We puchased a small 20 gal Clementine from Lowes last Spring, planted it in full sun during an Arizona summer, and believe it or not, it's going to make it. My question is though, off of the main shoot, are 3 shoots which have outgrown and surpassed the original stem and are actually taller than the apical meristem. What's even weirder is that these 3 shoots have thorns on the stems (the original doesn't) and the leaves are different. Now we've never grown a citrus tree before, let alone a Clementine, but can someone please tell me if this is normal growth? Thank you much
If yours is a grafted tree, what you could be seeing is growth from the rootstock. Is the growth below the graft union? Are the leaves trifoliate or 3-lobed? If so, then rootstock is confirmed.
They could also be water sprouts. Water sprouts will produce thorns and are very vigorous and the leaves are usually double the size of normal leaves. From what I know AZ does not "normally" use trifoliata as a rootstock as it does not do well in desert conditions. Most of the AZ citrus is on sour orange.
Okay, looking further into the C-35 Rootstock, I've learned that this is a Citrus x insitorum rootstock. So please correct me if I am wrong... clementine branches were grafted onto this C-35 rootstock, then it appears I am getting growth from the Clementine and the rootstock. Should I prune the rootstock?
Dan that is the rootstock and needs to be removed. It is either citrange or swingle. If you don't remove it, it will take over.
Thanks, all pruned up. I probably missed a whole season of growth since the root stock accounted for the large 4 branches in the 3rd picture above... I should have researched it sooner. Thanks again.
i agree with l r you would have got more root growth with the vigourous growth of the rootstock now that energy can go into the scion however you will have to keep a closer eye on the plant now somtimes when it starts suckering it will keep trying to do that. i would get the suckers off as fast as you see them