John, where are you located?

It's natural for a tree planted from seed (or on its own roots) to take so long.

All the trees you'd find in a nursery or commercial orchards are on grafted rootstock. This limits the tree's growth, diverting the tree's energy towards fruit production earlier on in its life.

It's the same reason that giving a tree lots of fertilizer is less likely to result in fruit production that year.

I have a collection of really rare varieties I grew from seed. Right now just growing them in little containers. Wish I had somewhere to plant them where they could grow carefree into huge trees and I could harvest more seeds from them (I'm a hybridizer).

I have Keraji, Ichang papeda, Giant citron (supposedly produces fruits bigger than a pomelo). Keraji is sort of related to Satsuma mandarin but even a bit more cold hardiness than Satsuma, not as good eating quality though.

John

To avoid injury, did you peal off the warning sticker that said "do not stand above this rung" before you climbed to the top. Did you hold onto the over head high tension wire for balance.

Steve

socal, I'm in Southeast Texas, 9a, so I'm warm enough to grow quite a few citrus but still too cold to grow those that can't tolerate below 28-30F. Alas, no Key limes or avocados for me! I may climb the ladder again and do an air layering on the top of one of the flowering trunks of the calamondin. There are four trunks and so I could root one and bring the top down to ground level so I can more easily reach the fruit!

Steve, yeah, I don't know what happened to that sticker. I either peeled it off to keep from slipping on it or I wore it out from standing on it so much.

For the leaf miner, I would spray the entire tree (might be difficult, haha) with spinosad. The treatment will need to be reapplied 10 days later. (The first treatment only kills the insects, the eggs inside the leaves will also have to hatch before the juvenile insects can also be killed)

Make sure you get all the undersides of all the leaves, and you'll have to treat any other citrus trees in the close surrounding area, or it will be pretty much pointless and the leaf miner infestation will come right back.

John, you and Steve crack me up! OMG that looks dangerous! I hope that calamondin was worth the risk!! Oh and I love the nest photo!

I was dizzy just looking at the picture! I had no idea calamondins could get that tall! KC

Lol. great picture! I'm surprised that didn't go viral..Ha