Get Rid of Those Suckers!
Have you ever noticed triangular-shaped stems that grow straight up, vertically on your citrus trees? Those weirdly shaped stems are known as water sprouts or suckers and can best be removed as they require a lot of water and can take away sunlight from more viable stems.
Water sprouts on deciduous fruit trees are often found at the base of the trunk or even growing out of the soil. Take your pruners and cut them off! These sprouts are likely part of the rootstock and will not produce the same fruit as the grafted section.
Water sprout on a citrus tree. (Can best be removed)
Healthy normal branch on a citrus tree.
Rootstock growth on a mandarin tree. (Should be removed)
