Strange branches and leaves on my naval orange

[edgrower]

Last year I planted a naval orange. It hasn't grown very much but it has good color. Oddly, a few branches sprung that are not cylindrical. The leaves also look like they have been chewed on but I see no animals. The tree stands at about 3 feet and only two of the branches look this way. These two branches grow with more vigor than the rest of the tree. Does anyone know what is going on?

Here are some photos.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/88042765@N08/8049337073/in/photostream

https://www.flickr.com/photos/88042765@N08/8049342372/in/photostream

Thanks for your help in advance.

[applestar]

The scribble white marks are tracks made by leaf miners (insect larvae) -- I was surprised to see the scribble on the stem, but I suppose tender shoots might be susceptible. They burrow between top and bottom cells of the leaves so they are very difficult to control. Best method is to simply clip off entire or portion of the leaves with the scribbles and dispose of them in trash or burn them.

Is your tree grafted? Are the over-vigorous shoots growing from below the graft? They may be water sprouts from the root stock. If that's what they are, they will steal nourishment from the upper portion of the tree which bears the naval oranges you want (this may explain why it is not growing), and you will want to sever the imposters.

Also, in most trees, secondary branches that grow straight up are vigorous steal nourishment from the rest of the tree, and are undesirable. They are also typically called water sprouts and are cut off/back to the main branch.

[ReptileAddiction]

^^^^^^ What she said and it looks like you have a lot of leaf curl. If you just cut those branches off it would help tremendously.