Pruning is an important part of lime tree care and growth. Is this your first time pruning? Learn how to prune a lime tree in this easy step-by-step guide.
There’s nothing more refreshing than plucking a lime off a tree and making a nice key lime pie. To live this dream, you’ll need to first plant a tree. Once you finish that step, you’ll have to work to maintain the new lime tree.
One of these critical maintenance steps is lime tree pruning. You don’t have to prune that often but it’s essential to stop your tree from falling from disease and make it big and strong.
Are you not sure how to prune a lime tree? We can help you do it the right way. Check out this guide to learn more.
When to Prune Trees
The first step to citrus tree pruning is knowing when to do it. To promote healthy limbs the best time is every two years. Check on your tree during the spring.
If some of the branches are dead or obviously diseased, go ahead and prepare for the pruning process. If everything looks good, you can most likely put off the job until the following year.
Best Season for Pruning a Lime Tree
The best season for pruning depends on your normal climate. If you live where it's warm the best time to prune is during the late winter after you've harvested your limes.
If you live in a cold climate you have to wait until any threat of frost has passed before pruning. This will most likely be sometime during the spring.
Remove Any Fruit
Now that you know the best time to prune, it's time to get started on the actual process. The first thing that you have to do is harvest any fruit.
Doing this will clear up your vision so you can see the problem branches and know where you need to clip them.
Cutting Those Branches
Sharpen your shears and trim any branches that appear to be diseased or dead. Getting rid of these problem branches will give your tree the chance to grow new, strong branches.
When you're cutting, you want to cut as close to the base of the branch as you can. If you chop away diseased branches, you'll want to clean your shears before cutting anything further. If you don't it will give the disease a chance to infect the rest of your tree.
Thinning Things Out
Thin out your tree by getting rid of any weak or crossed branches. The weak branches won't be able to keep up with the weight of the limes and will break. Crossed branches rub together and leave the bark vulnerable to insects and various amounts of diseases.
How to Prune a Lime Tree the Right Way
Having a lime or citrus tree can allow you to make a great variety of refreshing drinks and deserts if you take care of it, such as delicious lime juice recipes. Part of keeping it healthy and thriving is learning how to prune a lime tree the right way.
Getting rid of old, diseased limbs makes way for strong ones to grow in their place so your tree can bear fruit for a long time to come.
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