This is what I would do. I would use four stakes (one at each corner) and tie the tree to each stake tight enough the tree doesn't move. This will help the roots grow. In two to three weeks I would loosen the ties so the tree could move in any direction an inch or so ( this will strengthen the trunk). Make the ties as high in the tree as possible. keep the ties as long as needed to strengthen the trunk so it can support the foliage. Jack

Thanks Jack! So there's hope yet...

Harris's trees have never been all that great. I would rate trees from Harris as just OK Your going to have trouble with that tree for a some time. - Silica

That's what worries me Silica. I'm going to give it some time, but if it does not improve, I may call them. It was staked very tight and the trunk has absolutely NO strength...sad...poor tree.

I usually just cut the whole canopy off and let it make branches lower. Gives the stem time to thicken and we need good low branching being indoor growers (in winter).

Pip, won't that hurt the tree? Cut off the canopy and leave a stem? I've been thinking of doing that with a Meyer lemon I have that is terribly gangly, but that one at least has some leaves lower down. This one has NOTHING...

I've done it with giant key lime, dekopon, and xie Shan. Sets the tree back but we need structure more than the average grower.

none of mine had a single branch or leaf when I was done. They all sprouted from dormant buds

The key lime says four winds but that's only because I recycled the fancy tag. It's giant key lime on us 802 from Harris.

That's good to know. I may give it a little while and then hack it. Does the time of year matter when doing this? Meaning...if I do it later into the summer or early fall make it harder for the tree? Probably, right? It just bugs me that this happened. That tree could not even be planted in ground its trunk us soooo weak.

I don't know I use so much light indoors that for me it isn't an issue. I actually did it in the winter. But I can't recommend it for you.

Thanks Pip. I'll let you know how it works out.

Yes, use multiple stakes at the very edge of the container, and then loosely tie off to branches that reach toward the edge. It'll toughen up quickly.

Josh

I would still call them and have them put a note on file that you aren't very happy with it and may have to dead head it to improve the shape down the road. Then maybe at least you can get a refund or discount on a new one later.

Thank you guys! Josh, I will tie it off loosely. However, as Hobby suggested, I am going to call Harris just to let them know. Barb and Pip, I am not afraid to hack and Barb, I may do what you said and where. The thing is that I just potted it yesterday and got the tree the day before. When I potted it, I removed most of its dirt. Shouldn't I wait at least a couple of weeks to let it grow a bit in the roots and get used to its new environment before hacking away at it?

Those look cute Pip! Barb great description of this method thank you!

Laura, if possible, send Harris an email so that you can document your discontent in addition to calling them. Also, tell them that you had mentioned your dissatisfaction on the Citrus forum and that others (me, see below) have been similarly dissatisfied with their products. Include a link to this forum.

I also got a Dekopon like that from Harris in March 2016. I had to stake it until now. Here is what it looks like now without the stake:

I tried Barb's suggestion of cutting some of the top growth. I tried to cut as little as possible and it did help as shown below. I did not cut the branch on the left because it has a fruit on it but I might cut it later if it starts to pull the tree down. I do not need to stake it any more.

If it were me, I would only reduce the top by about 6 inches or so, along with staking. This will reduce the weight at the top, but keep a good share of the leaves for photosynthesis. Everyone has an opinion!

Laura, try doing what I did, which is start pruning down until the tree stands upright. If you are going to support it by staking, I use this tape because it has some give to it and allows the tree to move in the wind and does not damage the bark: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00DG75DS8/ref=ox_sc_sfl_title_2?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A12DYKHFU1Z3SE

Sorry about your new citrus baby Laura. I placed my first order with Harris last week. It was for a young Xie Shan. I did not see or read any bad reviews, or here about dissatisfaction on their citrus plants..until now. I read posts from forum members on here that said they were a good company and they had nice looking trees for the price.

After looking at some of the pictures that were recently posted, one of the first things I noticed a few weeks ago was how skinny the trunks looked, compared to the top that was well branched. I thought maybe it was just my angle from the screen.

My order was for a year old citrus. Can anyone who ordered a year old (the one for twenty dollars ) citrus from them, please tell me if you had any problems with the tree at that stage of growth? I could still call and cancel my order before they ship it out on Monday or Tuesday.

Laura, you received some good advice . Whichever direction you take I hope your Dekopon pulls through and that trunk gets some growth on it to support the stems and leaves on top. Good luck.

Thanks Vladimir, I appreciate the insight. I will definitely do that. Jinny, I have ordered the $20 year old trees from Harris before and have been happy with them. My kaffir lime is a bit top-heavy also, and a few are slightly bendy, but but nearly as bad as this one. This one is their 3 gal container. I kind of wish I had ordered the $20 one because it appears the only difference is the bushier branching up top, the stem is just as skinny as in the $20 trees. I will call them now and report back. They have been very helpful in the past. I can say that there is a difference between those 3 year old trees I have ordered that came from Four Winds through Nature Hill. My Santa Teresa and Oro Blanco are from them and the tree structure is MUCH better. Harris has pretty good trees for the price though.

Jinny, I would think you'd be fine with the $20 tree. Vladimir, I just spoke to Ruth and described the situation and told her about your experience also. She said she would look into it. She said that typically, a tree needs to be at least 3 before it can be without stakes (perhaps from their nursery because the ones I have gotten from Four Winds have not had this problem). She said to trim also, which is what I will do. I ask you guys again, how long should I wait to trim. I have found that it takes trees about two weeks to adapt and begin growth, should I wait that long?

