How to Prune a Citrus Tree | Citrus | Gardening Australia

[@Realdavidart]

Without a doubt a PERFECT video. Informative. Efficient. Entertaining. Visual. Beautiful. Well edited. Just great!

[@andrewst9797]

..except it's all wrong!

[@juliabouy]

@@andrewst9797 why?

[@nmdiaz5981]

There are not enough “ heart” buttons on KZbin for this video. Thank you!

[@charlesbonkley]

This was one of the best videos I've seen on drastic pruning AND the grafting process! Well done!

[@hcr32slider]

A very clear introduction for beginners.

[@LadyGoza]

Amazing! I would've been afraid of killing it. Now I know I can keep my fruit trees smaller with this kind of pruning. Wow!

[@leokimvideo]

I have had great success using a flamethrower on citrus trees. Kills all the stink bugs and sets up a tree to recover without all the issues before it was hit with flames.

[@SchecterNZKayakFishing]

After watching your video, I gave my citrus tree a massive prune. I’m looking forward to seeing what happens.

[@battletommy8918]

What happened?

[@NpgSymboL]

Yeah what happened ?

[@SchecterNZKayakFishing]

@@NpgSymboL After a hard prune in 2021. This year the tree has sprouted with new growth. I've had the odd 1 or 2 tangelos on the tree this year. However, I will be expecting a surplus on tangelos next year. Our tree appears to be much healthier too. I'll keep you updated.

[@cassieoz1702]

More videos on how to 'renovate' neglected fruit trees please. Apples, pears, peaches etc

[@katemetho72]

Yes please.

[@brendanmayell7024]

This is a really awesome watch good going guys!

[@J3mdA]

Thanks for this! I was afraid I went to hard on my citrus, but not hard enough it seems!

[@richardcourtney8164]

I've done that my Mandarin is really good and that's your blooming lot Richard Courtney Adelaide south Australia

[@mdeyab]

Why I am watching this. I never had a garden :D ... fun though

[@captnkirk6180]

Great video.! New sub from Canada!

[@chrism3845]

Engall's Nursery In Dural is the best source from where to buy citrus trees for fruit. I bought my trees from their original site in Epping, some 16 years ago. Beautiful trees and fruit. I've since been back to add to my collection of Washington Navels.

[@cyrusp100]

I used to love going to that nursery on Carlingford road. I was sad when they shut down :(

[@krieggilthunder4772]

I have cut down one of my trees to a stump twice and that sucker grew back stronger than ever.

[@thaolevish5575]

Amazing video

[@davelahoud1256]

Fantastic video. Thanks guys!

[@GardeningAustralia]

Thank you too!

[@BoxJelly88]

Wow, brutal, I would never have thought it would recover. I have a very old lemon tree infested with citrus gall in Essendon, Melbourne, I think I'll give this a go next winter. PS lets me arc up the chainsaw.

[@GardeningAustralia]

If your tree hasn’t been left unpruned for 20 years, you might want to try something a bit gentler www.abc.net.au/gardening/factsheets/citrus-success/9437008

[@chrism3845]

Mate, if I may suggest, after the big prune, water well, add lots of matured cow manure around the tree and a little (actual) chicken manure (not the pellets) and water in. I've done this a couple of times and get the best results on an old mandarin and lemon trees. Best to do in mid July to early August, after the tree has finished fruiting. Good luck.

[@organicgrow4440]

How did your prune go?

[@simonmarthinsen1566]

Where the hell is the tree?

[@oldschool6657]

Thanks a lote, from 🇨🇱 Chile

[@atromitos7094]

*Thank you very much Kosta*

[@GraftingTactick]

Awesome 👌 💕🍃🌿☘🌴🌱🌲

[@varna1570]

i have been given a couple of propergated or grafted citrus and plum , is that why some of the tree has wicked lethal spikes on them , i always wondered why only some of the tree has spikes and the majority of it dosent. from nz

[@GardeningAustralia]

Yes, spot on! The spiky ones are usually the rootstock. These species vary depending on your location - Flying Dragon, mandarin Cleopatra or even a citrange hybrid.

[@samanthawoodruff8691]

This video is great! Do you have any other fruit tree pruning videos?? I have an overgrown pomegranate and 5-in-1 and I'm wondering if I can do the same thing.

[@GardeningAustralia]

Glad you enjoyed it, Samantha! Yes we do - we recently released a video on pruning lemon trees but if you search through our videos there is a lot of content on this subject. Thanks for watching!

[@MiaMonique]

Just subscribed. Great video!

