My question is regarding WHEN to remove the bloom so the young tree can focus its energy on maximum growth.


Do you remove the bloom (plump flower bud) BEFORE it opens into a flower OR do you remove the bloom AFTER it flowered and is now a developing mini (pea) size fruit? Does it matter? What's better?

The best would be when the bud is small, but the vast majority of energy saved comes from preventing the fruit from developing. Energy is roughly equivalent to mass. If it is an indoor tree, you might want to enjoy the fragrance before you remove the blooms, you would still save at least 95% of the energy that would go into the fruiting process.

A citrus tree has two types of blooms. A leafless bloom and a leafy bloom. You might do as Skeet suggest and enjoy the fragrance of the flowers, as the bloom will only last a few days. This will also let you ascertain which flowers are from a leafy bloom, so that you can then carefully remove the bloom and retain the leaves. The leaves are the centers of energy production for the tree. - Millet (Drill ANWR