Ruth is a nice lady, but I certainly cannot agree about her claim that a citrus tree needs to be about 3 years old before it can stand on its own.. A well grown tree should be able to stand on its own from day one. A problem that Florida citrus nurseries now have is that they can no longer grow their trees outdoors because of citrus greening. All trees must now be grown inside a USDA approved screen house. There is not much wind inside a screen house, and it is the wind that develops strong straight tree trunks. Also many citrus nurseries produce their trees placed extremely close to each other, which also does not help with good trunk structure. - Silica

This may be part of the problem, but Four Winds is now growing all their trees in screen houses too and has been for several years now.

Their 5 gallon trees are at least 18 months before they put them up for sale and even though they are short they are very stout at that age and don't really need staking even though they come with a stake.

I believe it's because they trim the tops several times in that 18 months which forces the lower branching. And they have them spaced well also.

Probably Harris has them too close together, doesn't prune at all and looks like they use longer grafts in the first place. But that's how they can sell them so cheap. They look healthy, just need pruning.

Laura, it's perfectly fine to wait until the tree is settled to prune it. Late summer would be OK.

Thanks Silica and Barb. All of what you say makes sense. I agree with the three year issue....it should not take that long or trees would never grow wild. I will wait a couple of weeks then prune. I agree that probably Harris has them too close together and the screen greenhouses must not help much. Ruth is very nice and I would order from them again, but not the older, more expensive trees. The $20 trees seem to fare better. Again, not as nice as the Four Winds older trees, but a good bang for your buck.

Harris grows in 4x4 pots butted up against each other. The growth pattern is to be expected. If you want better trees pay more. I'm happy with what I got and I don't want them doing anything that will result in higher prices. You can't beat their price. Let us who are happy continue to be happy.

Agreed Pip. For their prices, you get nice trees at the $20 range. I have been happy with those trees. However, I don't think I would order their larger trees because I would worry about this happening again. Even if they staked them a bit more loosely, it may help.

I don't think they stake the standard trees. I think they grow like that because of how close they are to each other.

I some times use string from my gutters to keep the limb upright . The limb is free to swing back and forth but cant fall over. This allows the limb to get strong while in an upright position

I removed the tie this morning to try it out and it actually stood up on its own. It is still quite weak though, so I tied it back up even more loosely. I trimmed three branches whose weight would have pulled the tree down, but left the tall ones. I am going to let it sit like that for a while and check it. It is otherwise very nice looking. There was another that was also not standing and I had it leaned up against a stake (but not tied). Well, I just looked at it and it has stood itself up! Overnight it seems to have stood straighter and was no longer reclining on the stake so I removed it altogether. It is amazing how strong and resilient these trees are!

Good news!! Did you have to prune much? Please post a pic.

I will in a bit Vladimir. I figured I'd start small and prune more if necessary

Vladimir, I hope you can see from this pic that I cut about four side, overhanging branches. I left the top because I figured it was not tipping the tree over in any direction since it is upright growth. I'll see how it does and report back..,

My New Zealand lemonade tree was very top heavy. While I am very much against trimming citrus I decided to because the top growth was in a bad zig zag form that might cause problems down the road. I mailed the twigs to pip for him to graft. The post office used their pony express mail system and it took just under 2 weeks to go 250 miles. The twigs arrived dead and moldy. To make matters worse I found out the PO sold their horses and bought donkeys for their Cincinnati to Troy high speed mail delivery system.

I had been wrestling with to trim or not for about a month. I had a pole about 8 feet tall to tie a support string to aid the tree while it stiffened up for the summer.

Laura, is it still supported by a stake? Nice orchids.

Yes Vladimir, but very loosely tied towards the top. I still don't think it is quite strong enough to go without. I'll check it out periodically. I noticed today when a breeze blew, it swayed, so that should help even though it is staked.

Steve, I read about that fiasco. That is terrible! I am sorry!

Thanks Vladimir, a couple of those orchids I've had over 18 years!!! I normally leave them indoors, but my budgies decided to play with them and chewed them up. A few got their flowers chewed totally. I was very mad! I now have to find a new place to put them indoors for the winter....or perhaps budgie stew is in order...;-)

This is where I got the idea for using green tape to support trees You might find this useful about how to properly stake a tree in the ground but some of it is applicable to containers:

http://www.learn2grow.com/gardeningguides/trees/planting/stakingtrees.aspx

Thanks Vladimir. I'll check it out!

Absolutely beautiful plants and trees Laura! You have the gift for making many of your plants flower and look so green. Wonderful.

By the way, mine from Harris are very thin too, but healthy. That is why I have said nothing. I figure if I do, then they decide to sell trees the way others do, thicker trunks that is, then their prices would shoot through the roof. So I am willing to wait it out for mines to get thicker at those bottom prices..Just feed and cut back a lot and the trunk should thicken up over time)

Thank you Mike! I love my plants! They give me joy! I understand what you say about Harris. Their prices are VERY reasonable and many that I've ordered have not had this problem. Although their stems are thin, they have been able to stand. I think because this one was their older tree, they let the canopy develop more without the trunk strength. It will be fine. It already seems stronger.