[@David-st8te]

Thanks for sharing. Can you tell me what is the best way to relocate a well established Lemon tree. My sister has a tree that well grown but not getting enough sun light. Thanks

[@samn106]

Last year the branches of my orange tree dried up. I cut all the branches off just like you did to this grapefruit. This year it started to grow a whole lot of new baby branches. But unfortunately, they stopped growing and instead the tree started to produce lots of flowers on those small new branches. My question is, will my orange tree grow new branches like the mandarin tree you had or should I just dig it out and plant a new tree? I thought it would grow its limbs back in the spring. But its not growing.

[@organicgrow4440]

Patience my friend it will reach full growth in time.

[@samn106]

@@organicgrow4440 I hope so. This orange tastes very delicious. I dont want to lose it. I dont know what variety it is. It qas herw when I bought the house. Its a big size fruit and very sweet when ripe. It started growing new branches again a couple of weeks ago but stopped. Im hoping in the next year or 2 it gets to full size and produces feuit. Thisbus the 2nd year still no branches.

[@nutequest]

Feed it. Sounds like not enough nitrogen. Pee on it a couple of times and it will grow.

[@stevej2602]

Now be honest people in the nicest possible way, when Costa starts to prune who else reckons he looks like a minion from the movie despicable me? Your a champion Costa, love your work 🙂

[@smythie27]

I would have thought with the that citrus that was pruned back the year before you would trim the excess growth as the grow was taking too much nutrients away from the tree. It looked very bushy and even too thick.

[@champagnjethersiahdduvenag6078]

I pruned my lemon tree back like this and it's not flowering yet. How soon afterwords all it start flower again? I did everything for it that it needed.

[@ivanrajic1253]

Kostas whiskers need pruning also , lol

[@tophercIaus]

If love to know whether it is worth doing a hard prune on, say, 1/3 of the plant. Would that just push extra energy to the existing branches or could you rotate each year and have healthy growth on the cut tree?

[@patrickt.4121]

Outside of Australia the usual recommendation is to prune no more than 1/3 of your citrus at a time. Whitewash the exposed trunk.

[@fredericaclarke3194]

Why does the tree look as if someone has covered it in soot/ Love the video

[@zanefrith-belvedere5868]

Likely covered in black sooty mould, a fungal disease usually brought on when aphids appear. Very common in neglected fruiting trees due to a lack of airflow and sunlight penetrating through the canopy.

[@invig2]

If I don't want to miss a fruiting season, I wonder what the cutting back I should do?

[@SRK-01]

Thanks for the Tips - Could you please advise us a bit details what are the root stocks used for Grafting - Cheers

[@abpccpba]

Totally depends on climate and soil type; Phoenix uses sour orange. Buy your trees at a citrus nursery; forget grafting it will many years to get a healthy tree..

[@rockyp3917]

Amazing

[@gustavoguido1364]

Great video. I have a lemon tree which I made it from seed. It has 3 metres tall and it doesn´t give any lemon yet. I would like to make a graft, but I can´t find any other good lemon tree (and in quarantine is more difficult). The bud to graft, must it be from another tree or can it be from my own lemon tree? Regards

[@mickcarson8504]

Lemon trees start bearing fruits at an early age. At 3 metre tall that's like 10 years, and no fruit? Something is wrong there. They are easily attacked by gall wasps and affect fruit production. Even the fruit of the Eureka lemon (my favorite) has deformed skin because of these little, unstoppable critters and their larvae.

[@gustavoguido1364]

@@mickcarson8504 ok. Thanks a lot for your answer

[@patrickt.4121]

Lemons grown from seed are notoriously slow to bear fruit. That's why nurseries graft. Plus you don't even know if it'll taste good (children can differ a lot from parents, seeds do not generate clones!)

[@AristonSparta]

It likely isn’t bearing fruit because it was grown from a seedling. With citrus seedlings, some will bear fruit and some don’t. This is why mainly citrus trees are grafted onto a root system rather than grown from seedlings.

[@gustavoguido1364]

@@AristonSparta Thanks for your answer

[@tusk1850]

You shouldn’t drop start your saw mate. Best practice is to hold it between your legs or start it firmly on the ground. That way you minimise the chance of the running saw swinging into your leg. Thanks for the pruning demo and explanation.

[@mkuc6951]

Modern Stihl saws are pretty difficult to do that with.

[@tusk1850]

M Kuc yep agreed, Sthils are hard to do that with but there are lots of other saws out there and you might pick one of them up one day and just follow your habits. Plus a 70 year old forester taught me to follow best practice when I first started working in the bush so I reckon it’s one of those lessons that is still relevant.

