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Lime tree
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Posted by LynLyn VIC (My Page) on Mon, Sep 12, 05 at 3:42
| Hello :)
Bought a tahitian lime tree last fall, I put it in a pot and it is now full of flowers. When I bought it the guy told me to pick the flowers for this year and wait til next year for fruits. BUT it breaks my heart and I can't bring myself to do it. Does anyone know if I really have to do this? |
Follow-Up Postings:
RE: Lime tree
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Lyn,
I did exactly the same thing, buying a half wine cask, potting it out and letting the flowers flower, getting lots of little limes, which promptly dropped off the tree. Now I have one thumbnail-sized lime on a tree with heaps of new growth and the lime is bursting into flower in Sydney. I'm not doing anything with the flowers. Whatever will be, will be, I reckon. I think the plant will work it out. I also think the drought has been particularly harsh on citrus. So keep the water up to it. Personally, I think I will get limes from this second lot of flowering. I'm sure others know more. I'm hoping for limes and their juice to go with my chillies, lemon grass, palm sugar and barbecued meats and seafood and poultry, tosssed with vibrant homegrown salad, and rice noodles, as a summer meal. Add cold glass of white wine and pinch yourself to remind that you're not dreaming :)grub. |
RE: Lime tree
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| Just reduce the number of flowers, no need to go overboard and remove them all, but a newly (or nearly so) planted tree needs time to establish a decent root system to get enough nutrients to feed all those fruit. Don't forget, in nature, transplanted trees are quite a rarity, so they need a helping hand to get established. It will establish itself anyway, dropping fruit if it can't cope. My guess is though that you'll be seeing more fruit sooner if you relieve the burden early on. |
RE: Lime tree
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| Thank you for your suggestions, it makes sense and the idea of leaving some flowers pleases me Raymondo. Grub, your summer meal description made my mouth water..mmmmmmmmmm! |
RE: Lime tree
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| Exactly as Raymondo says, you shouldn't really let your new citrus even try and produce fruit (well maybe one or two!) until at least its second year, preferably third, as it needs to put all its energy into growing and establishing its roots, rather than producing fruit. Any fruit will probably be too heavy for its spindly branches anyway, unless it's close to the trunk. |
RE: Lime tree
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| Damn! I can't wait for another long limeless summer. I'll leave some flowers in place. They smell wonderful. Might put those I remove in a saucer and bring them in to sniff the potential. |
RE: Lime tree
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| My Tahitian lime dropped its flowers every year until I put it in the ground. Now I have so many limes I don't know what to do with them ...... well I do! but you get what I mean. |
RE: Lime tree
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- Posted by pepino Werribee Vic (My Page) on
Tue, Sep 13, 05 at 1:58
| Good the here they do so well in Melbourne, lomatia. I have a Tahitian and a Kaffir and thought the Tahitian might not do so well down here. I look forward to tasting the produce in a year or so. |
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