I think limes taste best when they are fully ripe and the rind is yellow. It is also possible that it was grafted to lemon rootstock. If you have allowed the rootstock to branch you could be getting lemons from that. Most such rootstock is a rough looking lemon that isn't very desirable in looks or flavor.

Your little tree will abort the fruit it cannot support. If it is still carrying too much fruit at the golf ball stage, you can always remove a few more fruit. You have a nice, big, healthy (very healthy, btw) canopy that should be able to support a fair amount of fruit. The tree is already most likely 3 years old, so about the time you'd see a nice fruit set. Enjoy, continue watering and fertilizing, and providing lots of light, hopefully outside soon, and you'll enjoy nice fat juicy limes in no time. Patty S.

In that case, have you tried watering? Leaf drop leaving petioles is a sign of severe stress, but could be due to any number of factors - nutrition, pests, pesticides, over-watering or lack of water.

first .... go emu eagles ... second.. fertilizer is RARELY a remedy ... and i would presume that a plant fresh from the grower is juiced to the max ... it is a tree .. not a child.. it doesnt need to be repeatedly fed...go easy with fert.. especially in winter ... third ... as to the grower ... we have no idea what this plant went thru.. from grower to you ... so i would presume it is stressed ... from all the handling.. shipping.. etc ... nothing but time to settle down is required ... 4th ... i hope you didnt put it in full sun ... due to the stresses ... full bright shade would have been best.. hardening off to its new circumstances ... 5th .... down here.. 30 miles SE of you..; it has been in the lower 50s at night.. and tomorrow is predicted into the 40s.. its probably time to bring it in .... which will be more stress btw .... put it in a bright window ... but not direct sun ... again.. harden it off ... but it will need light in a few weeks ... [i do realize you are in the city.. so temps might be a bit warmer.. but it isnt time to roll the dice on that with a citrus in MI] 6th.. again.. its a tree.. things happen in slow motion ... i call it tree time ....not only problems... but getting over the problems... imo .. nothing is worse.. that repeatedly trying to fix the same problem.. for all you know ... you solved the problem the first time... just be patient ... get it in the house ... and just let it settle down ... the sun is in decline ... and some leaf loss on houseplants is not uncommon after you bring them indoors .. especially yours.. with all the stresses its been thru ... so do not continue to freak out.. with every leaf that falls off ... just let it settle down.. water it properly.. letting it near dry ... and you should be in the best situation you can be in.. trying to grow a indoors .... lastly.. if you have a forced air furnace.. humidity indoors in winter.. could be a big problem ... especially since there is usually a furnace vent near the window you need for light ... you might have to figure that all out .... one thing for sure... figure out how to avoid direct hot air blowing the plant .... you will dry out the leaves.. and they might fall off ... ken ps: im not to sure from your facts.. if you also repotted it ... and if you did.. that was another huge stress ... welcome to the forums ....