[@Andrew.Stuart]

Simply wow, that was awesome.

[@mattm00ey]

brilliant video. Too late to do this now (sunny coast)? x

[@itsthemetho]

Good luck with Gall Wasps! The new grow is fantastic, but the gall wasps from your neighbours that don't care is going to harm the new growth.

[@CanYouDigIt34]

Wow mind blown

[@reenieeyles4881]

I was given tulips in water for mothers day. what do i do with the bulbs now the flower is spent. I cut the flower stem but still have the bulbs in water. The leaves are still green.

[@joan7823]

Hi, my manderine tree needs pruning, But because I have no idea when and how, I might've left pruning to late?. Fruit has started growing.. can I still prune it?

[@satirethisparodythat]

I planted a tree from a citrus seed.. I believe it is a lemon because it has thorns.. it is now about a meter tall, will give it the first proper prune in late august (SE QLD), would love to see a video on pruning baby trees, like a year or couple of years old..

[@patrickt.4121]

You don't prune babies!

[@planetfeelgood17]

Brilliant!! ~ Thanks~* All Very Inspiring!! : )

[@ibolmo]

Should I skeleton prune a grapefruit tree with active disease? When I bought my house the citrus tree was already infected by fungus and a good portion of the bark shows active fungus growth and it is pealing. I've removed as much as I can but it's clear the tree will eventually lose the fight. I'm worried if I prune too much it will only accelerate the tree's death. Perhaps I am mistaken, though, and the extra dryness and more sun might help the tree fight off the fungus. Let me know!

[@AnxietyDenial]

Prune it back and make sure when you are cutting the infected parts to disinfect your saw after when pruning the healthy bits and when you finish. Don't do it in the wrong season tough.

[@ibolmo]

@@AnxietyDenial sorry which season is best?

[@AnxietyDenial]

@@ibolmo Late winter/ early spring when there is the least amount of sun that can sun scald the bark and preferably when there is no heavy frost either. Your practically removing the entire canopy of the tree removing any sun protection so it can get sun burned if its bad enough just like humans.

[@patrickt.4121]

Whitewash the trunk and branches. It's a must.

[@redtobertshateshandles]

Costas looks like my brother in the 60's.

[@George-xb5ey]

I planted a lemon tree 4 years ago and my dog always pees under it twice a day It has popped off and already giving lemons of a good Size. Not much yield ofcourse but still early days.

[@DarrenPauli]

5:00 for the t bud graft

[@umamaheshwarihegde3830]

Do we cover the whole bud with that tape? Will it break free from that tape when it grows into a shoot?

[@ameliarose727]

Yes cover the grafted bud. Leave the tap on for a month and then remove it. If the bud is still green, it has successfully merged with the rootstock. The bud should then start growing and once it has good amount of leaf growth to sustain itself, cut off the rootstock body just above the graft.

[@umamaheshwarihegde3830]

Margo Belle-Fleur, thank you.

[@SilverHand-fu1jn]

ah . so this is actually good process lol. Funny how people here used to cut non fruiting tree like this because its too messy and then grow back up even more. without the knowledge that they are pruning it (beneficial)

[@ibast1]

I find when I do prunes on citrus that the new leaves are highly prone to disease and pests. Any suggestions?

[@andrewst9797]

Thats exactly what happens when you 'prune' like this! Just uncrowd and rejuvenate your tree lightly and it should be ok..

[@pandasrover]

when is the best time to prune citrus though?

[@LAUGHING-MAN38]

Can you do this with a 10 year old apricot tree or other fruit trees? Or is it only citrus that bounces back this well?

[@FKSPARTO]

i have done this to my friends Apricot and Persimmons tree and they have come back.

[@WibblyWobbly]

apricots, plums and peach regrow quickly after hard prune. Apples and pears dont like it much, bit subtler with them would be better

[@LAUGHING-MAN38]

@@WibblyWobbly Cheers Anna

[@LAUGHING-MAN38]

@@FKSPARTO Thanks SPARTO :)

[@aramasatryan563]

I just pruned my lemon tree like this. Is it ok? I feel like I may have done it too early.

[@AristonSparta]

Would Teflon piping tape work as budding tape?

[@Dendrobenarium]

Nice

[@thecatwoman6496]

Why did Costas leave stubs on the small branches. I was taught this was wrong.

[@leerobertson3015]

Always been scared of going to hard on my tree, next winter

[@thatgrumpycatmc6497]

Wishing you all the best of luck

[@TUFF93ryley]

I can't believe you're not wearing chainsaw pants when using a chainsaw.

