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Jun 21, Do you have a mature lemon tree that's really slowing down? Might be time for a 'skeleton prune' to coax it back to vigour. If an old citrus tree has slowed. Pruning should involve removing unhealthy, unwanted and poorly positioned branches but minimise the loss of healthy foliage.

The best time to prune is soon after harvest in winter to early spring before bud break. For late varieties where two crops may hang on the tree at once some of the new crop. Examine the plant and look for new growth on the ends of branches.

Citrus pruning.

Then, trim them at the leaf closest to the tip. Cut off any new branches that are growing toward the centre of the crown and have the potential to cross.

Trim branches crossing in the centre of the orange tree Missing: mandarin trees. Jun 12, The timing of the pruning does depend on the circumstances, but generally speaking light pruning in the late spring or even summer is best maintenance.

When it is necessary to suppress branches of importance it will be done in times when the vegetative activity is minimal.

Hard pruning can be carried out in the late winter if the desire is to create a lot of new growth to renew the tree (after say a gall wasp cleanse).Estimated Reading Time: 6 mins. The trees can be pruned however if it is necessary to shape them in some way, for example to remove low hanging branches, or to remove branches that are rubbing and can cause bark damage and allow an entry point for disease.

Use secateurs (for small branches) and a.