Citrus trees often shoot up branches from down low on the trunk. If low enough — below the graft union — then these “suckers” are from the rootstock. In a sense, these are dangerous, and it’s important to remove them immediately. See details on why and how in my post, “Beware of rootstock suckers on citrus trees.”
Yet roostock suckers can be useful. Instead of removing them, you can graft onto them and add another citrus variety to your tree.
For example, if you had a Washington navel orange tree that sent up a rootstock sucker, you could graft Cara Cara navel orange onto it. Then you would have both orange oranges and pink oranges on the same tree.
Or if you had a Gold Nugget mandarin tree that sent up a rootstock sucker, you could graft an earlier-season mandarin variety such as Satsuma or Kishu onto it in order to have mandarins from that tree for more months of the year.
A real example
In my yard, I had an old mandarin tree that sent up numerous rootstock suckers. (See photo above.) I let them grow and take over; the original mandarin branches eventually died. Then I grafted multiple citrus varieties onto the rootstock suckers (grapefruit, mandarins, etc.). Now I have started what some call a “cocktail” citrus tree.
Here’s a photo of one of the grafts:
Heres a video showing the tree:
How to graft citrus
If you’d like to try this but haven’t grafted citrus before, I suggest doing a web search for videos on the topic. There are many good videos on citrus grafting out there.
I prefer using the T-bud method on citrus if possible (which is what I used on the tree in the video), but cleft grafts work well on citrus too, as long as the diameter of the stock is small enough.
I’ve had best success grafting citrus from April through July (the above grafts were done in April), but citrus can be grafted year-round.
Where to get citrus budwood
The best source for citrus budwood to use in grafting is the Citrus Clonal Protection Program.
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Hi,
Thanks for covering this topic. It is hard to find information on how to correct a citrus that has regrown from the rootstock. We have a tree that has multiple suckers that have grown into a tree and killed the original variety. It is much fuller than the tree you show. I bought some scions from the Citrus Clonal Protection Program a couple times and got 3 of them to grow. It’s quite exciting.
However, I have a couple questions. I grafted them onto the ends of branches with the cleft method. Therefore, the 3 grafts are quite small in diameter. Yet 2 of the grafts have an orange growing. Is it safe to leave the fruit to mature or will the oranges break the small stems? The tree is only has one other fruit from the rootstock on it so I really would like to get some nice fruit from this tree. After all I’ve been doing to try to fix it I would hate to remove good fruit but I certainly don’t want my scions to break off.
The other question that I have is how much of the rootstock should I be cutting back. I’m trying to keep it compact and have been cutting back the branches shooting up high. I would say the tree is about 99% rootstock since my grafts are so small. I was thinking I would maybe try to graft more as well as gradually cut back the rootstock branches but don’t know how drastic I should be cutting back the rootstock. I would appreciate any suggestions on how to approach this tree.
Hi Janice,
Citrus branches are flexible and can carry fruit well. I’ve let small, new grafts carry a couple fruit and never broken a branch or graft. You can probably get away with it too.
You do have to cut back the rootstock so that your grafts are highest and get the most sun in order for them to grow well. It sounds like the rootstock on your tree is healthy and vigorous so I wouldn’t worry about hurting it by cutting it back too much. Last year I cut one rootstock all the way to the ground and it’s now four feet tall and beautiful again.
Thanks for your insight. I’ll start cutting back on the rootstock more vigorously.
Hi Greg – I had written a long comment that unfortunately got lost 🙁 and instead of writing it again I’m summarizing this time around 🙂
How long does it usually take for either type of graft to begin producing fruit? Assuming it takes of course!! Probably around a year or two at least right? And do you ever graft a bigger/longer branch on and if so any pros/cons on that?
We are in Irvine. You’ve seen our Minneola Tangelo (that you helped identify!) but just as a reminder, it is 8-10 ft high and the canopy is about 6-8ft-ish in diameter. The trunk is probably about 6-8 inches in diameter too. The tree was already here when we bought the house and moved in and we haven’t been impressed with the fruit though we suspect we picked it too early. We will try again this year but also want to think about options for adding a few grafts.
