Thats a FourWinds tree, isnt it? They are on dwarf rootsock, how big it will get naturally I dont know because I have never owned one from them. The tree will naturally want to grow taller from its trunk because thats what trees do. If your are concerned about this now you could train a branch to do what you are talking about, but in my opinion, that is a great looking tree already and I would just let it go how it wants.

I second that Mksmth..

That is one beauty, and as for me, I would let the lateral branches get to a certain length and cut the the ends while at the same time letting the top grow taller..

You will love that tree Ryan...I love it!

Mike..:-)

Left to it's own devices, one of the more vertical branches will 'take over' as the primary leader, but if you don't want messy co-dominant leaders as your tree gains ht, you should cut back the weaker branches that tend toward the vertical or eliminate them. It doesn't have to be immediately, but choose a strong vertical branch you can allow to grow unrestrained as your new leader, and try to avoid 'bunches' of branches that originate all around a common point - often right where the tree was pruned at the nursery.

Al

To add to what Al said: It helps to decide early on whether you want a bush form citrus or a tree form citrus and prune accordingly. That way you don't waste a lot of growth. Also pruning cuts on small branches become invisible sooner making a more attractive plant.
To answer your question more directly: I would train a leader and, as Al said, prune out competing branches. The baby tree is not as "cute", as full - it's a little like a gangly teen, but it sets the tree up for a better branch framework as an adult

Thank you all for your responses!

Yes, it is a Four Winds tree. I read that they will grow above 6' outdoors, and this is what I'm aiming for: a taller tree, rather than a shorter bush.

I will select a dominant, vertical leader (most likely the branch directly to the right of the cut trunk top in the first photo), and eliminate its competition. Although it looks like the nursery already cut off some branches growing from the same node.

Will this somewhat-vertical branch eventually become perfectly vertical on its own, or should I train it? And if I train it, when do I stop training it?

Conversely, if I don't train it, will the trunk always have this slight bend about 15" from the ground?

Thanks for taking the time to answer all my questions. This is my first tree (obviously!), and I want to make sure I raise it correctly!

I would train it to the vertical if you want a more formal looking tree, even if that means tilting the tree a little in compromise, so it doesn't come out of the ground at a perfect 90* angle. If there is a slight jog in the trunk of a young tree, it will become MUCH less noticeable as the plant puts on caliper. If more than 1 branch emerges from the main trunk at the same point, remove the more vertical branch. If you have a ht in mind, at which you'd like to maintain the tree, top it at about 2/3 of that ht to allow room for the canopy to fill in, unless you have a different management plan designed around light & maximizing fruit yields.

Al

This is much more information that I thought I needed for one of mine too..

Thank you very much!

Mike

Thanks Al, great info.

"If more than 1 branch emerges from the main trunk at the same point, remove the more vertical branch."

Do you mean to remove the less vertical branch? I would want the more vertical branch to act as the leader, right?

No - read carefully. I said to remove the more vertical branches when more than one emerge from the same point on the main trunk. This practice tends to help discourage co-dominant leaders, and carries the connotation the main trunk line, WITH a leader, is already established.

BTW - branches trained to the vertical grow with much greater vigor than those that are more horizontal. We often take advantage of this fact in bonsai. In nature, the lowest branches on a tree are the oldest and the thickest. For various reasons, in bonsai, we often end up with a low branch much thinner than some of those above it. The usual strategy is to prune the branches above and let the low branch grow wild, or we train a secondary branch to the vertical, where it acts like another leader, growing very quickly in relation to the other horizontal branches, allowing the branch it's attached to to thicken and catch up to the higher branches. It's called a 'sacrifice branch' because after it's done it's work, it's sacrificed, cut off.

Al

I have a lot of Four Winds dwarf trees. Their dwarf trees always takes on a bushy form and look rather nice when they grow bigger, in my opinion. If you were so particular in wanting a "central leader" type of look, I suggest that you buy a "semi-dwarf" or a "standard" citrus tree which already has that look, and it might be easier than trying to train a bush form citrus into the look that you want.
In my area, Four Winds also sells these "standard/semi-dwarf" citrus trees in local nurseries - which always have a good looking central leader and a healthy canopy on top at about 5-6 ft from the ground. They usually do not ship these larger citrus trees. But recently costco has been carrying Willits and Newcomb "semi-dwarf" citrus trees with the look that you prefer (very good size too) for very good prices in the late winter/early spring time frame. Those might be what you want. Good luck.

Thanks Ashley. I live in South San Francisco, so I'll keep an eye out for the Costco trees later in the year. Can you give me an idea on how much you saw them going for? Thanks!

Did not know that you lived in NorCal, the home of FourWinds! It should be a lot easier to get a Four Winds standard tree for you! Just stop by your local Home Depot or Lowes and pick one up - I saw a ton of them at Lowes last week. Or, your local nursery should have them in stock too!
the price at Costco for the huge citrus trees was $17 (at the San Jose costco).

Thanks Ashley! It looks like this might be the first of many citrus trees . . .

Yeah that's about the right price for the W&N citrus trees at Costco. This year, they stopped providing the semi-dwarf -- unless you actually saw some Ashley? I saw less than 5 semi-dwarf orange, the other 100+ were standard (Carrizo). Last year (2009) it was the other way around. However, the lemon did have about 3 different root stocks to choose from. If they keep the contract with Costco, they should be arriving again around March/Apr.

If you are OK with keeping multiple trees, I would take Ashleys' advice and buy the additional one with the shape already set.

However, I have planted a Robertson Navel tree that looked exactly like the one in the pic and I am finally training it as a central leader. I let the bottom develop it's natural "bushy" look until it was very well established -- it only was about 4 feet tall at 6 yrs old or so. I've seen MANY of these 4W dwarf Orange bushes STAY at that height. The stated 6'x6' on the label is the "full maturity". The dwarf Meyer bushes can stay moderately sized, but the Eureka's and many grapefruits can still get very big when planted in ground.

The new trunk I "chose" is starting to really thicken up now and is now above 7 feet tall with just "enough" strong lateral branching. I'll top it there, but the high vigor will try to sprout more branches right at the top. I don't know how long I'll be pinching the new sprouts back for, maybe forever.