FRUIT TREES ONLY

When to Prune:
Dormant (late winter) for deciduous trees. Summer for size control. Avoid fall.

How to Prune:
Use sharp, clean tools. Remove dead/diseased wood, crossed branches, suckers, water sprouts.

Tips: Don’t remove more than 25–30% in a season. Prune to outward buds. Use thinning vs. heading cuts appropriately.

Goals of Pruning

• Shape & Structure: Create a strong, balanced framework that supports fruit load and resists wind.
• Health: Remove dead, diseased, and damaged wood (the “3 D’s”).
• Light & Airflow: Open the canopy for sunlight and reduce humidity-related diseases.
• Productivity: Encourage new fruitful shoots and manage size for easier harvest.

When to Prune

• Dormant pruning (late winter / early spring): Best for most temperate trees (apples, pears, peaches, plums).
• After harvest (warm climates): Mango, citrus, avocado, and tropicals respond well.
• Summer pruning: Light thinning or heading cuts to check vigor or improve light penetration.
• Avoid: Heavy pruning during bloom/fruit set, and late summer/fall cuts in frost-prone regions.

Types of Cuts

• Thinning cut: Remove a branch at its origin → opens canopy, reduces density, preserves shape.
• Heading cut: Shorten a branch to a bud or lateral → stimulates branching; can cause crowding.
• Pinching: Remove soft shoot tips → controls vigor in young trees.

Young Tree Training

First 3 years = training phase.

• Central leader system (apples, pears, some plums): One trunk with tiers of scaffolds.
• Open vase (peaches, nectarines, Japanese plums): Remove central leader; keep 3–5 outward scaffolds.
• Modified leader (cherries, apricots): Start central leader, then slow it for spreading form.
• Low branching (citrus, mango, fig, persimmon): Encourage canopy starting 18–30″ above soil.

Stone Fruits (Peach, Nectarine, Plum, Apricot, Cherry)

• When: Dormancy (late winter) or after harvest in warm climates.
• Style: Open vase (peach/nectarine) or modified leader (cherry/apricot).
• Tasks:
  • Remove upright water sprouts.
  • Renew fruiting wood annually (fruit on 1-year wood).
  • Keep canopy open for air/light.

Pome Fruits (Apple, Pear, Quince)

• When: Late winter/early spring.
• Style: Central or modified leader.
• Tasks:
  • Thin crowded interior shoots.
  • Shorten vigorous uprights; encourage wide branch angles.
  • Balance fruiting spurs with vegetative growth.

Tropicals/Subtropicals (Mango, Avocado, Lychee, Sapote)

• When: After harvest in dry season.
• Style: Low, spreading canopy (10–15 ft).
• Tasks:
  • Tip-prune after harvest to encourage shoots.
  • Thin tall/crowded branches for light.
  • Rejuvenate gradually if neglected.

Figs

• When: Late winter dormancy.
• Style: Open vase or multi-stem bush.
• Tasks:
  • Remove suckers unless bush form desired.
  • Thin old, non-productive shoots.
  • Control size for harvest.

Persimmons

• When: Late winter.
• Style: Modified central leader.
• Tasks:
  • Select 3–5 scaffolds on young trees.
  • Remove weak/crossing wood.
  • Thin interior to reduce fruit drop.

General Annual Checklist

• Remove dead/diseased/damaged wood.
• Eliminate suckers and water sprouts.
• Maintain structure (leader, vase, or low canopy).
• Thin crossing/congested branches.
• Control size to 8–15 ft depending on species.
• Step back often to check balance.

Common Mistakes

• Over-pruning (>30% canopy in one year).
• Hard topping → water sprouts and weak structure.
• Ignoring graft union → rootstock suckers dominate.
• Pruning in wet/humid periods → higher disease risk.
• Exposing subtropicals to sunburn without whitewashing.

Summary

Mango Pruning Guidelines

After harvest, prune for shape and airflow. Keep height manageable. Remove dense internal branches.

Best time: Right after fruiting. Avoid pruning during flowering or active fruiting.

1. Why Prune Mango Trees?
Shape & structure: Encourage a low, spreading canopy for easier harvest and better airflow.
Health: Remove diseased, dead, or crossing branches to reduce pest/disease pressure.
Production: Improve light penetration, which boosts flowering and fruiting.
Size control: Prevent trees from growing too tall to manage.

2. When to Prune
Best time: Just after harvest, during the warm, dry season.
Avoid: Heavy pruning during flowering/fruiting or wet season (increases disease risk).
Young trees: Can be shaped any time of year, but avoid pruning during extreme heat or stress.

3. Pruning Young Mango Trees (0–3 years)
Goal: Establish strong structure and low canopy.
Allow the seedling/grafted tree to grow to about 3–4 feet tall, then cut the main stem above a node to encourage branching.
Select 3–4 strong lateral branches evenly spaced around the trunk (at ~18–30 inches from the ground).
Remove shoots below this framework and any weak, vertical suckers.
Continue tip-pruning to encourage bushy growth rather than a tall, leggy tree.

4. Pruning Mature Mango Trees
Goal: Maintain size, promote fruiting wood, remove clutter.
Height control: Keep trees 10–15 feet tall for manageable picking.
Thinning: Remove crowded, crossing, or inward-growing branches to improve airflow and light penetration.
Canopy renewal: Every few years, cut back 20–30% of the canopy to rejuvenate fruiting wood.
Deadwood removal: Always prune diseased or dead branches promptly, sealing large cuts if needed.

5. Fruit Production & Flowering Management
Mango flowers develop on the ends of mature shoots (typically 6+ months old).
Avoid pruning during flowering or right before bloom — it will remove fruiting potential.
Light tip-pruning after harvest encourages a flush of new shoots, which will harden into next season’s flowering wood.

