Most citrus trees need a minimal amount of pruning, but they benefit from an annual trim.
Keep your citrus trees in tip-top shape with this step-by-step pruning guide.
Prune Right After the Harvest
The best time to prunea citrus tree is immediately after harvesting the fruit.
Credit:Doug Hetherington
In most parts of the country, February through April are the best times to prune acitrus tree.
That new growth will protect the newly exposed wood from the summer sun.
double-check yourtool blades are sharpso your cuts are clean.
Making the cut just outside the branch collar also prevents weak sprout regrowth.
One exception is if a citrus tree has been damaged in a freeze.
In that case, dont prune the afflicted branches right away.
Sometimes new growth will emerge from the frost-damaged wood in the late spring.
If there is no new growth by May, declare those freeze-damaged branches a lost cause and remove them.
Remove Suckers
Suckers, also known as water sprouts, grow from large branches or the trunk.
Theyre bright green without any bark.
Rootstock sprouts tend to be thorny and produce inferior fruit.
Snip them off as soon as they appear.
Cut Off Crisscrossing Branches
Remove branches that touch one another or the trunk.
Remove Some Lower Branches
When left in their natural form, citrus trees are just overgrown shrubs.
For the best crop, they should look a little scraggly; more leafy branches mean more fruit.
That’s not the only reason why you should prune some of the lower branches of your citrus tree.
This improves airflow and lets more sunlight get into the canopy while keeping the tree compact and productive.
Never prune more than 15 to 20% of the canopy of a citrus tree in a year.
The only exception is to remove dead wood resulting from freeze damage.