[@bumbles3304]

Fantastic video. Thank you.

[@tewaipatu]

I cut my tree like this, how long does it take to fruit again. It's got good healthy leaves

[@chrism3845]

If you cut it back like in the vid, you will lose 1 season, it should fruit the following year.

[@mickcarson8504]

@@chrism3845 Nah, my tree took 4 years to estabilish foliage and then fruit again but not the same before pruning, maybe 20-30 fruit first time, then a better crop the following season. Lemons are fussy and can die from shock.

[@GrowingHarmony]

Thank you so much ❤️💕❤️

[@shawsie5780]

Old mate needs a good prune

[@EdnaSabile95]

Hi Costa what do you call that root stock the he used that you can plant it buy seeds? I want to know because I’m in propagating citrus trees and I want more root stock to use. The name of the seeds and wondering where I can buy?

[@charlie086990]

you can order from auscitrus, I'm sure there are other places aswell, but i would make sure to only order in the country you live in, you don't want to spread disease

[@Dendrobenarium]

Love it

[@EJisArete]

The commercial orange growers prune their trees every year. The are shaped as fluffy clouds instead of shade trees. Much better yield of fruit.

[@suburbanhomesteaderwy-az]

Can you use the skeleton cut for fruit tree other then citrus like apple?

[@chrism3845]

Nope. Only citrus. Don't do this to apple, pear or stonefruit trees.

[@kinghenry666]

holy cow - you massacred my boy!!

[@tunerfun1990]

I have a tree in perth what would be the best time to do this sort of skeleton prune as it gets hot in summer I’m worried about the bark burning?

[@GardeningAustralia]

Make sure you prune in the cooler months so the canopy has a chance to bounce back before the summer sun.

[@Drunken.Lyrics]

lemonentry my dear watson

[@lawrymccausland3439]

an excellent example of drop starting a chainsaw, just amazing !!!!

[@场农]

Hello, how do you fertilize citrus trees?

[@rebeccaleahthompson3946]

Pee pee diluted

[@peterk7377]

So I have a mandarin tree i got from the nursery planted in my garden the stake is about 3ft high and the mandarin tree is about 5ft high there are not branches at all until 4ft then it bushes out with alot of branches. Should I be cutting it back to get branches to start lower on the tree?

[@patrickt.4121]

Your tree is most likely grafted onto a different rootstock. If you cut it back you'll probably end up harvesting bitter orange.

[@apolloniatyds1402]

Can I do this to a lemon tree ??

[@onlykinnwo1425]

❤️❤️❤️❤️

[@temanskz1267]

My citrus tree won't bearing fruit after get pruned 😢

[@mickcarson8504]

Exactly. Pruning stuns them and take a long time to recover in the balance of survival or die. Its best if dead branches and twigs are pruned seasonally rather than the entire canopy. Don't flood it with water but give it a generous amount of iron, e.g. rusted pieces of metal cans, sardine cans, etc., and fertilisers. You won't believe this but my lemon tree tribes when large Cymbidium orchids in pots are underneath its trunk.

[@patrickt.4121]

You have probably removed the scion of your grafted tree and have ended up with a vigorous root stock that bears no fruit or bad fruit.

[@margaretwoolston9022]

Got rid of all dead branches and then no info on how he decided which living ones to cut off

[@biancat7761]

Click the description. They have more detailed information on what and where to cut 😊

[@rosertaylor6139]

Looks like... The lot

[@goktugdemiralp]

What plant is he grafting with? Anyone know?

[@GypsiiSOUL]

Omg I really didn’t think at the time I bought some container lemon trees from a nursery admitted they were tatty and eaten leaves but heaps of flowers and 2 with fruit I over pruned it ti jut the stems have I killed it Will it fruit again For its size it stem is so thin as scrawny Not thinking I cut al flowers and branches and leaves and fruit off Shot me

[@lucky-qr3tk]

ive growen my lemon tree from seed

[@abc_cba]

Hi, I tried this method and my tree probably looks like it's dead. Even the inner section of my alive plant even that has browned now. My 16 y.o. tree died, it seems.

[@thestopper5165]

Here was I thinking it was the episode where the legendary Peter Cundall pruned a lemon back almost to the stump. An updated version of that would be like a remake of Dr Zhivago, using the cast of Married At First Sight (whose cast consists of people waiting for a call-back from Spearmint Rhino). Come on ABC: with a billion dollars a year, you can surely find a week's wages for someone to upload the old stuff. Nothing against Costa, but the Cundall version is the duck's guts.

