Why is the new growth on my lemon tree straggly even though it produces lots of heavy fruit

Hi Shelley,

It does seem strange for the branches of your lemon tree to be so week and thin especially as you have already given it a hard prune. Lemon trees normally produce their own structure quite naturally. Your tree appears to be strong enough as it is obviously producing quite a lot of fruit. You don't say how old your tree is but I would continue to make sure your tree is fertilised twice a year with a good quality citrus food. If it is under 3 years of age, remove a lot of the fruit so there is less burden on the tree. It is important for the tree to establish a good strong root system in the early stages of development and then hopefully stronger branches will develop. Keep taking good care of your tree and I am sure it will mature into a strong, good fruit bearing tree.