Also, when would you recommend trying to add grafts – now? Oct/Nov?
Thanks again – super helpful info and learnings and ideas.
Hi MB,
For some examples, I did the grafts in the video above on April 18, 2020. They have yet to flower. However, I did other citrus grafts on other trees, some of the same varieties, and they flowered the following spring (2021) and we ate the fruit in the winter/spring of 2021/2022. So if the grafts are done on a healthy tree, and they’re done early enough in the year, then they’ll bloom the following spring.
By the way, all of the grafts done above were T-buds, where only a single bud is used. It’s the smallest graft possible.
Using bigger/thicker scions, such as what you would use for a cleft graft, do not produce fruit faster. I happened to also do some cleft grafts that same day in April 2020 and they did not grow any faster or fruit earlier than the T-buds.
For your Minneola tree, you could consider grafting onto rootstock suckers if there are any, or you could cut back a main branch and then graft onto the small new branches that it grows out, or you could do what’s called a bark graft onto a main branch after cutting it back.
Yes, you can graft now. If you want to do T-buds you have to do them in the warm seasons of the year when the tree (stock) is growing because it’s then that the bark is “slipping.” You can do other types of grafts all year long in Irvine. I’ve had best luck with grafting citrus from about April through July though. The grafts heal fast and begin growing almost immediately.
Awesome! Thank you! I will look into this asap. Excited to try this.
You have given me an idea, Greg. I have an eleven-year old Bearss Lime that did well for years, so I know the root system has been extensive and I’m guessing it may still be strong. (Not sure what the rootstock is … I bought it at Home Depot.) But in the last two years the tree has been weakening significantly. Recently I discovered a large wound just at about the union that goes about halfway around the tree. It’s pretty scary looking. (My guess is that Tangelfoot got onto the bark there and then later there was sunburn…) Amazing thing is that I have never seen any suckers on this tree. Do you know of a way to actually encourage suckering? That might give me an opportunity to rescue something! Thanks for the idea! Nick (in La Mesa)
Hi Nick,
One method that is commonly used is to girdle the trunk. This causes sprouts below the girdle. Basically, you cut into the trunk just deep enough to hit the wood, and you go all the way round its circumference. I like to use a pipe saw but any cutting tool will work.
Hi Greg!
Thank you so much for this helpful information. Love your blog. We have a key lime tree that I believe has been allowed to sprout several healthy rootstocks, though as an armature I have to admit I’m struggling to identify the graft. Am I correct in assuming that the graft is this V-shaped bond, pictured at this link?
https://www.dropbox.com/s/ajyzytu7pwnqvkk/key%20lime%20graft?dl=0
Thanks again!
Hi Kal,
I don’t think that’s the graft union. The slanted bump on the large trunk on the left side of the photo looks like it could be a graft union though.
Hopefully, you can detect a difference in the leaves and stems on the rootstock compared to the lime also. Look especially for larger thorns and leaves with different shapes or color. Key limes (also called Mexican limes) have pale green leaves that do not have very pointy tips and the branches have small thorns. Of course, if there’s any fruit on the rootstock branches, then that would be a giveaway too.
Hi, we have recently purchased a property which has an orange grove of 100 trees or so. Many of the trees are in fact multiple suckers (with dead trunks of the varietal at the centre) and we are considering grafting desired varieties onto one or two of the suckers of each, and hope then to keep on top of removing the ungrafted shoots. Having read your helpful posts, this sounds like a ‘goer’, what do you think? Many thanks.
Hi Fiona,
Yes, this is possible. The only caveat I would make is that a few citrus varieties don’t do well on certain rootstocks. For example, I read that a couple of lemon varieties don’t do well on certain common citrus rootstocks.