[@moz911]

I cut mine right back and it took 2 years to produce again.

[@tontobb8956]

Lol. Puts a safety hat on for the camera. Classic

[@rycn7355]

Wow

[@michaelguerin56]

Good to have a special video on citrus pruning BUT The drop start of the chainsaw is an unacceptable safety breach.

[@nothinyaseehere9449]

Hey bud im in a wheelchair and the only way to start my chainsaw is a dropstart. Its perfectly safe if you know what your doing. The worlds gotten a bit soft lol

[@michaelguerin56]

@@nothinyaseehere9449 I recognise that, in theory, if the bar and chain have sufficient mass relative to the ‘dry’ chainsaw and … all parts have been properly checked and maintained, drop-starting can be safe! However, there is no place whatsoever for drop-starting in a professional situation and it is disgraceful for such behaviour to presented in a Gardening Australia video as standard operating practice.

[@nothinyaseehere9449]

Thats fair enough bud but neither of them are professionally trained nor are they trying to instruct safety lessons there 2 blokes on a gardening show teaching how to trim a fruit tree, not teaching the specific technique of cutting ... take it easy on em this planet is way too soft in this day and age.

[@nothinyaseehere9449]

I lost both of my legs in a work accident. I was electrocuted by 19,000 volts 3 times 30% of my body is skin grafted from the burns. And I don't care this bloke isn't showing safe practices so I don't know why you are bud. Have a good day mate.

[@michaelguerin56]

@@nothinyaseehere9449 I see your points BUT Gardening Australia makes a big point of providing safety education in gardening matters. I doubt that Costa is an amateur. I get the impression that he is a qualified tradesman gardener; and it is likely that the orchardist is acting as a trainer. Please bear in mind that I am a qualified carpenter, with chainsaw safety training going back to my TF RNZE days and also from a registered arborist friend with whom I occasionally worked.

[@muhammedPies]

They choped the whole tree 😆

[@justinblake420]

Not the best pruning job but they do convey the point I have done the pruning on the highest yeilding 🍋 farm in the world n its how we prune them

[@mickeyme-bm3pe]

Should have seen him with the ppe in the last vid lol

[@importantname]

that appears to be chop everything, leave just a little.

[@GardeningAustralia]

Yep, brutal - but it works!

[@donaldraya]

Omg I laughed this guy is a goof ball

[@minijohn877]

Sir How to prune mangotree 60 yrs old

[@hcr32slider]

I've seen them literally chopped and left only the trunk and then turn into a lollipop when it grows back.

[@minijohn877]

@@hcr32slider after cutting what chemical is used to prevent the tree from drying

[@olsim1730]

@@minijohn877 none, they have their own hormonal reaction when cut, adding chemical does not necessarily help. Google "CODIT in trees" Current best practice in arboriculture is to apply nothing. But choosing the right time of year for the species you have is advised.

[@annburge291]

They looked huge fruit when one has desert framed eyes .

[@TheFrog767]

Chainsaw 🍻

[@abpccpba]

In Phoenix AZ I have never seen such "pruning". It takes at least 5 years to gain back any fruit; using selective pruning. With your brut force approach. steals all the energy-producing power the tree had. Some food and water would have been a better way to encourage better health. At work, if I did it your way Jim would have fired me on the spot.

[@danielmeier8321]

Damn the whole tree is gone!

[@andrewst9797]

This is not very good advise! Most people have no idea about trees or the correct follow-up care like keeping the cut areas fungus, rot and disease free, the pruning of regrowth, fertilising etc. I have seen many good fruit trees (and others) ruined forever like this! That mandarin tree shown, 'pruned' two years prior may have a good crop now but it will die a slow death within a few years - guaranteed! Citrus doesn't need much more than occasional shaping, uncrowding of branches and removal of dead & sick wood! That way they can live and produce good fruit for many decades or even centuries!

[@jamesthomasonjr]

You need to prune your tree twice a year - take a little at a time. Trees require active maintenance, not once in 20 years pruning! How about never go a season without fruit.

[@GardeningAustralia]

Yes, if you’ve been maintaining them as you go, you’ll get a much more consistent response! See citrus legend Ian Tolley’s top tips. www.abc.net.au/gardening/factsheets/potted-citrus/9437354

[@Evie170]

Yes, I don't want to miss a season, as I want to be self-sufficient in fruit and veggies.

[@aaronklein2976]

"I planted this tree 20 yeeees ago"