6. Pruning Overgrown or Neglected Trees
Reduce canopy in stages, not all at once, to avoid shock.
Cut back one major branch at a time, spacing heavy pruning over 2–3 years.
Encourage new shoots by cutting back to strong side branches.

7. General Tips & Best Practices
Tools: Use sharp, sterilized loppers/saws to prevent disease spread.
Cutting technique: Always cut just outside the branch collar (where branch meets trunk).
Balance: Step back and visualize the canopy before cutting — aim for an open, rounded form.
Sanitation: Remove pruned material from orchard to reduce pest/disease reservoirs.

Citrus Pruning Guidelines

Minimal pruning needed. Remove only dead/diseased wood, suckers below the graft, and water sprouts.

Best time: Late winter to early spring. Avoid pruning in high summer due to sunburn risk.

Goals of Pruning

• Keep trees small and pickable: target 8–10 ft for most home growers (6–8 ft for dwarfs/containers).
• Improve light and airflow: better fruit color, fewer fungal issues.
• Remove problem wood: dead, diseased, damaged, crossing, or inward growth.
• Manage suckers: eliminate shoots from below the graft or vigorous water sprouts that steal energy.

Timing (North Florida emphasis)

• After harvest: For early-bearing types (kumquat, satsuma), prune right after you finish picking if still before spring flush.
• Avoid:
  • Late summer/fall heavy pruning (stimulates tender growth vulnerable to frost).
  • During bloom/fruit set unless removing clearly dead/diseased wood.
• Light touch year-round: You can remove suckers or dead wood any time.

Know Your Citrus Wood

Citrus flowers mostly on new growth from the previous flush. Heavy cuts just before spring can reduce that year’s bloom; favor thinning over heading cuts when possible.

Tools & Sanitation

• Bypass pruners (¾″), loppers (1½″), pruning saw (larger cuts).
• Sterilize blades between trees or after diseased cuts (70% isopropyl or 10% bleach → rinse → dry).
• Make cuts just outside the branch collar; don’t leave stubs.
• Whitewash big interior limbs newly exposed to sun (50% diluted latex paint) to prevent sunburn.

Young Trees (0–3 years): Training for Structure

• Establish height: At ~30–36″, pinch/lightly head the leader to encourage side branching.
• Choose scaffolds: Keep 3–4 laterals evenly spaced at 18–30″ from the ground with 45–60° angles.
• Suckers: Remove all shoots from below the graft union whenever they appear.
• Tip-prune: Lightly shorten vigorous shoots to promote branching.

Mature Trees (3+ years): Annual Maintenance

A. Size Control (Height/Width)

• Keep most home trees 8–10 ft.
• Thinning cut: remove an entire limb back to its origin (best for citrus).
• Heading cut: shorten a limb to a side branch; use sparingly.

B. Open the Canopy

• Remove crossing or inward-growing shoots.
• Maintain an open center (not a bowl, just avoid congestion).

C. Skirting (Raise the Canopy Base)

• Keep a 12–24″ “skirt” between lowest foliage and soil.
• Benefits: improved airflow, easier mowing/mulching, less fruit touching soil/pests.

D. Dead, Diseased, Damaged

• Cut back to sound wood immediately—any time of year.
• If suspecting canker/HLB dieback, sterilize between cuts and remove debris from site.

E. Suckers & Water Sprouts

• Below-graft suckers: remove flush to origin ASAP.
• Water sprouts: thin out entirely or head back to an outward lateral.

Rejuvenating Overgrown or Neglected Trees

Do it in stages over 2–3 years to avoid shock:

• Year 1: Reduce height to a manageable level by thinning tallest leaders; remove clutter/deadwood (≤30%).
• Year 2: Further refine height/width; establish skirt; avoid removing more than ~30%.
• Sunburn prevention: Whitewash newly exposed limbs after big reductions.

Container Citrus (Patio Trees)

• Prune lightly every 2–3 months in growing season.
• Remove flyaway shoots, tip back to shape, keep height 4–6 ft.
• Favor thinning over heading.
• Repot/root prune every 2–3 years.

Cut Quality & Technique

• Angle cuts slightly; don’t flush cut into the collar.
• No wound dressings needed, except whitewash after big interior removals.
• Step back often: aim for a natural dome with layered, sunlit foliage.

Aftercare

• Irrigation: Water deeply after pruning; resume normal schedule when new growth appears.
• Fertilization: Resume your citrus program (Feb–Aug in North FL).
• Mulch: 2–4″ organic mulch, keep 4–6″ off trunk.
• Pest watch: New flush attracts pests—use cultural/organic controls first.

How Much to Remove?

• Routine maintenance: 10–20% canopy.
• Rejuvenation: up to 30% per year.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Hard topping the canopy.
• Summer/fall heavy pruning.
• Leaving stubs or cutting inside the collar.
• Ignoring the graft union (letting rootstock take over).
• Removing so much interior that fruit gets sunburn.

Quick Annual Checklist

1. Remove dead/diseased/damaged wood.
2. Take off suckers below graft; thin vertical water sprouts.
3. Skirt to 12–24″ above soil.
4. Thin crossing/inward shoots.
5. Size control to target height/width.
6. Whitewash newly exposed limbs if needed.

Notes by Type

• Satsuma/Kumquat: naturally compact—minimal pruning needed.
• Lemon/Lime: vigorous, thornier—expect more water sprouts.
• Grapefruit/Orange: can get large—prioritize height control.
• Dwarf: focus on shaping, minimal heavy cuts.