GROWTH on a KUMQUAT tree is a contradiction in terms. Try foliar feeding the short side. When you place the tree outside, put the short side facing the sun. Either way don't cut anything off. Growth on a kumquat tree is worth 10 time the possession of gold.

Citrus trees are not symmetrical. THEY HAVE CHARACTER.

Steve

TheRiGuy, do turn your tree so the short side is closest to the light. You might also consider removing the fruit on the short side so more energy is available for stem growth. I also don't recommend pruning your tree at that young age but if you should decide to prune it, read up on drop-crotch pruning...as some here have advised me to do. If you prune where you have suggested, your tree will probably just make "water sprouts" to replace the cut wood, rather than devoting energy to lower branches. Some here have much more experience than I so don't jump into anything hastily without doing a little more research.

My Moro blood orange wanted to do the same thing, in the same general spot, for a couple seasons. I decided to prune for symmetry and balance, and now I'm much more satisfied with the progression. The trick is to keep pruning/pinching off the growth that appears where you don't want it. Catch it early and redirect the plant's growth hormones. My only caution would be to wait until Summer, which typically helps to shorten internodes.

How close is the light? If the light is far away, the tree will stretch toward it.

Josh

my sweetlee tangerine tree grows fast when the tree reached a height of "X" I clipped the leader at the very top. No energy wasted by the tree The tree grew 2 trunks. I clipped them at a high of "Y" Each one produced 2 more and I pinched the strongest on each side and left the weaker unpinched. The pinched stronger ones split into 2 but those 2 did not over take the ones not pinched. This way I have a balanced well branched tree I am aiming for 8 ft tall.

You and I have a kumquat tree. They can't be trimmed in this fashion. Trim out some of the lower branches so the remaining low branches get more energy to grow taller. Never trim height off a kumquat tree.

Every advance my kumquat tree makes is with a waterspout that fills out later with a balanced look.

{{gwi:23835}}
Start of a wqaterspout

{{gwi:554928}}
New leader takes over and has now started to branch out.

If you trim the lower limbs, reduce double trunked limbs to single trunk limbs and foliar feed those limbs only, not the top This is best done by breaking off all but one growth spirt per limb you want to grow. No lost foliage!

work in the area of the double circle.

Just wondering why a kumquat would be different than other trees?
I'm positive that folks have pruned height off kumquat trees with good results many a time.

Josh

A kumquat trees grow much slower and tend to be bushy. A trimming of your magnitude would set the tree much farther back than other citrus trees. I would encourage the shorter side to catch up thou trimming and selective foliage feeding. You can also pull the tree to a more vertical position. Kumquat tree are far from symmetrical.

However pruning won't kill it either.

Steve

okay I'm gonna try foliar feeding the short side. the fertilizer i have is called citrus focus and here are its stats:

{{gwi:554930}}

it says nothing on the bottle about foliar feeding so is it still okay to do it? should I be using full strength? and how often should I do it?

also what exactly is meant by "pinching"? cutting off new growth at an early stage?

Clip the sprouting buds early on at an 1/8 to 1/4 inch. I use a nail and push sideways till it breaks. Let the strongest ones be the one that grow. The tree will in general chose its strongest branches. All you'll do is help it. The 2 limbs you have marked for clipping are the most important to the tree. Make sure the fertilizer is listed as safe for foliar feeding.

If you do nothing the 2 limbs up at the top will fill out and balance the tree anyway. It will take more time.

Steve