I wouldn't cut it yet. Let it grow bigger because it needs leaves to grow right now. I would repot it into a slightly bigger plastic pot. It needs lots of drain holes, no self watering system. Meyers do not like wet feet but need a lot of light, so keep it outside in full sun as much as possible. The soil mix championed on this forum is the 511 (5 parts pine bark 1-8 to 1-16 in pieces, most buy reptibark from Amazon, 1 part perilite, 1 part peat moss), 1 tblsp garden lime per gallon, and mix some osmocote plus into the soil. Then water every week with dyno grow foliage pro. You will grow a huge lemon tree in no time!

happy Mother's Day!

Do not prune. Your tree will not have enough foliage to properly feed the roots if you remove a branch.

I would replant it in a plastic light colored pot with excellent drainage and aeration holes.

New Zealand lemonade on US897 rootstock. · More Info

6b Steve

Wow!!! Thank you for all of the advice. A couple of follow up questions--

1) How big is a slightly bigger pot? 9 inch diameter?

2) re: garden lime-is that per gallon of soil?

3) Should I eventually prune? In a year? When it reaches twice its size? Looking for a general timeframe--if I can manage to keep it thriving, I'd like it to eventually have a single trunk.

Super excited! I had planned to research a little more first, but the kids knew I wanted one and jumped the gun. Happy mother's day to you too.

What size is the pot now? I would only go up one size. And yes, that's one tbsp per gallon on mix. I wouldn't prune it for awhile, it needs to put on size to be healthy.

The current pot is 5".

First of all, the plant is likely not grafted if it came from Home Depot as is sold north of the citrus belt. It's more likely just a rooted cutting.

Second, if you want it to have one trunk only, then obviously the other will have to go!

I agree with Dave. I have seen those trees at HD and they are rooted cuttings (not a problem at all for a container tree). I would not trim at all now for sure, however, I ask: why do you want to cut the stem? Meyer lemons are more bushy than tree like and can be quite attractive that way. I will show you a pic of a rooted cutting I've had for over five years that started out somewhat like that (a bit bigger). It is not a meyer, but a persian lime, but I love the shape.

I just got a Washington Navel about that size from HD a few weeks ago and it is a rooted cutting, it has a multi branch structure as well but I prefer bush shape to tree shape so I am leaving it. Bush shape provides more branches and available space to set fruit, I would like the highest yield possible out of my trees so I go for that. If you don't care as much about how many lemons you get and want it to be more ornamental than producing go ahead and trim one of them off but I would wait until the tree is more established, if your cut it off now it may shock it and kill it or it may not have enough leaves left to give enough energy for the plant to survive. If you know that's what you want to do, pick your leader/trunk branch and stake only that one and let the other hang/do what it wants. (I would straighten the stake as its making the tree lean now) That way when you cut off the one branch the first one is already trained in the correct shape. You don't want to leave the stake forever as it will make the trunk weak/dependent on it and it could break from the weight of the top. I use the 5-1-1 or other bark based mixes with success and fertilize with Foligle Pro (switching to Jacks for cost when I am out of FP) once a week. You should be able to make that into a great little tree with the right TLC. Gook Luck!

This is a picture of my Navel, it has the one branch that could be the leader and I am debating staking it or just letting it do whatever it wants. It's trying to set a bunch of oranges but I'll be pulling off whatever it doesn't drop on it's own until the tree is at least twice its current size.

Thanks for all of the advice! I've learned so much. I just assumed that the knot at the bottom was a graft (I have japanese maple trees that are grafted). I do like the look of the lemon trees with a single leader but more productive is appealing too. I will follow all of your advice re repotting, watering, and fertilizing, and decide later whether I should prune. Thanks again everybody!

Wheeeee!!! I got everything I needed for repotting, so I took the plunge. I'm a little scared I was too rough with the roots...it must have been rooted in a sponge which I tried to remove. Two more questions:

1) Am I right in assuming that the trunk should be set at a right angle? Eventually I'd like to train the branch upright but if I stake it upright now the bottom leans over. Or maybe I should just let it grow how it wants and give up on staking.

Thanks! Since I had lots of 511 mix leftover, I just place an order at briteleaf for a dwarf key lime (grafted--I will channel my desire for a tree rather than a shrub into that plant), and calmondin...

Can you adjust the stake that's already in it to make it straighter? I looked on the original picture and it is just a crooked plant. Eventually it will even out on its own. You might even get another growth on the limb that was cut off, it might fill out that side.

Thanks. The whole plant seems wobbly after transplanting, so I'm trying to prop the central trunk to be a right angle to the soil line. I'm thinking that is what I want, and in a few weeks when the plant is more stable I will adjust the stake again. Does that sound right?

I agree the tree might just be a crooked plant! Lots of character already. Hopefully it will survive transplanting.

I have two crooked plants as well and I have learned to love the character it brings! I tend to be a perfectionist, but my husband says that a little wabi sabi is good for me haha