On 9/23/2009 3:15 AM, LivingInPuglia wrote:
Can anyone tell me when is the best time to prune young fruit trees in
Puglia, Southern Italy - right down the bottom of the heel of the
boot!
We have young orange, grapefruit, peach, apricot and apple, and also
mature lemon, kumquat and peach tree
You have a mild-winter climate, much like mine. I have a peach tree and
dwarf orange, lemon, kumquat, and tangelo trees.
Prune the peach (young and mature), apricot, and apple in early January.
Note that peach trees in mild-winter areas are not long-lived; after
12-15 years, they begin to decline and should be replaced. My peach
tree is the second in that same spot; it's well over 15 years and will
be removed next month. In January, I plan to plant a third peach in the
same spot.
Citrus (orange, grapefruit, lemon, and kumquat) don't really need to be
pruned to produce a good crop of fruit. Only prune them to eliminate
crossing and dead branches. Prune to keep branch ends from touching the
ground; such branches become paths for ants and snails. Also prune for
aesthetics and to keep branches from blocking walkways. Don't prune to
open up the centers of the trees since they really want the trunk
shaded. If you get frost in the winter, don't prune in November through
February. If you don't get frost, lightly prune any time of the year.
When I pick fruit from my citrus, I might shorten or remove the branch
at that time. I also pinch back some new growth.
My orange suffered damage in a severe frost in January 2007. It seems
to have recovered and has fruit (not yet ripe). However, some branches
still show the damage. This coming March, I will remove some of the
damaged branches because new, undamaged branches have grown. I can't
remove the damaged branches now because some of them have fruit.
--
David E. Ross
Climate: California Mediterranean
Sunset Zone: 21 -- interior Santa Monica Mountains with some ocean
influence (USDA 10a, very close to Sunset Zone 19)
Gardening diary at
http://www.rossde.com/garden/diary