Shaping citrus trees, especially orange trees, is a crucial part of pruning. The main goal is to establish a strong and well-structured canopy, boost tree vigor, encourage early fruiting, ensure high and stable yields, and extend the tree's lifespan. For mature fruit-bearing trees, it's essential to perform moderate pruning after harvest to maintain balance between growth and fruit production.
The shaping process begins with young trees. Even before planting, grafting seedlings are pruned at the nursery, with the trunk height set around 26 cm. Three to four evenly spaced, strong shoots measuring 15–23 cm should be left as primary branches. Later, mid-autumn shoots on these primary branches are selected as secondary main branches.
Once planted, timely pruning helps control and select branches, reducing unnecessary nutrient consumption. Citrus trees have multiple buds, so it’s important to strengthen them and remove the center to promote even shoot distribution and proper length. The rule for bud removal is “remove small ones, keep the strong ones, and do it early.†Young branches can be pruned 3–4 times a year in spring, summer, autumn, or late autumn, depending on growth conditions.
The lower canopy and inner parts of citrus trees tend to grow vigorously, so some shoots should be preserved when the canopy expands. However, excessive growth like summer and autumn shoots should be topped to limit vegetative growth, ensuring balanced development. In the first three years, the goal is to achieve a balance between vegetative growth and fruiting for an ideal yield.
Young citrus trees often have narrow branching angles and upright growth, which hinders the formation of a productive canopy. To correct this, wires are used to pull the branches open, creating a 45–50 degree angle between the main branches and the trunk.
For fruit-bearing trees, pruning focuses on managing the balance between vegetative and reproductive growth. The approach includes "removing summer shoots, cultivating autumn shoots, suppressing winter shoots, and transforming long branches." Summer shoots can be removed when they reach 2–3 cm, typically every 3–4 weeks until early autumn. The timing depends on the tree’s health and fruit load—trees with more fruit may need earlier pruning, while stronger trees can delay it.
Winter shoots should be cut from the base after December or just before flowering in spring. Leggy branches growing straight up the trunk or main branches must be removed promptly. If there are gaps in the canopy, inward-growing branches can be pruned or shortened to stimulate new growth and fill the space.
During the full fruiting stage, the tree’s growth becomes more balanced. At this point, pruning should focus on thinning and shortening branches to improve air circulation, update old branches, increase fruiting wood, and promote three-dimensional fruiting. This helps extend the productive life of the tree.
Summer pruning involves removing unproductive branches and promoting healthy late summer or autumn shoots that will become future fruiting wood. It’s usually done 15–20 days before new shoots appear, with selective removal and light trimming. Branches 0.5–1 cm thick are often left to encourage new growth, while non-fruiting autumn shoots can be trimmed. Newly productive trees should avoid summer pruning.
Winter pruning takes place 15–20 days before harvesting and continues into spring. It involves removing dense, crossing, dead, or diseased branches, as well as those that don’t contribute to fruiting. Leaving 6–10 cm stubs encourages new growth. For weak branches, the “one fruit, two cuts†method can be used, where the branch is cut from the base to reduce unproductive growth.
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