To protect wounds, make sure all pruning cuts are sealed to prevent easy access for the lemon tree borer. Lemon tree borer reduces the vigour of trees and makes branches brittle and unable to hold fruit. Another thing to be wary of when pruning citrus is the lemon tree borer, a native insect which flies in December to March laying its eggs, it is nocturnal and the larvae enter trees through pruning cuts. If you live in a frost free region, any time is a good time. Do this when the tree has finished fruiting, some citrus such as meyer lemon can fruit year round in warmer climates, so prune once the risk of frost has passed and the risk of a late frost gone, as new growth needs time to harden off. Lemons fruit on current seasons growth, so light pruning is beneficial to regenerate new growth and promote flowering and fruiting.

Large branches too heavy to be held by hand (1. Sometimes older lemon trees need pruning to regenerate new growth, cut back branches by approximately one third. Never prune trees drastically when they are suffering from drought. Remove weak, broken, dead or diseased wood, and open up the tree to improve air circulation.

You can prune to shape if the tree is lopsided or growing in a direction you don't want it to, or prune to reduce the height of a tree to make picking fruit easier. Hi Lynette, as a rule, citrus do not require regular pruning.

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