skip to main content

How do I grow my kaffir lime tree main stem (dwarf variety)

12 years ago

Hi All,

I bought a dwarf kaffir lime tree from a local nursery about 1.5 months ago and just started noticing that the main stem appears to have been broken off and hasn't been growing. It must have been that way coming from the nursery. The tallest part of the dwarf tree is now one of the side stems. Is there anyway that I can recover the main stem or make it so that it'll regrow - or is my *only* option to take it back to the nursery (if possible I'd like to avoid this option as I've started noticing some of the tips budding/flowering)? Also, is there a problem with the main stem not growing - as I've always thought that you need a strong main stem to support the whole tree?

Thanks for any tips or suggestions.

Cenesia

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (3)

mksmth zone 7a Tulsa Oklahoma
12 years ago
if you can post a picture that would help with and assessment.

I couple of ideas that come to mind would be this

the tree will naturally try and grow upright so you could leave it be and see if a new branch tries to become the new leader.

You could train the branch you have left to be the new leader by using the techniques that bonsai growers use. I had an off balance meyer that I tied one branch off to the pot to pull it the direction I wanted it to grow. After a couple of months it kept that direction on its own

You could "pug" it meaning cutting the whole tree off, ABOVE THE GRAFT and let the new branches that will grow form the new canopy.

the main trunk will most likely flush new growth at or just below the cut and will grow vertically again if it doesnt die off. Give it some good fertilizer and wait it out.

Mike
houstontexas123
12 years ago
if its gotta have a single main trunk, there are a few options. easiest would be what you were thinking and exchange it.

Mike had a good suggestion about training one of the branches to grow vertical.

without a good pic of the tree, not too sure about pugging it. they are naturally bushy type plants.

my dad gave me a noid mandarin tree last summer, it was about 12" tall, slow growing. with full sun and monthly fertilizing, it shot out a "watersprout" and in about 2 months time grew to 4' tall, i cut it back to 3' this "watersprout" is now the main leader. you could try that with your lime, place it where it can get full day sun, fertilize it monthly. and it could send out a super fast growing "watersprout" of its own.
Related Discussions
I can't believe this! I'm seeing BUDS on my Kaffir Lime tree!
Q
Comments (52)
Chris, NICE job!!! Can you take a pic of the whole tree? Anirbn, My mom fell and hurt herself badly after she got out from a week in the hospital, so I totally forgot too. My bad. It started getting lighter in coloring..It was loosing it's vivid green look because the temps have gotten so cold. But I stuck it in the house and it seems to be coloring up again/. I will take a pic tomorrow..) I have been trying to grow it Bonsai style since I don't need it to be big and take up room. So it's pretty small..
...See More
Kaffir Lime Tree
Q
Comments (8)
Thank you Johnmerr and farm96744! Johnmerr, we're going to prune the water sprout from our kaffir tree today, but can you tell me why we should remove the stake? Obviously, we won't need it any longer once we remove the water sprout, but is it hurting the kaffir tree? farm96744, our tree has yet to bear any fruit for us, but if we pinch off the tiny new leaves from the tip of every branch, will that keep our kaffir tree from growing any larger? We both have brown thumbs, so we baby this tree like parents. We water it about once every 3 days during the winter, but almost every day in the hot, Texas summer. It seems to love it, but we're not sure if less is more.
...See More
Kaffir Lime Tree from Seedlings
Q
Comments (8)
Kaffir seeds and young seedlings need to be kept pretty warm to germinate and grow; it's easy for me here in the tropics in Guatemala; I just put the seeds in nursery soil in starter trays 2 inch diameter and about 4 inches deep, put them in the sun, water daily, and they sprout in about 2 weeks.. An interesting tidbit about the Kaffir lime, called Makrout in Afrika and some other areas...in my travels in the world to places where citrus have been totally devastated by HLB disease, only the Kaffir lime seems unaffected. The experts don't recognize that any citrus is resistant to HLB; but seeing is believing. My experience leads me to believe that maybe the variety is not resistant if infected but it could be that the ACP (Asian Citrus Psyllid) vector just doesn't like the taste of the Kaffir.
...See More
How to Control an Irregular Kaffir Tree
Q
Comments (9)
from wiki: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kaffir_lime The Oxford Companion to Food (ISBN 0-19-211579-0) recommends avoiding the name kaffir lime and instead using makrud lime because kaffir is a white Afrikaner racial slur for blacks meaning "infidel", from the Arabic "kafir" that Portuguese explorers used for the native Africans. Kafir was from the Semitic K-F-R meaning "to cover." It is a derogatory term still and several alternate names such as Thai, Makrut, Wild, or Asian lime are used to avoid causing offense. Thai lime works for me. I love it in Thai cooking. Kop kop wadi kop
...See More
cenesia
Original Author
12 years ago
Hi, I've included a link to the picture here. If you can see, the 'leader' now is one of the branches to the left. I really want to grow the trunk if possible, so I'll try training it like Mike said. I hope that works.

cenesia

Here is a link that might be useful: {{gwi:571664}}

Related Stories

EDIBLE GARDENS How to Grow Your Own Peaches and Nectarines

By Marianne Lipanovich

Make gardening a little sweeter with these juicy fruits, which you can eat after plucking or preserve for later

FRUIT TREES How to Grow Your Own Persimmons

By Marianne Lipanovich

Sturdy and easy to care for, these trees offer bright fruit through winter — and keeping them in bounds is no sweat

FRUIT TREES How to Grow Your Own Juicy Plums

By Marianne Lipanovich

Easier than other stone fruits and with a variety of colors to choose from, plums are a versatile garden addition

EDIBLE GARDENS How to Grow 10 Favorite Fruit Trees at Home

By Marianne Lipanovich

Plant a mini orchard in fall, winter or early spring to enjoy fresh-off-the-tree fruit the following year

GARDENING GUIDES Small Carpenter Bees Are Looking for a Home in Your Plant Stems

By Pollination Press LLC

Provide flowers and nesting sites in your garden for this beautiful, tiny, metallic blue wild bee — your plants will thank you

EDIBLE GARDENS Why Grow Quince? For Beauty, Fragrance and Old-Time Flavor

By Marianne Lipanovich

Delightfully perfumed fruit and lovely spring blossoms make this apple and pear cousin worth a spot in the garden

EDIBLE GARDENS The Enticing Garden: How to Grow Bananas

By Steve Asbell

Sweeten your dining table with surprising flavors of banana cultivars while adding tropical flavor to your garden

EDIBLE GARDENS How to Grow Your Own Luscious Cherries

By Marianne Lipanovich

Nope, they’re not the easiest fruit to grow. But with spectacular blossoms and pies as possibilities, cherries are sure worth a try

EDIBLE GARDENS How to Grow Your Own Apricots

By Marianne Lipanovich

Velvety fruit, pretty blossoms and interesting bark make apricot trees a delight — and they’re great for smaller gardens

EDIBLE GARDENS Summer Crops: How to Grow Squash

By Marianne Lipanovich

Almost foolproof and with cheerful flowers, squash comes in a wide range of varieties to plant in spring

Sponsored

RTS Home Solutions

3 Reviews

BIA of Central Ohio Award Winning Contractor

More Discussions

Howardmartin growing citrus

2

Howard Martin growing citrus #33

1

In ground outside Meiwa kumquat on flying dragon

2

figs vs kumquats

4

Productivity of kumquats and their hybrids

4