Cut back at a leaf node, but choose one that will encourage new growth to go outward. It looks like the tallest one is your leader. If so, I would stake it up and top it at the height you don't wish to surpass. If it is not a leader, just trim it back a bit. With all the pruning, your tree should fill in nicely over time.

Thanks Denise. By leader do you mean the main trunk? If so, I was thinking about cutting it back past those two tallest branches that go up in a V shape, but I wasn't sure if that was a good idea. It's already getting pretty thick and woody in that area.

Fred yes, the main trunk should be the leader unless the nursery topped it off to encourage branching. Trim it to the way you want it to be. If you don't feel comfortable doing it, watch some videos on youtube. Organics Best Urban Gardner and IV Organic have a few. You are setting the structure/foundation for the lifetime of the tree so don't get carried away once you start. lol.

Pruning woody branches/stem is not a problem. If you are taking out a branch, cut it almost flush an leave a tiny stub. Kaffir has a weeping tendency as you can see from your plant. They tend to produce long branches that eventually droop and as they harden (become woody) that shape becomes more permanent.

In this case, pruning is used to "chase back" the branch. That is you would prune back to a few (1 to 3) leaf nodes on the branches. This will encourage more branching and tighter plant.

Keep the lower branches . I would not prune it completely. They help to strengthen the main trunk. But it is your choice. Some like a straight bare trunk with foliage near the top. But it will make the stem weaker and increase tendency to bend without any support.

For top I would chase it back hard to a point where there is one branch sticking upwards. That will become the new leader. A leader is the branch that grows straight up and become the main trunk line. Imagine a big tree - they are always wider near the base with thicker branches . As you go near the top branches are thinner and it gets narrower near the tip. For woody plants this is a stable configuration. If you leave many branches near the top then they will be slow to harden. That is you select a leader so that it grows faster and hardens quicker.

You can try straightening the branches near the top also. Choose you would like to straighten up that has started to harden. Stick a long strong pole on the opposite side in the pot so that it angles outward following the angled sides of the pot. Stick it it all the way to the bottom so it it is less likely to move. Then tie the branch to the pole pulling to a straighter angle. You may need two tie points. If you feel the branch will break then do it in stages. Then let it grow and harden. And pull it backwards a bit every few weeks.

Nik: the post I guess is deleted. Missed the action :(

Nik,

Insult me all you like; it means nothing to me. Insult Guatemala, it only shows your ignorance. Guatemala is not a poor country; it is a thriving exporting country with the largest middle class in all of Latin America. Fifth largest exporter of sugar, producer of the finest coffee in the world, inter alia. Guatemala has a democratic system of government; it's current President is hardly "filthy rich"; he was a comedian prior; nor am I filthy rich; I am only a leader together with many associate growers in creating a prosperous new market segment that provides a lot of jobs where none existed.

Associate growers lol. Sounds like something you would hear in 1930s Ukraine.

Denise - Thank you again. I'll check out your suggestions on youtube.

tropicofcancer - Thank you very much. You've given me very helpful information that I haven't found in all my online searching.

john - I'm not sure how I have offended you. I was under the impression this was a place where people could come to learn and share information. If you don't want to do that, then feel free to ignore my thread and spend your time on something that you do care about.

John is the resident crank, and when I'm feeling charitable, I read his comments like that as attempts at dry humor that don't come across in type.

And Fred, good luck with the pruning! Lovely tree.

Sorry, he is not the resident crank. Try something else. There is no reason for negative comments when people post. It turns people off and they leave. I have a friend here who is afraid to post about one of her problems in fear of one of his comments. I felt that way too when he made a comment about my potting medium. Here he is doing it again to somebody new who really needed some advice.

The men seem to take it in stride, but the women don't. I wondered why it's the same people posting here week after week.

I do agree, Denise. Just trying to frame it a bit in a way that won't scare off the new person.

Fred,

I did not mean to offend you; but newbie or not, if you made a simple search on this site, you would find that your questions have been answered over and over.

Jaydub, I think now we have 9 associate growers and together they own almost double the number of trees that I own. They get not only the trees; but also the growing system and endless advice; they are free to market their fruits under our umbrella or not, as they choose; but they are not licensed to propagate the trees. I'm not sure what that has to do with 1930's Ukraine; but then I wasn't born until 1945

john, I have tried to search multiple topics through this forum and the search function doesn't always work which is quite frustrating. I am not sure if it is forum related or my computer.

I have noticed people in general would rather ask a basic question than take the time to Google and do their own research to solve their own problems. I have noticed this on numerous forums and FB groups regarding various topics. Because it gets old for me to read and reply to the same questions over and over, I remove myself from that site for a while and allow people who have more patience than I to answer the newbie's questions.

Well, Denise, as you have already discovered, I am NOT one of those people who have more patience than you. Sorry; but sometimes that is the price you pay for too many years of experience. If you can't figure out how to prune your one tree, maybe you ought to take it back to where you bought it. As I sometimes tell my wife about computer issues.... it is a PEBCAK problem.... Problem Exists Between Chair And Keyboard.

You don’t have the patience to answer someone’s question but you have the time to get into a back-and-forth about how to use this service? Get a life

I don't mean to hijack this post but don't know how to start a new one. Delete if it is not appropriate. I have questions about keeping the kaffir lime tree in the house all year round with LED grow lights. Is it possible? Have you had experience in that area? Please advise.

Yes you can and do quite well. Insects will be your main problem.

Steve

thankyou @tropicofcancer, Best pruning discripton I have ever come across. I am new to gardening and really appreciate a thorough discripton!

Why prune such a small tree, it is beyond me why this type of post ever comes up.

@deepticam great that you found the info helpful. Pruning is best done when the plant is actively growing. It will respond better with fresh branches and leaves. At other times, such as in winter, you can prune to reduce size according to the space you have available indoors. Indoors it will slow down considerably in northern climates. That is if you need to bring it indoors in winter. In the tropics they also slow down in winter and some natural leaf drop will occur.

Note: citrus only develops fruits on the new growth, Pruning removes the new growth, therefor your tree cannot produce fruit.

Also Note: Pruning induces new growth done at the right time. Second, Limes and lemons can have multiple flushes of growth and flower and fruits all year round. So do kumquats and calamondins. Third, kaffir lime is primarily grown for leaves than fruits. And fourth the original poster asked about pruning to reduce size to get it situated indoors.