What I know about this is that if you spray bamboo with neem oil to kill mites the leaves burn and fall off. Maybe that is what happened here.

Your tree is grafted and those water sprouts are a Poncirus Trifoliata/hybrid. They are useless and should be removed. If the mid sectoon part of the tree is still green in the branches it is not dead.

6b Steve

How can I tell if my tree is grafted?

I should have been more explicit in my post, that picture is not a picture of my tree, just a picture I found on google.

If you are sure that your tree is from a rooted cutting then it will be best to let the water sprouts grow to their delight.

Megan Look for a line like those on my trees' pictures My trees' graft line pictures.

New Zealand Lemonade on US897 grafting · More Info

Please show us your tree.

Here is the bottom of my tree, I can't see a graft line

HUGE water sprout leaves and full tree. Water sprouts are thriving while the inside of the tree is dying.

Looks like its safe to let anything grow.

The inside dying is from a lack of sunlight...Is there any way you could let more light into the center of your tree?

Too me it looks grafted the top pic. Is there a way to take a few more close ups of the bottom part like the top pic?

Agree with Mike here... take pics of the main stem from the bottom to the top where it's been cut off. We should be able to identify any graft lines. Typically, grafts are made around 6" from the soil line though... so maybe focus around that area?

-Tom

This is the bottom 8-10 inches or so.

The lines at the bottom of the tree look more like "stains" than actual lines across the tree, similar to low tide at the beach. Not sure how it happened, they were there when I got the tree.

Also I am not sure how to get the tree more light. It currently lives pushed up against a corner window, facing South and West. Any ideas?

Taking it outside is not an option yet, it's mid-spring but we are getting snow here this weekend.

As an aside, this alarming looking leaf fell off this morning. Is this discoloration from a nutrient deficiency/surplus?

Megan. If the tree has ever bloomed then it is grafted or a rooted cutting. If it is a rooted cutting you will have a whorl of roots at the base. If it has a tap root and has flowered it is grafted and the lower limbs need to be removed. If it has never flowered it is probably from seed and you can remove the sucker to promote trunk growth.

6b Steve

Megan, you see the very top picture? Can you take the same exact angle but much closer? Take a pic of the leaves too that are coming from the bottom very same angle..Thank you

Here are some close ups of that first picture and a leaf from one of those bottom sprouts. I am convinced it is a grapefruit tree leaf. It looks, feels, and smells the same!

Also sorry for any confusion, the picture in my original post was found on the internet. Made this post at work and didn't have any pictures of my tree.

I have only had the tree since October so I don't know if it flowers or not. When does that normally happen, closer to summer?

Megan I have determined that your tree is grafted to a poncirus trifoliata/hybrid. Any sucker that have leaves that have 3 leaflets must be removed. Any sucker that have only one leaf on it's leaf stem will flower and produce the desired fruit.

6b Steve