How to prune lemons

When to prune lemons

There is no fixed time limit for lemon pruning, but pruning is usually done in winter and spring, with auxiliary pruning during the growing season. The pruned branches can be used for cuttings and planting.

How to prune lemon branches

Do not cut too many leaves from lemon trees, otherwise it will reduce the yield of lemons. Just cut off the dead leaves, damaged and diseased branches and leaves in time and control the height. In terms of pruning stages, there are generally two stages to prune:

Winter and spring pruning : Lemon fruit trees are pruned by removing buds and pinching in summer, and by a combination of thinning and pinching in winter. The amount of pruning is increased year by year to maintain a balance in the growth of shoots and fruits as much as possible to prevent alternate years of fruiting.

Pruning during the growing season : During the growing season of lemons, the main thing to do is to top the new branches, shorten a part of the branches that are one year old or older, and cut off the tips of perennial branches to make them shrink back.

Lemon pruning grows fast

Lemon pruning removes dead branches, diseased branches, overgrown branches, inward-facing branches, etc. After the spring shoots have grown evenly, they can be lightly pruned. The new shoots that grow later should be topped when they have 6 to 8 nodes to induce summer shoots and promote growth.

Lemon pruning flowering

Young lemon trees should have long shoots, and 8 to 10 leaves should be pinched off for the long shoots, leaving a length of 20 to 25 cm. For vigorously growing upright branches, pull the branches down more strongly, which can make the young trees bloom 1 to 2 years earlier.

Lemon pruning precautions

Lemon pruning is to achieve the goal of high yield by artificially regulating the growth and fruiting of the tree, but be careful to apply a callus and antiseptic film when pruning to promote wound healing and prevent diseases.