Kaffir Lime Care Rootstock Danger
by Kasma Loha-unchit
4. Beware of Rootstock Taking Over
This is a very common problem, especially with those purchased as very young plants in 1- or 2-gallon-size pots, and even for 5-gallon size plants that haven't yet developed a sturdy woody branch structure when placed in a far-from-ideal situation at a time of year when conditions in the garden are drastically different from the nursery where it had lived all its life. I've heard plenty of stories from students who were amazed how vigorously their plant had grown and doubled, tripled or even quadrupled in size in just a few months, but wondered why it hadn't yet developed any of the double leaves with that wonderful kaffir lime aroma. And a few were even puzzled why the fruits on their tree smooth-skinned, though they'd grown as large as an orange or grapefruit! Well, I've had to break the bad news time and again: the tree you had nurtured was not a kaffir lime tree but a rootstock tree!
I've even had a student drop off a huge tree in my yard because he didn't want to take care of it any longer since the leaves just didn't taste like kaffir lime and he'd given up on Thai cooking. I ended up chopping the monster into pieces and dumping this murderer into the green bin to be hauled away. Yes, the rootstock can simply turn into a monster and kill its kaffir lime partner without you even knowing it – if you're not observant.
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