Growing Standards

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BronxBoy Lawrenceville, GA(Zone 7b) Jan 15, 2006

Hi All:

I have a couple of standard trees that I keep on my patio and pool area. One is a Bay Leaf and one is a Meyer lemon. They have a true standard shape as seen in the picture below.

I was in Florida on business this week and I picked up a Key Lime and Tangerine tree and I want to grow them so that they take on the shape of my current trees. My larger trees were already purchased as a standard and I haven't grown a young tree into a mature one.

Any advice would be appreciated.

Thanks
BB

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BronxBoy Lawrenceville, GA(Zone 7b) Jan 15, 2006

Here is a picture of the trees I just brought

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StarhillForest Illinois, IL(Zone 5b) Jan 15, 2006

A standard, as I understand the term, means a shrubby or prostrate selection grafted onto a tall, erect stem. Unless you graft your new plants onto a tall stock, you will need to train them to a central trunk and continue to remove all low side shoots. One way might be to cut them back to a single leader and place a plastic tree shelter around them.

But your new "natural" plants look so much better now than they would if trained as standards (IMHO) that I would never do that! Consider allowing them to develop into artistic but natural forms, merely tweaking their normal growth patterns occasionally to remove or redirect odd limbs, and see if you aren't much happier with them that way. If the low branches are in your way, simply place the pots on tall pedestals.

Guy S.

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