THANK YOU Brandon for an answer to the pruning question!!!! Will be sure to keep the cuts above ground level!! And to clarify what you and Ken are saying about a view to the utility boxes- ...actually, forget it... I just typed out a huge long explanation that I just deleted...lol ...in short (or @ least shortER) with the height of our deck and where our seating is located, the size of the smokebush, and my intentions (clearly understood at least in my own head- haha) don't worry guys, I'll be fine. I always envisioned a multi-stemmed tree, which would still hide the view of the utility boxes. ...don't think I will end up trying to do tree-form after all but do plan on pruning off many shoots and thin the boy down! as always, i appreciate the input from you all :)

Derek, here is what I do with most all side branches that grow on GRAFTED TREES. I leave the side branches, or any branch that I don't necessarly want to keep, develop and grow on the main trunk untill they get a "firm" feel to them and a couple of leaves have fully opened or developed. Then I remove the branch and root them. This way I get a new "mature" tree for FREE that will bloom and fruit in 1-2 years. I have obtained many free trees by the above method. When I know what variety the rootstock is I also let new branch growth grow on the rootstock and do the same as above. By doing this I have obtained a lot of rootstock. - Millet

I have the same concern as the original poster. The abnormal sprouts on my young navel orange (Lane Late Navel, about 3.5 feet tall) have THORNS on them. The abnormal sprouts are not from the trunk or below the graft but are from other "normal" branches. They grow very fast, have wider spacing between leaves, and the stem has a distinctly flattened cross section (and they have thorns). What causes these abnormal sprouts? Can I prevent them? Should I remove them (I don't like the thorns and I wonder about eventual fruit quality)?

Aesthetics at that age, mostly. However, since in citrus fruit is carried at the tips of new growth, pinching will delay fruiting. But that is a good thing for a young citrus tree imo, as their trunks and branches are not strong/thick enough to support the weight of the fruit, and there are usually not enough leaves and roots to devote to developing the fruit without expense to the overall growth of the tree. But if a tree has a very small canopy of leaves, I would leave them all and prune later if I wanted to. Instead I would pinch off any fruit that formed. Pinch the fruit off, not the flowers though. Take off the flowers, they will usually just make more, and flowers don't stress the tree. Enjoy the flowers, then pinch off the fruit after. I would do this for a couple years. The shape you prune/pinch it to is entirely up to you though. A "tree" shape is what most people think a fruit tree should be, but most citrus want to be more of a shaggy bush like tree. A citrus tree in the ground will often carry it's branches all the way down to the ground. Older trees can shade out lower branches and so as they age, some citrus will lose lower branches and look more tree like. Some exceptions to this are true bush types like Meyers. The above is only true if the growth on your trunk is the same variety you want and not root stock trying to take over. Always pinch out root stock growth. To tell check the trunk, there should be a thickened line where the bark is slightly different above and below the line. Above the line, it's the variety you want, let it grow if you want to. Anything below the line would be root stock and needs to be taken off.