Lemons

Question

Our lemons this year were much smaller than normal. They also have a lot of seeds in them. What could be the cause? Thank you.

Answer 1

This is typically a sign that the rootstock has taken over the tree. This inferior fruit is what you would expect a rootstock tree to produce. Did you have any significant dieback on the tree in the past year? Did you notice any changes to the branches, such as odd leaf shape or extra thorniness? This would also be signs that the rootstock has overtaken the tree.

If this is the case, you can try removing the rootstock branches, but if the entire scion has died (the tree you originally planted), then there is not much you can do.