Learning how to prune Calamansi is essential for growing this plant. Pruning Calamnsi will promote its growth as well as improve its productivity. Like most citrus plants, Calamnsi requires minimal pruning. However, pruning citrus trees in general and Calamansi, in particular, is different from pruning other trees. If you want to learn how to prune Calamnsi correctly, continue reading this article.
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Pruning young Calamansi
Although Calamnsi trees require minimum pruning, it does not mean that you shouldn’t start pruning them when they are young. In fact, pruning young Calamnsi trees is recommended. It promotes proper growth. You should remove sprouts and weak limbs.
2. How to prune Calamansi trees when they mature
Besides removing mature trees’ sprouts, you should also remove all dead branches and weak limbs. Dead branches and weak limbs may cause a lot of problems. Thus, removing them is essential. Besides, removing them mean more nutrients and water to the rest of your tree.
You should also remove any crisscrossed limbs and any branches that show signs of diseases. Pruning is beneficial as it allows your Calamansi trees to get more light. Access to sunlight is vital for the growth of any citrus tree including Calamansi.
3. The best time to prune Calamansi
It is highly recommended to prune your Calamansi trees between February and April. After April, you should not do any pruning. From May onward, temperature degrees rise and pruning your trees will expose their branches to harsh sunlight which is harmful to them. Harsh sunlight will cause sunscald and bark rot which in turn may kill your trees’ branches. Removing sprouts is allowed though.
You should stop removing sprouts from November to January. Leaving them will protect your trees from frost and harmful cold weather. Therefore, it is better to keep them as they will shield your plant against cold weather.
4. Protect the bark
After pruning, you should make sure that your Clamansi trees don’t have any sun-exposed branches. Direct sunlight will burn your trees’ branches resulting in their death. Therefore, after pruning, especially on a sunny day, you should protect your trees with whitewash or latex paint.
5. Pruning techniques
Removing sprouts is extremely easy and does not require much effort. You can just pick them by hand while they are still young. Young sprouts are easier to remove than mature sprouts. For branches, you should remove them with a hand pruner or lopper. You may need to use a tree sow to remove big branches as they are strong and hard to remove.
This is how to prune Calamnsi properly. Follow these instructions and you will enhance the growth and the productivity of your trees.
If you wish to learn how to grow Calamansi from seeds, check out this article. For growing Calamansi from cuttings, follow these instructions. It is also possible to grow Calamansi in containers, take a look at this post for more information.