Since the citrus trees are becoming more and more popular for pot cultivation (it is also not possible outdoors in our latitudes), it is of course also advisable to know everything important about care. This does not only include watering, fertilizing and the location. You also have to cut the tree properly so that it gets the right shape and can grow healthy and strong. The cut also includes cutting off the so-called horny shoots, also known as wild shoots or water shoots. In the following lines we summarize how you can recognize them and what you should consider when removing water shoots from the lemon tree.
What these shoots are about
We have already told you how to cut the lemon tree properly. In the said article we also mentioned the wild instincts and we would like to go into this in more detail today. They are unnecessary for the tree, because they only sap its strength without bringing any benefit for the blossoming or fruiting. So instead of benefiting from the growth of these horny shoots, the tree loses valuable nutrients, which it should actually put into the more important parts of the plant. Furthermore, the crown becomes unnecessarily dense, which means that the fruits no longer get as much light as they need for ripening.
At the latest when thinning out the crown, you should also remove the water shoots on the lemon tree. In principle, you can always check the plant for such useless shoots. Above all, if you cut the plant more radically than usual in the previous year, it will stimulate such water shoots to sprout more. The plant is stressed and tries to save itself and keep itself alive in this way, so to speak.
Remove water shoots on the lemon tree – how do you recognize them?
Logically, the plant only forms wild shoots during the growth phase. Your tree has so-called dormant eyes here and there, i.e. potential starting points for new plant shoots and it is from these that the horny shoots grow. Sleeping eyes are only found on the old wood (the rougher, brownish one). But that’s where the fresher and more useful shoots grow, you might say to yourself now. Well, you can tell the difference by several characteristics:
- Type of growth differs from other shoots: Water shoots are very long and thin, as they grow in length significantly faster than the normal plant shoots of the tree. For this reason they do not lignify or only to a small extent. They are also directed steeply upwards and not straight or slightly upwards.
- Different leaves: They have a different shape than those on the rest of the plant and usually get larger.
Wild shoots can also grow from the base of the main stem, namely if they arise in the area of the roots.
How to properly remove water shoots on the lemon tree
If you are sure that the shoot that has just emerged is a stingy shoot, you can remove it directly. If you still have doubts, you can also wait until next spring to use the full amount. On the whole, however, the following applies: the faster, the better. How do you proceed if you want to remove water shoots on the lemon tree?
Remove shoots that are not woody
If you have often dealt with the cutting of plants, you have surely noticed that people always insist on using sharp scissors. But not in this case. With scissors, you might not be able to get to the base of the shoot and residue could remain. These in turn could stimulate the plant to develop many new wild shoots. For this reason:
- Take the shoot between two fingers.
- Bend it abruptly and straight down, i.e. against the direction of growth. This works all the easier the younger the shoots are, even before they lignify.
- The Astring should also be removed, as well as Beiaugen and other dividing tissue.
This is how you proceed with woody Geiltriebe
If the disturbing shoots are already lignified, snapping them off will not work well. But here, too, you should avoid using pruning shears. Instead, grab a sharp knife, which will help you get to the base of the shoot better. However, do not completely cut through the horn drive with the knife. It’s just for your convenience. Instead, you can remove water shoots on the lemon tree as follows:
- Cut the shoot from underneath a.
- As described above, take the water drive between two fingers and pull it down with a jerk.
The purpose of the incision is to avoid unnecessary injury to the larger shoot. Without it, when you snap it off and peel it off, you could also peel off some of its bark, making the area more susceptible to infection.