Very cool, I’m going to try this! If I wanted to use scion wood from neighbor’s citrus trees, is there a certain time of year I would need to cut it?
Hi Steve,
You can collect scion wood from citrus trees pretty much any day of the year. Just look for a small branch that has little buds right above leaf stems (the buds should not be growing yet).
Thanks Greg!
Greg,
I am just getting onboard with your grafting suckers blog, and I have a question. I live in Tampa, and have a small Blood Orange tree that hasn’t been doing well. One side of the tree’s limbs have died out, but I have more than several suckers growing at the bottom. My question is; can I graft the same “live branches “from the Blood Orange with the suckers with positive results or does it have to be a graft from a totally different plant? Also, is there any way to separate the suckers for grafting off of the rootstock (as an individual “new plant”)?
Hi John,
You should be able to use the healthy branches to graft onto the suckers. The only way to separate the suckers and make new plants with them is to root them. That’s something I’ve never done with citrus, personally, but I know that it is possible.
Hi Greg, I am hoping to graft a cocktail onto a huge decades old tree that has been entirely overtaken by sour orange root stock. It is a prolific producer and very drought tolerant, so it seems like a good candidate to accept grafts. My question is, what percentage of branches should I remove? My guess is I should leave some percentage of root stock branches intact to provide some shade (but not too much) for the baby scions given that it gets scorchingly hot out here (East County San Diego) in the summer. I’ve seen your post that you have had success cutting root stock back entirely, but perhaps that was in a different context from routine 100 degree summer heat?
Hi Greg, can you please help me determine if our tangerine tree has rootstock suckers? I can’t seem to tell, but the fruit from this tree is bland and has no flavor at all. I don’t see clusters of 3-leaves. Just wanting to know so I can cut off the suckers and try to help the original scion (I don’t have your trained eye and will have to look more closely to see if the original scion is still alive…..I believe it is as the entire canopy is green and lush). It might well be that this fruit is just inferior?
PS – would love to send a photo but not sure how to do so via this platform 🙂
Hi Nikki,
If you can’t identify where the graft union is, then you’ll have to base your guess on the fruit. It’s definitely possible that the fruit is from the original scion variety, but you just don’t like it much. There are certainly better and worse tangerine varieties. (Don’t waste your yard space on an inferior one!)
By the way, I don’t know of any roostock variety that tastes like a bland tangerine. Most citrus rootstocks used these days taste sour and are very seedy.
Hi Greg,
I have a Yuzu dwarf tree in a container. The trunk is dead, but a bunch of suckers have sprouted up. Do I cut the suckers? The trunk doesn’t look like its coming back. Is there any hope for the tree?
About three years ago my meyer lemon was covered with black powder. I couldn’t get rid of it so I cut it WAY back. Now I just have rootstock branches that are vigorous and healthy, with lots of spikes, no fruit, and there is no sign of disease… I’m considering grafting an unknown but delicious variety of orange from an ancient orange tree across the street that is no longer very productive but had wonderful oranges that arborist could not identify. 1. If I decide to do this, Is this worthwhile? Does the age of the orange tree affect the viability of the graft? and…..maybe more important….. 2. Given the California laws prohibiting grafting neighborhood trees because of the risk of disease, is it just plain wrong to do this? It seems a shame to lose both the incredible orange and the rootstock. But…if there’s harm…?? Thoughts?
CLili, just do it. Keep that special one-off variety going. Try grafting it onto your Meyer lemon rootstock. Also, you can go to Lowe’s or Home Depot and buy a 5-gallon orange tree and graft that unique strain onto it. If that strain is that special, the price of sacrificing a Home Depot plant for grafting is worth it.
Hello Greg-
Three years ago I planted a Meyer Lemon seed for fun knowing that I would not get a true type. The plant is growing many healthy shoots from the base. After cutting some of these shoots, I rooted them. Can these be used for rootstock for future grafting? Thanks!
Hi Carine,
Yes they can.