Well, you're probably pinching out your flower buds mick. Flowers are produced at the ends of the branches, so by pinching what you think are new leaves also contain your tiny flower buds that are too small to be able to distinguish between new leaves and new flower buds. I would stop pinching, not sure why you're doing that anyway, citrus don't need to be pinched. And, why are you bringing your citrus in at night? You don't indicate in your signature line where you live or your zone. If you have nice weather, you can leave your Calamondin out day and night until you have temps below about 38 degrees. Calamondins can alternate bear, especially if the fruit is left on the tree beyond ripeness. And, your little tree is a Calamondin, not an orange :-)

Patty S.

Patty, you are being rather technical to say it is not an orange; it was introduced to the US around 1900 as an "acid orange"; and is commonly sold and referred to as a Calamondin orange, or Baby Orange. Or course you are right; but at that level a Meyer is not a lemon; and the flowers of oranges and lemons are not blossoms... scientifically the term blossom only refers to the flowers of drupes.

"A rose, by any other name, would smell as sweet"; or as my Grandfather used to say, "I don't care what they call me, as long as they call me in time for dinner"

Mick, I agree with Patty.

Most likely, by pinching, buds don't have a chance.
How often do you pinch??

I too wonder why you bring your Calamondin in at night. If the reason is personal, I'm sorry for asking.
If not, citrus enjoy a cooling-off period at night.

If you're worried about temps, there's no need...unless it's freezing and I doubt that..lol. Toni

Even at freezing, the Calamondin is in no danger; it is cold tolerant down to about 20F; in fact I think there may be only 1 or 2 citrus that are as tolerant. For that reason, Calamondin is a popular decorative garden tree, even in the cooler climes. I enjoyed them when I lived in the Philippines, where they call them Calamansi and it is the primary "lemon" in that culture; because of that I have 2 at my Meyer lemon farm, but, as in the Philippines, they don't get orange here in the tropics of Guatemala's South coast.

Not being technical, John. Just being accurate. Calomondins were also called Golden Lime, but they aren't limes, either. It is native to the Phillipines and falls within the Citron grouping of citrus (and not the Orange grouping). I think it's good to know about your citrus, and that's what our forum is for - to help pass on information about citrus as we can.

And, I didn't refer to the flowers as blossoms. I called them flowers. It's perfectly acceptable to call a citrus flower a flower. The UC Davis Citrus Industry Vol. 2 refers to the flower as a "flower". Good enough for me. And, thinking your comment is pretty technical to me. Sort of like calling the pot calling the kettle black ;-)

To the issue for the poster, I would stop pruning, and I would feel very comfortable leaving your Calamondin outside day and night until your temps are consistently below 32. In the ground, the Calamondin can tolerate lower temps as John has mentioned. In a pot, though, is a different situation, as the roots are not protected as they would be in the ground. So, safer to bring your little Calamondin in if temps threaten to drop below 32 degrees.

Patty S.

John, freezing here in IL means anywhere from -3 to 32F.

My Calamondin and other Citrus are kept outdoors until temps hit 40F..

We who live in cold climates have heated homes..heat means dry air.
One problem leaving citrus outside when temps get too cold, especially for prolonged periods, then brought into a stuffy, dry, hot house, not to mention lower light, is leaf drop.

If you're able to leave Calamondins outside year round, they'd do fine, but it's a different story when outdoor vacation is short term. Toni

Thanks, I'll stop pinching out the growing tips, also I'll start to leave it outside until the winter starts.....

I live in the North of England, Summer tends to last about 3 days.....lol...

Patty,

I wasn't accusing you of anything; only pointing out colloguialisms -vs- pure science.

It is quite well accepted to call orange and lemon flowers "blossoms"; and it is even more common to call Meyers "lemons".

I often prefer the common over the scientific; but that's because I am a commoner; and in the case of Meyers, I certainly don't want the world to stop calling it a lemon.

Truth is in the English speaking world, lemon means yellow and lime means green; but in the Spanish speaking world they are all lemons (Limon).

According to this page, to have perennial fruits, you need to stress and add fertilizer. Also, sunlight is important.