A couple of years back I got 3 dwarf citrus trees: a Meyers Lemon, Sweet Orange, and Key Lime; all growing in pots inside. After some early mistakes, all are doing pretty well now, at least as far as tree and leaf growth are concerned. The Meyer's lemon is fruiting, and the ripened fruit is obviously a lemon. The Key Lime has produces some small round fruit, about 1" in diameter, that ripened orange with the smell of orange but a very sour taste. I'm guessing sour orange root stock that grew up??? I've noticed on the lemon, that the immature fruit have the characteristic nibs on each end, like the full grown fruit does. I am wondering if there is any way to tell (before another crop ripens) which branches of these other trees are producing the intended fruit, and which are root stock or just the wrong variety. Can one tell any of this from the immature fruit, flowers or leaves? It is not possible now for me to definitively identify the graft, or which was the original grafted stem. TIA
Dr. Malcom Manners has a website with a link for identification of citrus trees. http://members.aol.com/mmmavocado/MMMspage.html Graft sites are usually pretty easy to identify, there is often a distinct change in the bark of the trunk or direction of growth. In most cases the graft site will be just a few inches above the soil. Key Limes can be grown from seed and will produce fruit in 2-3 years.
