{"id":1701,"date":"2017-04-17T14:01:16","date_gmt":"2017-04-17T14:01:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/?p=1701"},"modified":"2020-01-10T13:36:50","modified_gmt":"2020-01-10T21:36:50","slug":"when-and-how-to-prune-citrus-trees","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/when-and-how-to-prune-citrus-trees\/","title":{"rendered":"When and how to prune citrus trees"},"content":{"rendered":"

My impression is that most of us think that, as a general rule, all fruit trees need to be pruned. It’s simply not true, especially regarding citrus. In contrast to this mistaken notion I’d say that, as a general rule, citrus should not<\/em> be pruned. I can think of only a couple of exceptions to this rule.<\/p>\n

In my yard I grow eight varieties of citrus, and out of those eight I only ever touch two with my pruners, each for a different reason.<\/p>\n

Prune to keep a citrus tree small<\/strong><\/p>\n

I give our\u00a0Bearss lime tree haircuts because I want it to stay small, to about the height of my three year-old son. It already produces more limes than we use at that diminutive size. Once a year I prune it by just trimming off every branch that is taller than I want, or by handing Cass the pruners.<\/p>\n

\"pruning<\/a>

Five year-old lime tree being pruned by a three year-old boy.<\/p><\/div>\n

(Buying a citrus tree labeled “dwarf” may not give you the size tree you’re expecting, by the way. See my post, “Dwarf, semi-dwarf, and standard citrus trees: What are they, really?”<\/a>)<\/p>\n

Prune to shape a citrus tree<\/strong><\/p>\n

I also prune our large Valencia orange tree. It’s 25 feet tall, and I’ve never tried to trim the top. Rather, I prune the sides and interior to create an umbrella shape. I keep its skirt a few feet off the ground and then I keep the inside pruned high enough that we can walk around under it so that it feels like an outdoor living room. I prune up a couple of spots on its canopy edge to make doorways for entrance. Shaping this citrus tree in this way\u00a0makes it a very comfortable spot to sit in the shade on a summer day.<\/p>\n

\"Valencia<\/a><\/p>\n

\"swing<\/a>

I’ve even hung a swing from one of its branches.<\/p><\/div>\n

Keeping a tree small like my lime and shaping a tree like my Valencia are the only two good reasons I can think of\u00a0for pruning citrus. There are plenty of bad reasons though.<\/p>\n

Don’t lace a citrus tree<\/strong><\/p>\n

The worst reason, or way, to prune a citrus tree that I’ve encountered is opening up the tree’s canopy so the interior gets sunlight. That can be a good idea for some other types of fruit trees, like plums and peaches. It’s definitely not advisable for\u00a0citrus, however.<\/p>\n

Why not? I once did a home consultation at a multi-million dollar residence\u00a0in Rancho Santa Fe where the owners had put in an orchard of a few dozen fruit trees and then their hired gardener had pruned all of the citrus trees just like the peaches and plums. The foliage had been thinned, entire branches had been cut out, the canopies had a skeletal\u00a0look, and the effect was that you could see lots of light going through the trees and hitting the\u00a0interior branches.<\/p>\n

Why are our citrus trees dying? the owner asked me. All of those interior branches now exposed to the sun were cracking and blackened from sunburn. Yes indeed, trees get sunburned.<\/p>\n