Hi everyone - Citrus tree newbie here. Thank you all for your time and effort!
I’ve had this Owari Satsuma mandarin tree for a year, and it seems happy (it was a twig when we got it from Fast Growing Trees). Now it has 3 branches but is getting a bit tall for hauling in from our Denver-area deck during freezing temps. I’d like to trim it down, but want to check with you first. (The indoor shot is the reverse of the other views to better show the differing leaf size.)
I’m learning about rootstock and assume that because this variety is pretty cold-tolerant, there is rootstock here. The floppy main trunk has very large leaves while the two side branches do not. Am I correct in surmising that the two side branches are rootstock and will not produce edible fruit? If so, do I remove them at the juncture which is below what I think is the graft, or just trim them?
Finally, I’ve read that I should not take off more than 25% of the tree. Correct? Does that include the suckers (if that’s what they are)?
Thank you again!