Will my seed grown citrus tree produce fruit?

18 years ago

Years ago a co-worker planted orange and grapefruit trees from seeds obtained from fruit she bought at the store. I inherited these trees (planted in the same pot) and have been growing them for about 14 years? The main tree is about 5 to 6 feet tall and adorned with 1 to 1-1/4" long thorns. The smaller one is only about 3' tall with small 1/4" thorns. The trees are beautiful and I like them as they are. However I'm curious if they will ever produce fruit.

Like I said, they are container grown (upstate NY). In the summer they reside outside in full sun. Winter they are in the house. Winter light is indirect sun light (no grow lamps). I do not know what type of orange or grapefruit they were. Late summer the trees tend to put on new growth. Would it help if I provided additional lights (grow lamps) in the winter months?

Thanks in advance

Tom

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Comments (8)

bencelest
18 years ago
Eventually, yes. But 14 years and only 6 and 3 feet tall? Something is wrong.
Unless you prune them so they fit into your pots and do not bound their roots.
Then the answer is no.
Because the tree must satisfy the number of nodes they are allowed to grow before they start to flower. If you keep prunning (cutting) the branches then you are cutting away the nodes they are suppose to grow in order to bear fruit.
Don_OKC
18 years ago
The number of nodes are a factor but a contiguous sequence of branching could also be another factor too. I made a 'Benton' citrange seedling go fruiting quicker by pruning for the maximum contiguous branching. Check the link below to read a interesting abstract about maturity via branching.

GENETIC STUDY AND ARTIFICIAL REGULATION OF JUVENILE PERIOD OF CITRUS SEEDLING

I have a container grapefruit grown from a seed sprouted 40 years ago. It still never has matured into fruiting wood and likley never will. I think with container grapefruit seedlings that just won't mature. The best solution would be to graft some mature grapefruit budwood upon the grapefruit seedling. Grapefruit seedlings seem to be the worse citrus for staying juvenile. I guess in a container you can't get enough nodes and/or contiguous branching to mature. Now a procimequat that's a different story. lol
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citrange2
18 years ago
Can you explain exactly what you mean by 'maximum contiguous branching'?
If I understand the extract correctly, you would have to pinch out the growing tip of one shoot regularly to produce a zig-zag effect. Is that what they mean by 12th 'definite sequence of branching'?
Perhaps we need to read the whole article.
tdeyette
Original Author
18 years ago
Thanks for the quick response!

At this time, I would characterize these trees as root bound. However I purchased a new (larger) pot the other day and will be repotting them.

I do prune them to keep growth in check (as I need to be able to get it back in the house for winter storage). I would not say that my pruning is radical, more of a pinching off of the new growth tips once they have grown a bit. This has lead to a zigzag multi branching as described.

Interesting comments on the number of nodes and branching numbers. It looks like I need to do some more research on the subject.

Thanks again for your comments
Don_OKC
18 years ago
Hi Mike,

What else can I explain to you because you seem to understand. I think the concept need's to be taken within reason. Total number of nodes or perhaps total number of contiguous nodes which would amount to a certain vegetative size or mass likely has to be fulfilled too. I think that idea of contiguous branching is the missing element in pushing a juvenile into fruiting.

That could explain why some seedling citrus become vegetative giants in a tropical greenhouse without going mature. They have many contiguous nodes from unstressed growth but little contiguous branching from unstressed growth. Start stressing a highly vegetative tropical greehouse juvenile with some repeated droughts and it will often go fruiting. The drought stress kills the tip and new growth will be contiguous branching which seem's to follow a idea of contiguous branching being a factor.

All I have ever read on the subject is that abstract which I found in a Google search several years ago. However it made perfect sense and my first trial a contiguous branching pruning seemed to work. I welcome you to buy that article and read it.
Don_OKC
18 years ago
Hi again Mike,

I think my phrase "maximum contiguous branching" might be confusing. Perhaps saying "maximize the contiguous branching within reason" would be more definitive.
malcolm_manners
18 years ago
I still don't really understand this, I guess. Citrus does not form a terminal bud when completing a growth flush, ever. Therefore, EVERY new growth flush is by branching, NEVER by continued, unbranching growth. How does one cause more branching than 100%?
Don_OKC
18 years ago
You are asking the wrong person. I am a spectator and not a player with academic studies. All I said was about a limited knowledge observations based upon the very limited reading of a academic abstract. Your a academic, so go peer review the work of C. Ligeng, C. Keling, and Z. Guangyan. If branching has no influence upon the juvenile period "NEVER", then prove it with a controlled study. The burden of proof rest's upon your academic shoulder's and not my laymen babbling. The authors of that academic study have a published work of which I used to base a conclusion upon a few unsubstantiated personal observations.

Will my seed grown citrus tree produce fruit?

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Will my seed grown citrus tree produce fruit?

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