Dwarf Lemon Tree - when and how do I prune it?

mitchy_the_kid

Hello, I have a 5 year old dwarf lemon tree that is finally starting to grow some fruit (I got 5 nice lemons last year, and I have 14 growing this year). I'm not a gardening expert, so I'm stoked that lemons are actually growing.

The leaves are growing like crazy, and I have no idea when and how I should prune it. I live in Melbourne, Australia, so it is currently Summer here. It gets plenty of sun, and I make sure that it gets a citrus booster (a liquid added to the water) every 3 months.

As you can see from the photo, 2 branches are growing sideways, it that ok? They look healthy, and have lemons on it, so I assume it is ok.

Any citrus experts who can offer any advice would be most welcome!

Nanny Beach

Ok, don't rub it in, SE UK here, 10 minutes from the sea.Unsure about "dwarf" lemon tree.  It is of course slightly different looking after them here.  We have I think 4 lemons, a calamondine, mandarine and a Grapefruit (25 years old, Hubby grew from a pip after breakfast one day!!) We feed weekly in summer, monthly in winter, specialist winter and summer feed available, we use granules, you can get ready made liquid.  They are only ever pruned to remove dead branches.We water weekly in summer (they go outside then) by emersing the pot into a big tub of water.  Having said all that you, have lemons, lots of them, so you must be doing something right.Do you get pests on them?  I am not an expert, just had had a lot of citrus, many years.

mitchy_the_kid

Nanny Beach said:

Ok, don't rub it in, SE UK here, 10 minutes from the sea.Unsure about "dwarf" lemon tree.  It is of course slightly different looking after them here.  We have I think 4 lemons, a calamondine, mandarine and a Grapefruit (25 years old, Hubby grew from a pip after breakfast one day!!) We feed weekly in summer, monthly in winter, specialist winter and summer feed available, we use granules, you can get ready made liquid.  They are only ever pruned to remove dead branches.We water weekly in summer (they go outside then) by emersing the pot into a big tub of water.  Having said all that you, have lemons, lots of them, so you must be doing something right.Do you get pests on them?  I am not an expert, just had had a lot of citrus, many years.

Hi there, yes it has swollen branches as a result of 'citrus gall wasp', but they don't seem to have hurt the plant at all.
A few leaves have also been munched on, but nothing too serious.
I have a lot of new growth (too much?), and don't know when/how often citrus trees need to be trimmed, I'm assuming if branches are bumping into each other?