Tuesday, it sure sounds like your tree is grafted. And if so, yes, it's important to remove the root stock that's growing below the graft line. Remove them ASAP. Do you have a pic of your tree w/the line? Toni

Hi again, sorry for the delay -- got caught up in an end-o-summer maintenance whirlwind.....

Here are a couple of pictures of the lumpy section/trunk of the tree. I pruned off the sprouts as per your suggestion. 3 weeks later, as you can see from the pix, they have resprouted (two for each one I whacked....)

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The rest of the tree seems normal in branching and sprouting, although I'm disappointed to be losing 3 out of every four lemon sets...

So, does this look like a graft to you all? It does to me. I wish the growers would put this info on their tags as well as the other useless info I found on the tag attached to the trunk....

Yes, it's grafted; the lumpy knob is the graft line.

It is unusual to find a non-grafted tree for sale in California--I've never seen one...and believe me, I spend a good deal of time looking at and for citrus, lol. Durling's is a pretty big producer and I see their trees for sale all the time when I am in the LA area--very nice selection, nice trees but the potting soil is poor.

You will find that citrus will lose a high percentage of tiny fruit--that's perfectly normal and can be minimized by making sure water and nurtrition are ideal. Plus, I find that pink lemons are not that productive nor vigorous, though an interesting tree--but that's just my experience.

That new growth is definitely rootstock, and it appears to be some sort of trifoliate but I dont think it's Flying Dragon--too linear in growth. You may wish to remove these as well, unless you want to allow them to mature a bit and then graft onto them , or if you want to attempt to root them (I have not had success doing that in my few pathetic attempts, but I never do well with cuttings except for brugs and mint--and I think these things root in spite of me and not because of my interventions :). The point of the removal is to redirect energy to growth and production of the grafted portion instead of rootstock suckers.

HTH.

If you're not going to graft, I'd remove the growth ASAP..it's taking energy from the tree. And the rootstock growth grows quickly. Real fast..it seems when mine grow the stock, it springs faster than the main tree..Toni

You betcha that growth is faster -- this growth is ferocious fast, compared to the rest of the tree (another reason I thought it might be rootstock) and I've been really disappointed in the leafout of this tree -- instead of gaining leaves/branches, its lost 'em.

I'm really thinking I don't have the watering down right--- its in a 20 gal. porcelain fully glazed (in and out) pot with 4 big drainage holes. I replaced all of its original soil 9 mos ago when I got it with a high-drainage mix: basically what I use for cactus 50/50 w/ Edna's Best potting soil, mixed with polymer crystals (the new version that doesn't degenerate to nasty salts). But I'm thinking I've been underwatering (I'm so afraid to overwater it...). I've been letting the soil mix go bone dry to 3/4 of my index finger in depth before watering. When I relented and started watering more (lightly dry at 1/2 my index finger, I got some fruit set and the leaves seem to have stopped dropping, so maybe I'm getting it right now.

I'll rip off those sprouts tonight again. Thanks for your confirmations! I was hesitant because I bought two young figs this year from edible landscaping and was sure they were grafted (look just like this one with a lumpy section and angled growth from the lump) and had started sprouting from the soil level, but when I contacted them they said that none of their figs are grafted and that I should leave the new leaves to grow..... go figure.

Thanks so much!