So, if things go according to plan, in about a year you should have at least 1-foot of growth, and it might start to look like an actual tree.
Outdoors, these trees can grow to be 8-25 feet tall, when grown in containers indoors, these might reach 2-4 feet tall.
Between now and Autumn 2025 it will look a bit scraggly here and there as it grows; especially when young, and some leaves may drop in partial dormancy. Expect there to be a noticeable and possibly long awkward phase. But, don’t lose hope: see this phase through and don’t give up on that tree! Yes, I’m telling myself this as much as I’m telling you!
Pruning won’t be necessary or even advisable until well after two years, likely even longer. Pruning directs energy towards producing flowers and fruits by eliminating dead branches and unhealthy growth. Years from now, hopefully it’ll be growing strong enough where you’ll have to occasionally prune it to encourage growth.
As over-pruning can quickly kill a healthy tree, generally the consensus seems to err on the side of restraint with pruning. There are many, many resources available about pruning citrus trees. You should absolutely look these up, especially if you (like me) have never pruned anything before. Please feel free to get in touch to share your updates and progress!
The best time to prune branches is very late winter or early spring, just ahead of new growth, so the best and most productive branches experience peak season. Late season pruning is not recommended as you might mistakenly cut off forthcoming growth.
These trees will almost certainly produce thorns as they mature. These are natural defenses to protect the tree and fruit from predators. It’s likely to produce thorns regardless of whether it produces fruit. It’s most likely to develop thorns early in maturity, when the tree is most vulnerable, and it may or may not stop growing them as it ages.
The good news is: it usually takes over year for thorns to develop, and properly pruning the thorns won’t damage or harm the tree. In fact, because they are sharp, this might be necessary if you have pets or young children.
It will take at least 1-2 years or likely much longer, if it happens at all, but if your indoor specimen(s) produce flowers and you keep it indoors without access to pollinators like bees, it’s still possible to method-act as a bee by using a paintbrush or a q-tip to spread the pollen around to the flowers by hand.
If you are successful in your pollination methods, the flower parts might eventually (hopefully) mature into fruit! And yes, it will probably grow some form of thorns the whole way. Ain’t that damn near poetic?
A kumquat sprout in the sunlight, August 2024