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kcandmilo

Non grafted citrus from nursery?

9 years ago

I am getting spoiled by success! Thanks to the amazing folk on this forum, my citrus is blooming and fruiting and looking so much happier! I can't believe I was asking advice about chopping down and removing my trees on this past February!

However, now I am getting greedy, and wondering why my navel orange is not showing the same signs of being fed at last! I tried to find a graft line to make sure i hadn't in past years let the rootstock grow instead of the graftee and can't see one! Following the discussions on this board makes me wonder if I have a non-grafted citrus, in which case I might be looking at a tree too young too flower? Is it likely a large wholesale nursery (this was bought and planted by a landscaping company that graded our yard for us) would have a non-grafted plant? Aren't they more expensive in terms of man hours to grow to maturity? (It is about 7-8 feet tall, about 4 feet around, and 4 years in the ground in my yard.)

Meanwhile here is my busy, hardworking Meyer lemon. ( I know y'all will tell me to thin out the flowers, but I am so happy to see blooms at last!) This one is about 3 feet tall and 3 feet wide, and has been in the ground in my yard for about 3 years).

KC

Comments (8)

  • 9 years ago

    The Meyer lemon tree roots so easily, that it is very very very common to find non grafted Meyer lemon trees, that instead of being grafted are produced as rooted cuttings. The cutting they use are mature cuttings, and should come into flower rather quickly. All they need to get some height to them.

    kcandmilo thanked Silica
  • 9 years ago

    Silica, the tree I was wondering about was the navel orange. The Meyer is blooming great this year after being fed!

    (I shouldn't have muddled my question by adding the Meyer lemon photo but i couldn't resist.)

    KC

  • 9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    KC in my experience oranges take longer to bloom and fruit, I have a Valencia Orange that did nothing but grow for 8 years and then finally bloomed on the 9th season. My grapefruit took about 6 years to fruit. Mind you these are grafted trees I'm talking about. It is possible for commercial nurseries to sell rooted cuttings but in California it is highly unlikely because grafted trees are easily obtainable and not that expensive. You say that your tree has been in ground 4 years, by now your graft line should be difficult to distinguish if it was a good graft and a compatible rootstock was used. The whole point of grafting is to get the trunks to blend so that it's nearly indistinguishable between scion and rootstock transition. Patience is your best friend when it comes to growing citrus and I've found that fertilizing at the right times of the year is key to getting your trees to bloom and hold fruit. On another note, Meyers are prolific bloomers but will self thin fairly well so I'd leave your flowers alone on the tree until they're marble size and then thin out if you think it's holding too much fruit.

    Evan

    kcandmilo thanked evdesert 9B Indio, CA
  • 9 years ago

    Evan, thank you! As always, I learn so much from you!

    Here is a picture of the trunk, just in case y'all see something I missed.

    The bits cut off at the ground at the very base were a blackberry vine that somehow grew in there. I didn't know what else to do but cut them off at the base and hope it would go away :)

  • 9 years ago

    KC no problem, that's why we're here so we can learn from each other. Can you dig down below the mulch it looks like your graft could be just below the surface, not sure though. Here's the area I'm talking about that looks like it could be a graft line.

    Evan

    kcandmilo thanked evdesert 9B Indio, CA
  • 9 years ago

    Evan, should I uncover the graft line, and keep it exposed?

  • 9 years ago

    I would just pull the mulch back a couple inches away from the trunk. Keeps moisture from sitting right against the trunk that could potentially cause rotting issues.

    kcandmilo thanked evdesert 9B Indio, CA