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Meyer Lemon Tree Help Please

alyssa.dannielle

9 years ago

That is my "baby" meyer lemon tree that i bought from home depot in june. the tag/pot that it came in said it was from record buck farms (mycitrustree.com) and that website provided very little useful information. so ive been wandering around various forums and other sites to find as much info as possible on this little guy (i named him Lemongrab haha).

anyways, i believe i have a sucker growing (on the right side in this pic) but i am not sure. i cannot find a graft line on the trunk (i will post close up pics). plus, this branch came out of no where and now is bigger than the whole rest of the "tree" (i feel like its too small to call it a tree yet lol). the leaves on that branch are also significantly larger than the other leaves on the main part of the tree. so should i remove it? and if so, how should i do that without hurting the rest of the tree.

some more info - i am very new to all types of gardening. i live in a condo in south FL (near Ft Lauderdale). the lemon tree is in a (probably way too small) pot on my balcony where it gets lots of eastern sunlight. it is also living in (please dont kill me for this, i didnt know it was bad!!!) miracle grow moisture control potting soil. he gets watered about 2-3 times per week. (except this past week we were out of town). if i need to give more info, let me know.

any and all advice is welcome and much appreciated!! thank you!

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Comments (5)

alyssa.dannielle
Original Author
9 years ago
here is a close up of the trunk with the branch in question on the right.
alyssa.dannielle
Original Author
9 years ago
here is the other side
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I cannot dismiss early stage gummosis by looking at the picture above. I think a local expert should look at the tree. If this appeared on my roses I would say it is the work of a sawfly but on citrus? In the meantime I would isolate the tree if potted, treat the wounds and the soil with copper and if more of it appeared I would cut off the affected canes making sure the wood exposed looks nice and healthy. To investigate further ones needs to look at the state of the foot below the soil so a little digging may be in order. The fungal disease called 'Citrus gummosis' starts at the root and foot but there are also other types of gummosis. Also take a look at this, paying attention to 'citrus gummosis' and 'Rio Grande gummosis' https://cals.arizona.edu/extension/ornamentalhort/plantprotect/citrusdisease.pdf
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Clm128
9 years ago
its hard to tell but it looks like there might be a graft line up around the little green branch just above.

if for sure there is no graft line then i believe u have nothing to worry about but if there is a graft line and that is a sucker u can cut the branch on a 45 degree angle close to (but not flush with) the main trunk. im not sure the reasoning behind it maybe someone else can explain but for some reason your not supposed to trim branches flush with the trunk.
tcamp30144(7B N.ATLANTA)
9 years ago
Look like a water sprout (fast growing branch due to overwatering) if that's the case its harmless.the leaves being biger isn't cause for alarm. Most of my lemon trees do the same.
johnmerr
9 years ago
Watersprouts on Meyers typically have large thorns, which I do not see on this "sucker". My best guess is that the bud union is maybe an inch or so above this new sprout, which seems to be coming from at or near the root crown.
I would call the nursery/producer and ask them what rootstock they are using for their Meyers; with that knowledge you could make a better decision; but if it were my tree, I would cut that branch off at the natural "collar" which you can see very close to the main trunk, but not flush with it. After you prune it off, using clean shears, you could paint the part left behind to reduce bleeding and deter "critters" from entering.

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