How to Grow Citrus Fruit on Branch Tips Only

The 'Eureka' lemon is a fruit from a terminal-bearing tree.

Trees that bear fruit at the ends of shoots and branches are called terminal-bearing trees. Robert Kourik and Rosalind Creasy, authors of "Designing and Maintaining Your Edible Landscape Naturally," write that these trees generally are easier to care for because they require less pruning. A citrus tree that has fruit appearing throughout its canopy can't be permanently converted into a terminal-bearing version. With time and patience, though, the tree can be trimmed so that the only flowers left to form fruit for the season are at the ends of the branches.

Things You'll Need

• Pruning shears (optional)
• Gloves

Instructions

1. Remove flowers and flower buds forming inside the canopy of the tree. Cut off the entire flower and not just the petals. Remove them by hand, but wear gloves, as some trees can be thorny. The flowers contain reproductive parts that eventually become fruit.

2. Repeat this over the season. Texas A&M warns that lemons, kumquats and limes in Texas can produce flowers all year. Check with your county extension office or a garden center to find out if the tree you have and the region you live in will have you crawling after flower buds month after month.

3. Replace the trees with terminal-bearing varieties such as 'Eureka' lemons or Murcott tangerines. If the trees are still young and haven't begun producing fruit, it might pay off to replace them now instead of spending each season trimming off flowers.

Tips & Warnings

• If the tree is ornamental and you don't plan to eat the fruit, try using hormone sprays to control fruit growth. However, according to the Morton Arboretum in Illinois, this may be more trouble than it's worth, and in some cases it may require calling in a professional tree care company.

• If you end up spraying, ensure that no one tries to eat the remaining fruit.

References

• Specific Profiles for Pacific Island Agroforestry: Citrus (Citrus) and Fortunella (Kumquat)
• Texas A&M: Home Fruit Production--Lemons
• Texas A&M: Home Fruit Production--Citrus
• "Designing and Maintaining Your Edible Landscape Naturally"; Robert Kourik and Rosalind Creasy; 2005
• Morton Arboretum: Preventing or Reducing Fruit on Ornamental Trees and Shrubs