Q.
I have a Meyers lemon tree that needs pruning. How do you suggest I should
proceed?
A.
Older citrus, including Myers lemon, needs little pruning once it’s over about
four or five years old, if it’s been trained properly. When young, it should be
trained to grow into a tree.
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| If your Meyers lemon looks more like a shrub than a tree, then prune it to one central trunk. |
The same structure used for training
other fruit trees is applied to citrus; the central trunk has limbs removed
from its trunk or multiple trunks up to about knee height. Limbs are removed
from the trunk so that heavy fruit still attached to the remaining limbs doesn’t
wind up sitting on the ground. Fruit touching the ground is more likely to
spoil.
While it’s still young, develop the
main scaffold limbs that support new growth and fruit. These scaffold limbs
should grow from the trunk or trunks “like spokes on a wheel”. Make sure these
major limbs have at least 6 inches between them, originate in a spiral pattern
from the trunk, and they are not growing on top of one another. When limbs grow
on top of one another then shading and light distribution throughout the canopy
is a problem.
I always start inspecting the trees
for good limb distribution at the bottom, usually on my hands and knees. First,
I inspect the trunk up to my knees and make sure it’s “clean”. Next, I inspect
the limb structure from my knees to my waist and make sure these scaffold limbs
are well distributed. I fix any stems that are crossing over each other, broken,
or creating too much shade.
If the tree is too tall, I remove upright
branches that contribute to its height. These pruning cuts are made inside the
canopy at “crotches” where two or more limbs come together.
Finally, I inspect the tree up to its top,
looking for the same types of problems as before. After the structure of the
tree is inspected, I then fix any problems with light distribution inside the
canopy. After the fourth or fifth year, little pruning of citrus is needed.