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Meyer is growing -- out more than up

ivysmom
12 years ago

My Mom actually referred to it as a "bush" this weekend. Sure enough, its growing more OUT than up. I bought it last September, and it's definitely bigger, just not a whole lot taller (gained about 3' across, maybe 1' up).

Is this normal for a fairly young Meyer tree (guessing it was 2 years old when I bought it)? I'm going to see if the new limbs are fruit-bearing, and if not, prune them off. Is this an OK idea, or will the vertical growth eventually catch up (like a growth spurt in a teenager, haha).

Thanks!

Comments (6)

  • houstontexas123
    12 years ago

    could be a dwarf variety. i bought a dwarf meyer last spring, it was about 2.5' tall, lollipop shaped.

    you can prune it to reshape it. cut off the lower branches for a more tree look.

  • subtropix
    12 years ago

    I see the same thing with mine, very nice, robust growth but sideways (not up). Just the opposite with my Eureka lemon, that one grows straight up (little side branching)--and in need of support (weight of the lemons). I bet these Meyer's are dwarfs (are the all like this?).

  • stephen90
    12 years ago

    Citrus naturally grow like bushes. In fact, they ARE bushes. They are trimmed to look like trees, but they do not grow that way naturally. Some grow up, some grow out, but they all have fairly bushy shape if left un-pruned. In fact, even most trees that DO grow into a "standard" tree shape naturally require pruning to look that way when they are small. Your Meyer Lemon is perfectly normal. You can cut limbs back if you dislike how large it is getting, but blooms tend to develop on the newest growth, so you may get less fruit when it blooms if you trim it often.

    What shape do you want your tree to be? The container gardening forum here is full of wonderfully knowledgable people, including several bonsai growers, who could help you shape your tree however you like.

  • ivysmom
    Original Author
    12 years ago

    I'd just like to get it a bit more "tall" than wide... if nothing else, keep the fruit off the ground. There were two lemons on it last year, but one I didn't know about because I couldn't see it, and it rotted on the ground. Oops. It's near where we will eventually have a patio, so if it could be made to where people don't have to completely walk around it, that'd be good.

    It wasn't advertised or tagged as a dwarf, just an improved meyer. I'll post a pic when I get home, but here's what it started at last September:

    {{gwi:580519}}

  • thisisme
    12 years ago

    ivysmom if you want it to grow like a tree. Stake that one long piece and tie it to the stake to make it strait up.

  • ivysmom
    Original Author
    12 years ago

    thisisme: Oh, I did that a couple days after taking that picture. Here's what the thing looks like now (the stones around its base are about 9" each, to give you an idea of scale. Might try a better picture in the morning, since this one doesn't look as good as I thought it did.

    {{gwi:580520}}

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