Pruning Fruit Trees

General considerations: for most of the fruit trees that we carry the general rule of thumb is that the best time to prune is right after the tree has finished producing fruit. Always remove cross-branches, dead limbs and potentially hazardous limbs.

Note: for trees that bear fruit on terminals (for example mangos, lychees and longans) - the more terminals you have, the more fruit.

Atemoya

During first two or three years after planting, prune to form a strong frame and to control excessively long shoots, then only light pruning is needed after that. A March pruning is recommended as trees age for further shaping and control. A June pruning will result in additional flowering and fruit development. Prune long terminal branches back to 5 or 6 nodes and remove the last two leaves closest to the pruning cut.

Barbados Cherry 

Mature plants will bear better if thinned out by judicious pruning after the late crop and then fertilized once more. 

Black Sapote 

The tree is naturally vigorous and receives little or no cultural attention in Florida.

Blueberry

See the IFAS fact sheet (available on-line or through your county extension office) for specific information on pruning blueberries.

Canistel

Outstanding branches should be pruned back to avoid wind damage and shape the crown.

Cherimoya

Pruning to eliminate low branches, providing a clean trunk up to 32 in (80 cm), to improve form, and open up to sunlight and pest control, is done preferably during dormancy. See "Atemoya" for more information about pruning annonas.

Citrus

Generally does not need much pruning or training. Prune back highly vigorous shoots to maintain uniform shape and keep the center of the tree open. It is best to prune just before bloom or just after fruit set, then the tree naturally adjusts fruit set during bloom or June drop. Avoid pruning during late summer/early fall - this can stimulate vigorous tender growth that is cold sensitive. In hot summer areas, late summer pruning can cause citrus bark and fruit to become exposed to too much sunlight and cause sunburn.

Fig

Fig trees are cut back severely in fall or winter, depending on whether the crop is desired the following summer or fall. A severe winter pruning can reduce rust problems by invigorating the next season's growth. Branches are often notched to induce lateral branching and increase the yield.

Guava

Light pruning is always recommended to develop a strong framework, and suckers should also be eliminated around the base. Fruits are borne by new shoots from mature wood. If trees bear too heavily, the branches may break. Therefore, thinning is recommended and results in larger fruits. Guava trees grow rapidly and fruit in 2 to 4 years from seed. They live 30 to 40 years but productivity declines after the 15th year. Orchards may be rejuvenated by drastic pruning.

Jaboticaba

Reducing the number of fruits has the effect of increasing the size of those that remain. 

Japanese persimmon 

Young trees are pruned back to 2 1/2 ft to 3 ft (.74-.91 m) when planted and later the new shoots are thinned with a view to forming a well-shaped tree. Some cultivars tend to develop a willowy growth and require cutting back occasionally to avoid the development of weak branches which break when heavy with fruit. Annual pruning during the first 4 to 5 winters is desirable in some cultivars. If a tree tends to overbear and shows signs of decline, it should be drastically cut back to give it a fresh start.

Jackfruit

After harvesting, the fruiting twigs may be cut back to the trunk or branch to induce flowering the next season. 

Indian jujube 

Pruning should be done during the first year of growth to reduce the plant to one healthy shoot, and branches lower than 30 in (75 cm) should be removed. At the end of the year, the plant is topped. During the 2nd and 3rd years, the tree is carefully shaped. Thereafter, the tree should be pruned immediately after harvesting at the beginning of dormancy and 25 to 50% of the previous year's growth may be removed. Sometimes a second lighter pruning is performed just before flowering. There will be great improvement in size, quality and number of fruits the following season. 

Longan 

See "Lychee" for details.

Loquat

Thinning of flowers and young fruits in the cluster, or the clipping off of the tip of the cluster, or of entire clusters of flowers and fruits, is sometimes done to enhance fruit size. This is carefully done by hand in Japan

Lychee

Ordinarily, the tree is not pruned after the judicious shaping of the young plant, because the clipping off of a branch tip with each cluster of fruits is sufficient to promote new growth for the next crop. Severe pruning of old trees may be done to increase fruit size and yield for at least a few years. The Indian farmer may girdle the branches or trunk of his lychee trees in September to enhance flowering and fruiting. Tests on 'Brewster' in Hawaii confirmed the much higher yield obtained from branches girdled in September. Girdling of trees that begin to flush in October and November is ineffective. Similar trials in Florida showed increased yield of trees that had poor crops the previous year, but there was no significant increase in trees that had been heavy bearers. Furthermore, many branches were weakened or killed by girdling. Repeated girdling as a regular practice would probably seriously interfere with overall growth and productivity. Indian horticulturists warn that girdling in alternate years, or girdling just half of the tree, may be preferable to annual girdling and that, in any case, heavy fertilization and irrigation should precede girdling.

Mango

About 6 weeks before transplanting either a seedling or a grafted tree, the taproot should be cut back to about 12 in (30 cm). This encourages feeder-root development in the field. Usually no pruning is done until the 4th year, and then only to improve the form and this is done right after the fruiting season If topping is practiced, the trees are cut at 14 ft (4.25 m) to facilitate both spraying and harvesting. Grafted mangos may set fruit within a year or two from planting. The trees are then too weak to bear a full crop and the fruits should be thinned or completely removed.

Papaya

Plants that have become too tall are cut to the ground and side shoots are allowed to grow and bear. After the 3rd year of bearing, the main stem is cut off about 3 ft (1 m) from the ground at the beginning of winter and is covered with a plastic bag to protect it from rain and subsequent rotting. Several side shoots will emerge within a few days. When these reach 8 in to 1 ft (20-30 cm) in height, all are cut off except the most vigorous one which replaces the original top.

Passionfruit

Root-pruning should precede transplanting of seedlings by 2 weeks. After a vine of either the yellow or purple passionfruit attains 2 years of age, pruning once a year will stimulate new growth and consequently more flower and fruit production.

Pomegranate

Initially, the plants are cut back to 24 to 30 in (60-75 cm) in height and after they branch out the lower branches are pruned to provide a clear main stem. Inasmuch as fruits are borne only at the tips of new growth, it is recommended that, for the first 3 years, the branches be judiciously shortened annually to encourage the maximum number of new shoots on all sides, prevent straggly development, and achieve a strong, well-framed plant. After the 3^rd year, only suckers and dead branches are removed.

Roselle

If intended solely for the production of calyces, the ideal planting time in southern Florida is mid-May. Blooming will occur in September and October and calyces will be ready to harvest in November and December. Harvesting causes latent buds to develop and extends the flowering life of the plant to late February. When the fruit is not gathered but left to mature, the plants will die in January. Early pruning will increase branching and development of more flowering shoots. 

Sugar apple 

Judicious pruning to improve shape and strength of tree must be done only in spring when the sap is rising, otherwise pruning may kill the tree. See "Atemoya" for more details of annona pruning. 

Surinam cherry 

They are most productive if un-pruned, but still produce a great many fruits when close-clipped in hedges. 

White Sapote 

In California, the young trees are cut back to 3 ft (0.9 m) when planted out, in order to encourage low-branching. As the branches elongate, some pruning is done to induce lateral growth. Last Updated ( Wednesday, 01 August 2007 )