Harvesting a lemon tree

1/15/07, 3:37 PM #1

Derek Cohen (in Perth, Australia)
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Harvesting a lemon tree

Derek Cohen (in Perth, Australia)

>We have a lemon tree that appears to have died. The branches are bare and dry. This is likely the result of losing many of its roots when the area was paved in the summer past. There are signs of new life with some green shoots beginning to emerge from the base of the trunk.

I have cut a few branches off and turned one into a handle for a chisel. It is an amazing stark white.

My question is do I cut the tree down now (saving the new shoots), is it late for this, or do I have time in which to do this? The branches are not large, but many could make many good handles.

Regards from Perth

Derek

Re: Harvesting a lemon tree

1/15/07, 5:30 PM #2

steve knight
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Re: Harvesting a lemon tree

steve knight

>well since the tree wil not go dormant go ahead and do it. the way to check to see where the tree is alive is to remove some bark down the the canbium layer you know the green under the bark. if it is not green that part is dead.

Re: Harvesting a lemon tree

1/16/07, 3:33 PM #3

Tom Cooney
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Re: Harvesting a lemon tree

Tom Cooney

>Derek,

Most fruit trees are actually the fruit bearing tree grafted on top of a different species root stock. My bet is that the lemon tree has died and the shoots you see are coming from the root stock. The root stock varies widely but generally won't become a desirable tree. You won't hurt the shoots by cutting down the main trunk.

Tom

Re: Harvesting a lemon tree

1/16/07, 4:58 PM #4

vlparisian in cold and wet Houston
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Thanks Tom I was trying to post this

vlparisian in cold and wet Houston

>ysterday, when my computer dropped the connection...

Lemon Trees? don't know for sure. Way to check is to look at the base and check for the tell tale signs of the old graft. The root stock is generally pretty hardy stuff and the fruit could be just about anything from just ugly to very nice but sparse.

Victor my $.02 US

Harvesting a lemon tree

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