I bought what was definitely a lime tree from Home Depot last year, and it even produced fruit! It thrived all through winter, but then a couple of months ago, the leaves fell off, and new growth started emerging from the bottom. I used a plant identifier app, and it surprisingly said it's now an orange tree. What could be going on here?
2 Answers
It's possible you've got a trifolate orange rootstock, which is often used because it's hardier than most other citrus species. It can take over if the grafted variety (the lime) isn't doing well. If it's an orange now, you could be looking at a different kind of fruit in the future!
Sounds like your lime tree might be producing shoots from the rootstock! Sometimes, when grafted citrus trees like limes get stressed, they can push out new growth from the rootstock, which is often a more resilient type of citrus, like an orange. If that's what's happening, it might be tougher than the original plant!
That's super interesting! I didn’t realize that could happen. Do you know if the new growth will affect the flavor of the fruit?