I’ve had lemon trees for years and I just love growing them. They’re filled with shiny evergreen foliage, fragrant flowers and lots of fruit. Can you count the many ways we can use lemons?
If you take good care of a lemon tree, it will result in bountiful harvest. And one of the ways to take care of it is by learning how to prune a lemon tree once a year.
In late winter, after harvesting all the fruit is the best time to prune a lemon tree. Pruning gives the tree an attractive form and shape. It also gets rid of dead branches and suckers that takes the tree’s energy from growing flowers and fruit. Read on and learn some helpful steps on how to prune a lemon tree…..
1. Before you begin pruning, make sure to use a clean and sharp bypass pruner and lopper. This will ensure that you don’t spread diseases and fungus from other plants to the tree. Use a bypass pruner for smaller branches and a lopper for thicker ones.
2. Cut the suckers off on the bottom of the main trunk. These are very short and thin branches growing on the trunk.
3. Cut off dead branches and leaves that look brown and dry. This will prevent diseases, encourages new growth and will improve the overall look of the tree.
4. Open up the center of the tree so it will get more sunlight and air circulation. Cut off any branches that are crossing or touching another branch. As a result, it will be easier to spray the tree when needed.
5. If you want to control the height of the tree, cut off the tips of branches. This will make harvesting easier as you can reach for the fruit better.
6. Improve the form of the tree by cutting it rounded at the top or tall and lean as a bush. This depends on your style preference of course.
In my garden I definitely prune my lemon tree short and rounded to be able to reach for the fruit when I need it. So I hope these tips can help to inspire you to keep pruning your lemon tree. If you want more gardening tips and ideas check out my posts here or go to the main page and click “Garden” on top. For lemon recipes check out the “Food” section. Til next time…..