# Experience with Citrus “Fruit Salad” Trees **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [March 28, 2026, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/experience-with-citrus-fruit-salad-trees/1028845 "2026-03-28T19:11:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![mtnmatt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a3d4f5/32.png) [@mtnmatt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mtnmatt)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2026, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/experience-with-citrus-fruit-salad-trees/1028845/1 "2026-03-28T19:11:04Z")
Does anyone have any experience with these hybrid trees, where various citrus are grafted together? The guy at the nursery said that after a few years the Lemon genes start to affect the other fruits, making them bitter - is that true? I bought a house with a mature Lemon tree that produced copious fruit but it died and I want to replace it and thought some variety might be nice. ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2026, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/experience-with-citrus-fruit-salad-trees/1028845/2 "2026-03-28T19:31:37Z")
No, that’s not true. But, what is true is that lemons are much more vigorous than limes or oranges, and if you don’t aggressively prune them (which you won’t, believe me), you eventually end up with just a lemon tree. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2026, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/experience-with-citrus-fruit-salad-trees/1028845/3 "2026-03-28T20:03:18Z")
Essentially all citrus trees in commercial production are grafted. And no, the effect of the rootstock (or the other scions) on a scion doesn’t change the flavor over time. But it’s quite common for multi-grafted trees to eventually end up being all the most vigorous scion. I don’t live in citrus-growing territory, but it’s a known issue with multi-grafted apple trees and stone fruit (plum, peach, etc.) trees, and I’m sure citrus works the same. ---
**Author:** ![mtnmatt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a3d4f5/32.png) [@mtnmatt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mtnmatt)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2026, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/experience-with-citrus-fruit-salad-trees/1028845/4 "2026-03-29T02:08:49Z")
Thank you both- that’s very helpful. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2026, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/experience-with-citrus-fruit-salad-trees/1028845/5 "2026-03-29T16:55:52Z")
> [@beowulff](#): > > But, what is true is that lemons are much more vigorous than limes or oranges, and if you don’t aggressively prune them (which you won’t, believe me), you eventually end up with just a lemon tree. Which is very pretty. ---
**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2026, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/experience-with-citrus-fruit-salad-trees/1028845/6 "2026-03-29T17:30:35Z")
And the lemon flower is sweet. Growing up with a dwarf lemon tree in the backyard was great. If you were cooking and needed some lemon juice just go outside and pick a lemon. ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2026, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/experience-with-citrus-fruit-salad-trees/1028845/7 "2026-03-29T17:42:51Z")
At one point, I was growing 20+ varieties of citrus. I used to make a delicious Blood Orange/Tangerine/Navel Orange juice mix. I also used to pack up boxes of my Lemons and send them to my sister in NJ, so they could make Limoncello. Sadly (for me), we chopped them all down to put on an addition to the house. ---
**Author:** ![De\_La\_Rue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d07c76/32.png) [@De\_La\_Rue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/De_La_Rue)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2026, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/experience-with-citrus-fruit-salad-trees/1028845/8 "2026-03-29T17:52:41Z")
> [@beowulff](#): > > you eventually end up with just a lemon tree. …my dear Watson. (yes, I know Holmes never said it. I don’t care.) ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2026, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/experience-with-citrus-fruit-salad-trees/1028845/9 "2026-03-29T17:59:30Z")
I used to have a potted Myers lemon. I kept it indoors in the winter, and planted it each summer. The lemon flower certainly smells wonderful. But it’s not an especially pretty tree, and i like to eat the fruit. ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2026, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/experience-with-citrus-fruit-salad-trees/1028845/10 "2026-03-29T18:07:44Z")
Maybe he did… [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/7nG4onVzLxE/maxresdefault.jpg "The Strange Case Of The End Of Civilization As We Know It") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7nG4onVzLxE&t=2296/) (for some reason, the “copy video at current time” isn’t working. Go to 38:16). ---
**Author:** ![Apodder](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/apodder/32/17727_2.png) [@Apodder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Apodder)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2026, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/experience-with-citrus-fruit-salad-trees/1028845/11 "2026-03-29T22:23:11Z")
What do you mean, it’s sweet? Do you just pick the flower and eat it? ---
**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2026, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/experience-with-citrus-fruit-salad-trees/1028845/12 "2026-03-29T22:27:17Z")
Hey, I was just quo > [@Apodder](#): > > What do you mean, it’s sweet? Do you just pick the flower and eat it? Hey, I was just quoting Trini Lopez. @Chronos left me the straight line. ---
**Author:** ![ricepad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b38774/32.png) [@ricepad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ricepad)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2026, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/experience-with-citrus-fruit-salad-trees/1028845/13 "2026-03-29T22:29:00Z")
Not only would I not eat the flower, but the fruit is impossible to eat, too. (Ya gotta know the song) ---
**Author:** ![Apodder](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/apodder/32/17727_2.png) [@Apodder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Apodder)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2026, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/experience-with-citrus-fruit-salad-trees/1028845/14 "2026-03-29T22:37:03Z")
Well, shoot, I’m obviously super lame…..have no idea what you’re on about…🤣 ---
**Author:** ![mtnmatt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a3d4f5/32.png) [@mtnmatt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mtnmatt)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2026, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/experience-with-citrus-fruit-salad-trees/1028845/15 "2026-03-29T22:50:56Z")
I miss our lemon tree, and am coming to the position that if the multi fruit tree becomes lemon only, it would be fine, and I’ll likely have sold and moved on. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2026, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/experience-with-citrus-fruit-salad-trees/1028845/16 "2026-03-29T22:54:01Z")
To clear up any confusion: [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/MLhYghzNfII/hqdefault.jpg "Peter, Paul & Mary - Lemon Tree") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MLhYghzNfII)