How To Prune Citrus Trees: Trimming To Grow More Fruit and Use Less Pesticides

[@datsuntoyy]

starting that process now. Filled 4 of my big trashcans already and only done about 10% of the tree. This is the small tree. So much dead wood on the citrus I cant reach in to get what citrus they do produce.

[@ArcticYuzu]

Very interesting. Great knowledge. Giving you support to this project. Im a Citrus grower too!

[@fieldtrippin1]

Love my Citrus growers. I don't even want to imagine a world without Citrus.

[@eugenekravtsov1787]

God make me like that tree with so much fruit that I’m on the group worshiping you

[@TheJanicetunes]

Great video! Right on time. I have a keylime that I thought was dead but its now sprouting buds from the sides of the branches and has new leaves in bunches coming out too. But most all the ends of the branches are brown(i think dead). Do I wait and leave it alone or should i cut them back now? The tree is in a container and im in zone 8a

[@fieldtrippin1]

Thanks! Great to hear that your Key Lime has a chance. Clip back that dead and damaged growth, leaving healthy branches only. Be sure your container has proper drainage, water should flow freely from the bottom when you irrigate. Upgrade to a larger container if needed with fresh potting mix. Lightly fertilize if you haven't already. Be sure to keep your Lime tree evenly moist through the summer heat. If temps drop this late fall and winter, protect your tree from hard freezing temps. Best wishes.

[@2Birds1Stone_]

Nice video man!

[@fieldtrippin1]

Thanks! I appreciate the kind words. The best has yet to come.

[@danathorne3988]

What if the suckers have been there for years and the tree has never produced fruit? Continuously growing leaves but no fruit. Can it be redeemed?

[@fieldtrippin1]

Ive seen a few Citrus like that. Tree was alive but mostly full of suckers and no fruit. I removed the suckers and by the next season the tree had filled back in and was producing plenty of fruit. Give it a shot.

[@SL-ur7vt]

Can u use those sucker for grafting of other varieties?

[@fieldtrippin1]

It might be possible but probably not worth the effort for what you might get. I chop them up and compost mine.

[@gladis814]

an important question. we had a freeze in tx this year some of plants died , but some of citrus trees are grown in back . are this new branches good will they grow fruits or they're suckers and they're not good anymore?

[@fieldtrippin1]

Great question. If the new growth is coming from below the graft line, then those are suckers. If the new growth is higher up and above the graft union then you have a great shot at getting fruit again. The graft union is usually low on the tree and has a slight bulge to it. Happy gardening!

[@fieldtrippin1]

If you find you only have suckers growing up you may still be able to get fruit. You could graft a cutting/scion from a healthy citrus tree back into the rootstock of your current tree.

[@pureluck8767]

What do you do about grub looking soil pests in containers?

[@fieldtrippin1]

Neem Oil can be an effective organic control method for curl grubs. There are other grub control methods made for lawns that could also be explored.

[@pureluck8767]

@@fieldtrippin1 what do you think about using beneficial nematodes?

[@mikelyon2249]

You said don't prune while fruiting yet you did. Why?

[@fieldtrippin1]

I prefer to do all of my major citrus pruning directly after harvest to avoid losing fruit that has already been forming. Although in this video, I do prune out dead branches and suckers which is something that can be done at anytime of the year. I try to avoid late summer pruning as to not encourage new leaf growth that may be sensitive to the intense summer sun. Thanks for the question!

[@abdeelhadikarkouch8664]

From my experience I can say that you have pruning problems

[@tavyfavorite1149]

Too much air light thru my tree az hot sun will kill the tree

[@fieldtrippin1]

Smart thinking. Sometimes having a dense canopy can have great results. On Citrus I only like to thin out branches that are dead, diseased, damaged, or suckers.

[@antoniorsoftware]

C'mon, you didn't do anything in the end, just talk. Each tree could have made a good video, showing before and after results. Missed opportunity.

[@fieldtrippin1]

I do appreciate the critique. I'm still learning about how to best formulate my videos for folks to learn from and hopefully enjoy. I have several other videos on citrus trees and with the ongoing nature of maintaining these trees there are always more opportunities to create more.

[@antoniorsoftware]

@@fieldtrippin1 It is not too late, You could still make a video showing how these trees look now. I woud love to see the results.

[@SpYucaipaSoCal]

Yes before and after pictures at least.