Looks like a watersprout; they usually have thicker stems, larger leaves and big thorns. Some people routinely remove them; and some let them grow to speed up the size development of the tree. I prefer to cut them back to level of the general canopy; and they will usually revert back to normal growth.

I probably would, just to maintain the shape of the tree. Sign of a well-loved and cared for citrus tree :-) Your whisky barrels look really pretty in your yard, btw.

Patty S.

NO NO NOWAY NO. This is how kumquats grow. They send up a shoot then it branches out and another shoot takes over the highest spot then it branches and so on. When the tree get closer to irs larger size it will grow more evanly. Just make sure that it is not foot stock sprout.

Steve

PS Nice pots

Thanks for the kind words about the planters. I get them for $30/ea at a winery in Santa Rosa. They're great for drip systems as there is a gap at the bottom which makes feeding a line from below very easy.

I hope to have 50+ planters when all is said and done. Little by little!

Serge,

In the end it is your plant; do what you want with the watersprout. I have given you the options that people choose; you can choose where you want to go.

Steve,

Kumquats grow like any other citrus, in spurts; and a watersprout is a watersprout; if you choose to cut it, keep it; cut it back to the canopy... that is up to you.

So would you consider these branches multiple water aprouts on my gold nugget mandarin?

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Or on my pomona sweet lemon?

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Both of these trees were planted earlier this year and are starting to really take off now that the temps have dropped below 100 for more than a few days. What would you guys do, cut them back or let them grow?
Evan

John I agree. I just happened to have my kumquat thinking cap on. I have watched my citrus trees grow in leaps and bounds from waterspout as the old trunks lean and become branches. See picture below. As of mid July, the Black line marks the tree's height and the white box is the start of the W.S.

Serge I don't know what sunset 17 is but from the size and quantity of your barrels and your quantity plans, I am going to guess that they don't come inside for the winter. In this case you will get to a sizable tree fastest by leaving it grow or trimming off only the terminal bud. The next growth will branch out the water sprout and your tree will be that much bigger.

I am striving for a 6 foot kumquat tree as fast as I can and then focus on fruiting. For my tangerine trees I would like 8 to 12 foot trees. It is your tree and there is no correct or wrong answer.

Steve

PS I have a bunch of sailing friends and the only 2 sunset rating we have here in Ohio is

Red skies at night, sailor's delight.

Red skies in the evening sailor's are a dreaming.

This post was edited by poncirusguy on Sat, Oct 18, 14 at 11:12

Evan,

Yes, those are multiple water sprouts; but as I said in the options I gave you, some people just let them go as a way to get a bigger tree sooner. If you want a balanced tree, I would cut them back... at least halfway to the general canopy.

Steve,
I think it is red sky in the morning, sailors take warning; red sky at night, sailors delight. At least that is the way my English ancestors said it.

Serge, what John said :-) I have 3 1/2 whisky barrels, too, and mine are also dripped. Have a Bearrs lime, a Santa Teresa Femminello lemon and a Bloomsweet grapefruit in each. They are very happy. And I have found that my Meiwa kumquats tend to be much more rangy in their growth, like my Santa Teresa Feminnello lemons, as opposed to my Nagami kumquats, which have a much more compact and dense growth. I have 2 of each growing in terra cotta pots in my English Knot garden, and I have to prune my Meiwas so they don't look crazy in this tight space. The Nagami's just stay nice and compact (I've also knocked the bottoms of of these pots, so the trees can root into the ground).

Patty S.

red sky in the morning, sailors take warning/.

Sorry John

That is just to negative of a statement for any of my sailing friends

Meiwa kumquat with 2 waterspout Just started in early August now 16-18 inches both.

Steve

Please explain what water sprouts are? I have container orange and lemon trees and would really like to know. I've never heard the term before.

A branch that starts from a low position on the tree and grows so fast it out grows the tree by a fair amount. My picture of the meiwa kumquat was of a tree about 12 inches tall. The 2 trunks that started at 4 inches off the ground now towers above the rest of the tree by 2.5 times. Those are water sprouts. I will keep them. The will fill out the tree at a much higher level.

Steve

It doesn't have to emanate from a "low position", Steve. It can sprout from anywhere on a tree above the graft line. Novice growers will often confuse them with rootstock sprouts - they are not the same thing. They are merely juvenile adventurous branches that will grow quickly up and out of the canopy. They have a soft, triangular shaped branch and will have thorns, which again is perfectly normal, as this is a citrus cultivar's way of protecting its tender growth from grazing animals. Some cultivars are more prone to water sprouts that others. Trees that are well cared for, have plenty of water and fertilizer will often send out a water sprout, especially when it is nice and warm out. The water sprout will eventually settle down and produce fruit. Some folks prefer to prune them back to the edge of the canopy for symmetry's sake. If the water sprout is crowding out other branches, is causing the tree to be very lopsided, or is crossing other branches, it can be pruned out at the trunk if necessary. Perfectly normal growth, and a sign your tree is actually quite happy :-)

Patty S.

I think "red sky in morning, sailors take warning" just means if you have a red sunrise, you may be in for a storm that day. And that's the way I heard it too.
"red sky at night, sailor's delight" means it will be a nice day the next day.
I wonder if these saying really hold true for the weather?

I talk to my sailing friend in a confident authoritative voice and state that the sky is red this evening and we should go sailing tomorrow . There is no chance of rain. I can get some of these people upset over my blanket statement. These statements are not true.

Steve

But why is it called a WATER sprout?