What are the consequences of not removing all the buds on my young lemon tree?

Question

I have a potted dwarf Meyer lemon tree which is just entering its first flowering season (well at least the first that I've had it - I don't know how old it was when I bought it from the nursery.) I have seen a lot of things which say that it is very important to remove all the buds from citrus trees in their first year, or even their first few years.

Is this true? Would there be bad consequences if I left a couple of buds?

Answer 1

Young fruit trees need to develop themselves and setting fruit consumes a part of their resources. The more flowers you remove, the faster will the tree grow and produce more fruits the next season. It's not the end of the world if you keep a few flowers that set fruit on the first year, it will just delay the moment of maturity and maximum harvest.