• Everything other than hot peppers. Questions, discussion, and grow logs. Cannabis grow pics are only allowed when posted from a legal juridstiction.

Kefir lime growth spurt from hell

Alynne

Alynne

Got a little kefir lime tree last year, about 1 1/2 foot high. It did well in a container on the balcony all summer. Brought it in fot the winter, put it in a sunny corner, watered occasionally and mostly forgot about it. I just took a good look:


It has tripled in size! My prob is how to get it under control. There is no main stem. Three going in different directions. It is pliable enough that I could try for a braid and go for a standard look. Or I could heavily prune to get a main trunk. Right now, without the bookcase it flops all over the place. Won't work on the balcony.

Thoughts?
 
     There are two things you could try. One would be to pick one of the main branches to be the central leader and subordinate (cut back partially) the other two. Then put a stake in the middle of the pot and loosely tie the one you want to keep to the stake. This will tell the plant to concentrate resources on growing that stem instead of the other two. Tying it loosely will keep it upright and at the same time the movement allowed will force the tree to start lignifying the stem to hold itself up. 
     Or you could cut them all back (again partially) and chose one of the ensuing suckers to become the central leader (subordinate the others in fall). Since this new growth will occur outside in the elements, it will become stronger than the limp indoor growth you're dealing with now. Chances are it will grow straight and not require additional support.
     The main thing to keep in mind that none of the branches that are on your plant now will be there when it is mature. You want to end up with one nice, straight, dominant stem. I'm guessing based on your location that this will always be a container plant - so you're probably shooting for a tree that will be manageable to move indoors in winter. So probably no taller than maybe 7'. If this is the case (and it were my tree) I would probably want a stem that is maybe 2' tall before any lateral branches emerge. But pruning for structure in lateral branches will be a task for later seasons.
     If you have more questions or I was unclear with any of this, feel free to ask more. Pruning trees can be daunting and there are a lot of things to keep in mind if you want to end up with a healthy, attractive, productive tree. I do it for a living, though so hopefully I can help more. It's just one of those things that's easier to show than to tell a lot of the time.
     Good luck!
 
Hawaiianero said:
Try this link. The last line says to prune the tree to promote bushy growth.
 
http://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/fruits/lime/care-of-your-kaffir-lime-tree.htm
Click to expand...
Thank you for the link. Unfortunately their link to pruning doesn't seem to work.

HM, great info and pretty much what I was thinking. Here is the trunk


The single stem is the giant one, the V stem is everything else. I'm a little afraid to lose either, but will if necessary. I've got to get her under control.
Hawaiianero said:
Try this link. The last line says to prune the tree to promote bushy growth.
 
http://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/fruits/lime/care-of-your-kaffir-lime-tree.htm
Click to expand...
Thank you for the link. Unfortunately their link to pruning doesn't seem to work.

HM, great info and pretty much what I was thinking. Here is the trunk


The single stem is the giant one, the V stem is everything else. I'm a little afraid to lose either, but will if necessary. I've got to get her under control.
 
That's how mine looks. I just cut the left of the second Y to make just two branches. Then I topped both remaining branches to about a foot high and repotted.

My bud has one also, and his is huge and even has fruit but don't think he's ever pruned it.
 
Got it outside today to see what I was working with.


Took the plunge!



Think it is under control.


Tied up one stem as the main. The long branch on the left may get lopped off as well.


Anyone need keffir lime leaves? Should I dry or freeze? Can I dry and grind?
 
you can make some nice kefir lime salt. I'd use them right away. Here's some common uses: tom kha soup (chicken coconut soup), mince really thin (less than matchstick) and add to any thai curry (red, panang, green are best), make laos sausage. Fresh is best, but you can stick them in a ziplock too and put it in the freezer
 
    Looks like a good cut. Might I suggest just subordinating that lowest lateral instead of taking all of it? I did some reading about keffir lime trees after I posted before, and their mature height is shorter than I thought. If I'm remembering right and they only end up being about 5' tall, that lowest branch should be fine. Either way, I wouldn't take too much more foliage off right now. Especially not another cut on the main stem. 
     If that branch looks out of place and makes the tree look lopsided, maybe just take 1/4 or 1/3 of it off. Just enough to convince the plant to start pushing energy elsewhere and prevent that branch from becoming codominant. Taking too much off at once will just promote suckering, which is a waste of the plant's energy.
     Keep us posted, it's a really healthy looking plant!
 
 Really fantastic growth! I have a Kaffir Lime 3 yrs old and it´s not even half the size of your plant.
You can use the lemon-scentd leaves especially in Thai cuisine. My favourite is Tom Yum soup modified so that there´s more fish than prawns.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top