Help Identifying A Tree
We recently purchased a home, and are trying to figure out what one mystery tree (or maybe shrub?) is. When we moved in the sprinkler system was shot, so it was not getting watered. It's in a spot in the yard where it gets cooked all day long (Phoenix), yet seemed to be okay. It appears to be thriving now that it has water. It's very VERY thorny.
Hoping to identify it as it's a tight area with the house and two fence walls around it, and if it's going to be a large tree, it's probably not a good spot (the former owners were great at planting things as if they would never, ever grow). Our landscape guy had no idea what it was. A few pics attached in case anyone might know. Thank you so much!
(6) kommentarer
kenizona
7 år sidenIt was probably an orange or other edible citrus grafted on trifoliate root stock. The root stock grew suckers that took over the tree. I don't see any single leaves, just the three-leaflet trifoliate leaves, so the original scion probably died. This tree will be strong and ornamental, but very spiny, and the fruit it grows will be bitter and inedible. I would pull it out and plant an edible citrus.
Christi Johnstone
Forfatter7 år sidenThanks everyone. That is what I suspected. I think we'll plan to replace it. The thorns are pretty intense and I don't care to have a fruit tree with inedible fruit. We don't have a huge yard, so I'd rather put the space to good use.
cwlucking
7 år sidenYou have a nicely established rootstock there - my advice would be to cut it to the ground, allow one shoot to grow a couple of feet (while pruning anything else that grows around it), and then once you have a finger-width trunk, graft your preferred variety on it. That way you forgo the 1-3 years spent establishing roots, it'll be healthier and happier than anything new you plant.
Reload the page to not see this specific ad anymore
azbolt