At how many years does a tree go from young to mature

10 years? Longer? Or does it depend on type of tree?

To answer your question, you might have to tell us what you mean by "young" and what you mean by "mature".

Young: lives with mom/dad, pre-pubescent, can't pay own bills

Mature: married, owns house, steady job

With plants, one might think reaching reproductive age is one threshold.

My. mature trees still live w/mom and Dad...me! So for example if a pecan produces fruit for the first time 20 yrs after planted, at that time it becomes mature. A fruit tree that produces apples after 5 yes has reached maturity?


Stating the question differently, so as to not elicit a clever (I really want to use another word) reply, is maturity based on producing acorns/fruit rather than size or some other metric?

I was only somewhat smart alecky and sarcastic, but mainly using humor to try to tease out of you a more clear question.

I only suggested reproduction as a measuring stick. That certainly could be one marker, but size is yet another way that some gauge maturity in plants.

Whichever metric is chosen, it certainly will vary from species to species - as you've recognized with the assessment of when some plants bear fruit/seed.

Growing plants for distribution, I consider mine foster children - who just haven't all found permanent loving homes.

Thanks,VV. I chuckled earlier today as i passed by my tiny 2 ft tall clementine citrus, with fruit, and I said to myself: you r all grown up.

Other than reproduction what would be another metric? Size/height? Can you think of another?

Wow, only two feet tall and it has fruit. That's so cool, even cooler would be great tasting fruit. I can't think of another metric.

Lol Resin!

Metric is another language, not a maturity. 'I am as old for me, said he, as you are old for you'. Reproduction, ability to consistently produce. Sapling to tree to - Sequoia?

Thank you all

I measured my Clementine orange and it is 18" tall. This is 2nd year to produce fruit. So, this one is a mature tree per above discussion.

A difference in your estimation is that named varieties - like many fruit trees - are grafted or budded plants, so the "wood" has a different kind of age to it versus a plant that was grown from a seed.

If you grew your plant from a Clementine seed, well, I'll stand corrected.

You are absolutely correct. So grafting is like cheating...a little bit. This Clementine is a grafted tree. And

We're waiting with bated breath...

Sorry just a typo