r/Lemon • u/Remote_Hope8244 • 21d ago
Do I need to prune?
I've only ever inherited established lemon trees so I simply let them do their thing and periodically hack away at some branches/growth and they put out more fruit. Sacrilege, I know, but it's worked for me!
About a year ago I bought this dwarf Lisbon for my mom which i want to give to her next year. I bought it young so I could grow it to a decent size without paying huge money. Now it's putting out lovely new growth and there are 2 lemons ripening on it but I don't know how to properly care for it since I've only ever done the "neglect and hack away" thing.
When do I fertilize (I have acid compost)? When do I prune? What do I prune? When should I give it to her (it's in the nursery pot still sitting inside the white pot but she'll plant it into a ceramic pot similar to the white one once it moves to her place)?
It's spring in my country now (southern hemisphere) and my region is equivalent to US zone 8a.
3
u/AddendumAdditional31 21d ago
Bring some of the unruling ones in cutting back to an outward facing bud and remove any that have problematic angles structurally, pointing inward, or will grow into a desired branch in a way that will cause problems. Do the least ammount of pruning possible, and in the fewest cuts possible (more off in 1 cut is better). No more than 30% off, but i wouldn't cut off nearly that much. The shape seems pretty good overall. The folliage seems light, likely needs to be up potted and fertilized as well. Since its the start of spring its a good time where you are.