Do it if you have nothing better to do, but your citrus tree couldn’t care less if some of its branches are crossing or are dead and hanging. That’s just a big old waste of your time. It should be a dense green globe.Ī couple of other no-good reasons to prune citrus include cutting out dead or crossing branches. This farm is in Spain, but the same technique is used here in Southern California, and the world over.Ī citrus expert once told me that if a citrus tree is in prime health, then if you look at its canopy you won’t be able to see any light or sky through it. Don’t cut out entire branches and expose interior parts of the tree that are used to being shaded. Have a look at this video showing how citrus farmers mechanically prune their trees. If you want to keep a citrus tree small or shape it, then trim the outside like you would trim a hedge. All of those interior branches now exposed to the sun were cracking and blackened from sunburn. Why are our citrus trees dying? the owner asked me. The foliage had been thinned, entire branches had been cut out, the canopies had a skeletal look, and the effect was that you could see lots of light going through the trees and hitting the interior branches. Why not? I once did a home consultation at a multi-million dollar residence in 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. It’s definitely not advisable for citrus, however. That can be a good idea for some other types of fruit trees, like plums and peaches. 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. Keeping a tree small like my lime and shaping a tree like my Valencia are the only two good reasons I can think of for pruning citrus. I’ve even hung a swing from one of its branches.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |