Author Topic: Top working mature citrus trees - do you keep a nursing limb?  (Read 646 times)

funlul

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Top working mature citrus trees - do you keep a nursing limb?
« on: February 06, 2020, 11:03:47 PM »
Question on top working mature citrus trees. Do you keep nursing limbs? Or cut down to stump?

I have two citrus trees whose flavor is less than satisfactory -- I prefer sweet seedless and easy to peel. The 15ft orange tree is currently loaded with fruits, and 6ft mandarin tree is done fruiting for the season. I kind of plan to graft 3 varieties to each tree.

I removed the orange tree's left limb (old picture below still shows it) last spring and grafted onto new shoots. Most of them grew very slowly, and I suspect the tree directed most energy to fruits??

My main concern is how RISKY is it to not keep any nurse branches at all, for larger and smaller citrus trees. Both produced heavily this season.

Interesting read https://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/.../Reworking-citrus-trees.pdf
Quote
Nurse branches:
- provide sun protection to the recently exposed
parts of the tree;
- reduce the effect of strong winds on the graft
area;
- maintain sap flow in the tree to allow the grafts
to establish and grow rapidly.

Tips, precautions, ideas please!! Thank you very much!


« Last Edit: February 07, 2020, 12:30:51 AM by funlul »
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