Damn that is one leggy lady! Lemon trees are very tolerant of a big prune. You could take it down to the top of your head and it will be fine providing it was in good health when you did it. Give it some citrus specific fertilisers when you do, and read the dosage instructions so you can keep it fertilised while it recovers.
For many other trees the rule is one third can be pruned off, but I’ve done half a citrus tree a few times and they’ve always been fine. You do sacrifice a year of fruit though.
SkeeterPellente
You could prune it down to the height you want it, but you should immediately remove the low shoots from the base. It’s rootstock and will dominate if it gets a chance.
joshvalo
HARD
Fun_Value1184
It’s not a happy tree. Looks like it’s been hacked before with a lot of dead wood. It’s likely recoverable but to give it best chance you’d wanna remove the grass from around the base (good chance this is the reason for part dieback) You’ve also got to weigh up whether you want a 2-3yr wait for decent fruit if you chop it back or 4-5yrs replacing it with a nursery bought tree that might be a little prettier in the long run, but a bit of work/money.
Severely. Just try to keep a framework of main branches, if possible. Use a sharp pruning saw. Do not paint or seal the cuts. Otherwise take it as low as you want (but above the graft, obviously)
Smithdude69
Nothing on the trunk up to 1m. Remove the grass and add Mulch 1m of soil around the base and add manures. No mulch against trunk (to avoid collar rot). Next year cut the height. Back to 3m. You want your tree to be 2.5m tall and grow wide not up as this makes the fruit reachable.
No_Explorer_8848
Remember the abcs and ddds:
Assess: look and think before you cut
Bad branches: first, remove dead, damaged and diseased branches (ddd)
Competing/crossing branches: with a lemon tree, ideally all the branches would go away from the centre in a “goblet” shape. That makes picking fruit easier. Remove any branches that go straight up or rub on each other.
In the end, you might end up making 2 big cuts at head height, with a couple of little sticks cut back to the trunk, and thats the end of the story this year. But the abcs and ddds will help you next time you’re cutting thinner diameter branches.
The bigger the cut diameter, the longer it takes the tree to heal, and the higher the chance of disease. Try to keep on top of pruning from now on, and learn how to do it will. Step away from the hedge pruner.
Lastly, avoid peeling bark when cutting. Google the “3 cut method” for pruning branches.
Most importantly: this tree is not happy for whatever reason. Solve that issue and get it happier before pruning. Could be thirsty, or you could be whippersnipping the bark off the base, or it could be buried too deeply. It’ll bounce back from a hard prune best when its needs are met and the weather is mild. Do it before the end of the month if possible.
9 Comments
Damn that is one leggy lady! Lemon trees are very tolerant of a big prune. You could take it down to the top of your head and it will be fine providing it was in good health when you did it. Give it some citrus specific fertilisers when you do, and read the dosage instructions so you can keep it fertilised while it recovers.
For many other trees the rule is one third can be pruned off, but I’ve done half a citrus tree a few times and they’ve always been fine. You do sacrifice a year of fruit though.
You could prune it down to the height you want it, but you should immediately remove the low shoots from the base. It’s rootstock and will dominate if it gets a chance.
HARD
It’s not a happy tree. Looks like it’s been hacked before with a lot of dead wood. It’s likely recoverable but to give it best chance you’d wanna remove the grass from around the base (good chance this is the reason for part dieback) You’ve also got to weigh up whether you want a 2-3yr wait for decent fruit if you chop it back or 4-5yrs replacing it with a nursery bought tree that might be a little prettier in the long run, but a bit of work/money.
[Pruning Citrus. Burke’s Backyard How To](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nOXs_vdaTp8&t=11s)
Severely. Just try to keep a framework of main branches, if possible. Use a sharp pruning saw. Do not paint or seal the cuts. Otherwise take it as low as you want (but above the graft, obviously)
Nothing on the trunk up to 1m. Remove the grass and add Mulch 1m of soil around the base and add manures. No mulch against trunk (to avoid collar rot). Next year cut the height. Back to 3m. You want your tree to be 2.5m tall and grow wide not up as this makes the fruit reachable.
Remember the abcs and ddds:
Assess: look and think before you cut
Bad branches: first, remove dead, damaged and diseased branches (ddd)
Competing/crossing branches: with a lemon tree, ideally all the branches would go away from the centre in a “goblet” shape. That makes picking fruit easier. Remove any branches that go straight up or rub on each other.
In the end, you might end up making 2 big cuts at head height, with a couple of little sticks cut back to the trunk, and thats the end of the story this year. But the abcs and ddds will help you next time you’re cutting thinner diameter branches.
The bigger the cut diameter, the longer it takes the tree to heal, and the higher the chance of disease. Try to keep on top of pruning from now on, and learn how to do it will. Step away from the hedge pruner.
Lastly, avoid peeling bark when cutting. Google the “3 cut method” for pruning branches.
Most importantly: this tree is not happy for whatever reason. Solve that issue and get it happier before pruning. Could be thirsty, or you could be whippersnipping the bark off the base, or it could be buried too deeply. It’ll bounce back from a hard prune best when its needs are met and the weather is mild. Do it before the end of the month if possible.
Hard chain saw