Thank you so much for the advice. I actually did some already, but I really feel like I went easy. I just kept thinking, well...if it needs more, I'll do it next year. I mostly took off little brittle pieces and ones that were crossing like you suggested. I probably spent an hour at least just going over each limb. I think I was able to tell more and more as time went on which branches were old and which were new. I figured all those old twigs and such were just taking up space that the fruit could grow and light could come in. I did take off a couple pretty hefty branches right in the middle, (by hefty, I mean I had to use the saw, about 1 1/2" in diameter) to allow more sun in. I won't do any more and will hope and pray it survives it's pruning!! Thank you again for the advice!

Tdnc, must be fun hauling the tree outdoors..LOL What I don't understand is why its leaves yellowed when you placed it outside..if the sun was too strong, and foliage burned, a reddish hue would have marred its leaves. Citrus love summers outside..fresh air, humidity and yep, full sun..the trick is taking out early in the year..as soon as temps are in the 60's, nights no cooler than 50, (a bit cooler wouldn't hurt) is ideal. Some ppl take plants out say an hour one day, then two the next, but since your tree 'sounds' heavy, haul out on a cloudy day, early morning or evening. Or a day or even a week rain is predicted. Shady spots can burn a plant that's been indoors all winter, (including cactus) so it's just a matter of doing so the right time. Citrange asked important questions..and he/she's right. If your tree is a seedling, it can take as long as 14 years to produce fruit..grafted flower/fruit a little afer 1 yr old, more at 1 1/2 yrs, 2+ profusely. Don't give up..Toni

Like animals, trees grown from seed must pass through several phases of development before they become sexually mature and capable of producing reproductive parts (blooms/ seeds/ fruit). The plant phases of seed - seedling - juvenile - sexually mature are roughly mirrored in human developmental stages of embryonic - infantile - juvenile - adult/ sexually mature. A freshly sprouted seedling is no more capable of producing reproductive parts (blooms/ seeds/ fruit) than an infant. Too, a plant's aging process is different than an animal's. Where animals age chronologically, plants age ontogenetically. Ontogenetic aging can be thought of in terms of how many cell divisions have occurred to move the plant to its current phase of development. One might reason that the most recent new growth would be the youngest part of the plant, but ontogenetically, it is the the oldest part of the plant because it has taken many more cell divisions to produce the newest parts. Ontogenetically, the youngest part of a tree grown from seed will always be the root to shoot transition area at the base of the trunk, no matter how old the tree is chronologically. Pruning a tree back hard can easily remove all existing mature growth and return it to a juvenile phase that would require a considerable amount of new growth before the wood again becomes mature. All factors that influence growth rate have an impact on how long (chronologically) it takes a plant to become sexually mature, so thinking that a change in nutrition alone will cause a plant to bloom is misguided. The fastest seedlings to mature within any given species will depend on how proficient Mother Nature or the plant's grower is at providing ideal cultural conditions. Ideal cultural conditions = most rapid growth rate and shortest period of time to reach maturity; this, simply because ideal conditions are most conducive to cell divisions and therefore a fruitful tree at a younger chronological age. It should be noted that applying nutrients or other products in willy nilly fashion with no knowledge of whether or not there is an actual deficiency of those nutrients or no good reason to apply them is highly likely to be limiting in terms of both growth and rate of maturation. Whenever we discuss what is or isn't an appropriate part of the methodology we use to make certain our plants get all the nutrients essential to growth and good health, we would probably first want to be sure our objectives are on target. It's difficult to argue with the idea that our focus in supplying supplemental nutrition to our plants should be on ensuring all the nutrients plants normally assimilate from the soil are A) IN the soil and available for uptake at all times, B) in the soil in a favorable ratio - that is to say in a ratio that mimics the ratio at which the plant actually uses the nutrient, C) at a concentration high enough to ensure no nutritional deficiencies, yet still low enough to ensure the plant's ability to take up water efficiently, and the nutrients dissolved in that water won't be impeded (by a high concentration of solubles in the soil solution). The part in bold is where growers often run afoul of sound husbandry. By adding unnecessary nutrients we A) skew the ratio of nutrients, each to the others, such that an excess of one nutrient causes a deficiency of one or more other nutrients, and B) make it more difficult for the plant to assimilate water and nutrients. So, for plants in containers, best results can be had by choosing 1 fertilizer with an appropriate nutrient ratio and all the nutrients essential to normal growth. Forget the snake oil products and claims made on product packaging by sellers whose only goal is separating you from your money. For plants in the landscape, a soil test is ESSENTIAL for any grower aiming at providing the best cultural conditions possible. "A little extra" is almost always going to be limiting rather than beneficial; otherwise, it wouldn't be "extra". Al

I also have a 10 month old Havanese puppy. These are sometimes referred to as "velcro" dogs, as their attachment and bond with their human is very strong. They want to be with you constantly and will follow you from room to room, even into the bathroom! They also tend to get stressed out if left alone for extended periods so if you work all day and the dog will be left alone, this is probably not the best breed for you. They can become destructive and psychologically impaired if left alone much. Havanese are also highly intelligent and easy to train. They don't require a lot of exercise but appreciate a good daily romp outside as well as regular walks. And they LOVE toys....of all sorts. Stuffed toys with squeakies, balls, chew toys, tug ropes. And they like them best if YOU play with them with the toy - keep-away, fetch, tug of war. These are wonderful, playful and very affectionate little dogs that want nothing more than to be with their human all the time!! 😊