I was pruning the light-blocked areas in the center but at some point everything became unmanageably big.

Is there any downside to overgrowth?

Is there some pruning strategy that maximizes fruit and minimizes non-fruiting branches/growth?

by davey__

4 Comments

  1. CitrusBelt

    At a certain time of year, when they’re a *true* mess…my policy has always been to just crack a beer & and bust out the electric hedge trimmer (or use loopers/hand pruners, if being fussy).

    Is it the BEST way to go about it? Definitely not.

    But depends on how much you weigh convenience/time/effort vs doing things The Right Way.

    (For the record, when I resort to such measures my plants are *way* bigger and *waaaay* rattier-looking than what you have pictured there….but even as early as late June I’ll just use scissors to chop out whatever gets in my way when I’m out picking — being finicky about choosing pruning points has fallen by the wayside by that time of year!)

  2. CReisch21

    I spent 4-5 hours pruning after the storms all weekend and I don’t feel like I am even 1/2 way done!

  3. Username123456789--

    The downside – airflow which can be a big issue. And energy- smaller fruit etc.

    Depends where you are

  4. MissouriOzarker

    At a certain point you should just let nature take its course.

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