeds. I will not be cutting/pinching/pruning in any way in order to observe the progress as related to this last batch.

Hats off to you; you've helped me see the light!

In my greenhouse (32W X 12H X 70L) There are 7 large box fans, that run 24 hours a day 7 days a week, plus two 4-ft. sq. greenhouse exhaust fans set to maintain the day time temperature between 80 - 86F. - Millet (1,050-)

Yup....that's a lot of fans and I'm sure they're needed in that large space.

In my little 12 x 8 x 20 one large box fan has everything swirling and swaying. My temps average 75 degs. at night. I don't really need it higher than that, of course, because I am in the warmer south. As I watch my thermostat at this moment, I am fighting to keep it below 90 degs because of solar heating. I have opened the door and will soon have to roll up the sides. And this is at 11:15 am, certainly not the warmest part of the day yet.

One last tip for those that would still prefer to cut the leader branch of their seedling tree to induce side branching. Roots and shoots (branches) grow in cycles. This is due to the existence of competition for nutrients between roots and shoots. Shoot growth, has priority over root growth. This is shown in pruning experiments, which shows that shoot re-growth after pruning always occurs first, at the expense of root growth. Therefore, if a grower desires to prune off the top of a seedling tree, to induce side branching, wait until the root growth cycle is completed, and the shoot growth cycle has begun (as shown by the start of a new flush). This enables the tree to first produce a larger, and stronger root system, to provide the nutrients which will enable the tree to produce a more vigorous growth of new shoots. - Millet (1,045-)

Can seedlings survive hurricane winds over 90MPH? How deep are the roots? In the 1992 hurricane mango, lime, and avacado trees were damaged. There is high hurricane risk in extreme south Florida. Tall upright growth could be a problem in extreme winds.


The grapefruit plants with heavy fruit and tall upright growth seem most vulnerable.

A seedling tree growing in the ground, out in the open, from a planted seed, against a 90 MPH wind, might have a fairly good chance to survive, because the root system of seedling trees have a long/deep tap root. A nursery grown container tree, or a tree started from a rooted cutting, would probably be toppled over. - Millet (1,045-)

Satsuma fruit keep fresh a very long time in refrigerator. I peeled and tasted some kept in the refrigerator since November and most still have sweet and fresh flavor. Almost as fresh as they were in December! Some of the smaller fruit are harder to peel but the flavor is still excellent.


Some of the seedling satsumas planted in my propagator have sprouted. I removed them from the propagator and placed them in sunlight next to a window. They are in peat pellets which dry out quickly so should I transplant them to a larger pot now or wait until they grow a few more inches?

In Hurricanes Rita and Ike trees that were 15 to 16 feet in height were blown down. The ones on Flying Dragon understock are still standing. I have 3 satsuma trees in my back yard on FD that weathered the storms just fine. This past season we had a bountiful harvest.. I have had these trees since the spring of 1985. The original trees were Armstrong early, Owari and Kimbrough. Miyagawa and Xie Shan have been budded to the Owari and Kimbrough. the Miyagawa has the best fruit.

I had just planted my Ponkan the spring before hurricane Ivan hit here (2005)--it did not look all that damaged after the storm, but apparently got infected with sooty canker thru damaged limbs--I was able to save it and this past season it probably had over 200 pounds of fruit.

I have since developed a good technique to prevent damage in hurricanes--tie the tree limbs together with rope--pull the limbs up tight to prevent the whipping and reduce the wind profile. We had storms hit last fall, but I did not loose a single fruit.

So far 19 of the 24 citrus seeds propagated have sprouted. Two of the seeds rotted because I planted them too deep. When the sprouts grow 6 to 12 inches I will plant them in the ground.

Before planting your seedlings in the ground, I would wait until the tree's reached 2-ft. in height, with side branching, and a well developed root system. Look on the Internet for commercial nursery trees as a guide for the proper size to be planted in the ground. - Millet (1,024-)

I have started several satsumas over the years. The BC-1 and BC-2 were started in the late 70s and bore fruit in about 5 years and came back from their own roots after the severe 1983 freeze. Several years ago I gave 5 seedlings to a friend just South of Kountze TX. All produce good satsumas. The friend is a firm believer in seedlings. After hurricane Rita and hurricane Ike the 3 tree in my back yard on Flying Dragon survived without being broken up or up rooted.

My sister has 2 Owari Satsumas on their own roots, the trees were burned to the ground several years ago and came back from the roots--they have survived mid teens unprotected the last 2 winters. Soil there is sandy, but rainfall was over 7 ft last yr.