When is the best time to prune litchi trees?

Litchi tree pruning

Litchi trees have always been heavily pruned in winter while summer pruning has been neglected. In fact, summer pruning can control the nutrient balance of litchi trees. When pruning young litchi trees, pinching, thinning and shortening should be done before new shoots sprout, which can effectively control the growth of branches.

Lychee tree pruning time

For young lychee trees that have not yet borne fruit, pruning can be done all year round, but for mature and fruit-bearing lychee trees, the best time to prune is within half a month after the fruit is harvested.

Lychee tree pruning propagation

Litchi trees are usually pruned after the fruit is harvested. The fruit stalks and damaged dry branches, dead branches, and undesirable branches can be cut off, and the sunny branches, strong branches, and branches with good growth can be retained for cutting propagation, so that the rooting survival rate will be higher.

How to prune a litchi tree

1. Pruning during the peak fruiting period

  The pruning contents during the peak fruit-bearing period of litchi mainly include pinching back, short pruning and thinning. Pruning back is mainly used for branch renewal, and short pruning is generally carried out on the fruit-bearing mother branches of the year after fruit harvesting in summer and autumn. The amount of pruning is determined according to different varieties, planting density and branch strength.

2. Pruning of aging trees

  Litchi is a long-lived fruit tree. Under normal cultivation and management conditions, its lifespan is often over 100 years. At present, the aging orchards that appear in production are mostly due to poor management and shade, which causes the trees to age prematurely. They should be treated differently during renewal and rejuvenation.

3. Treatment and pruning of overcrowded trees

  Litchi trees are planted too densely or pruned improperly, resulting in overcrowding. The characteristics of this type of orchard are that the leaves are crisscrossed and dense, the growth is weak at the bottom and strong at the top, the tree vigor is obviously declining, there are many diseases and pests, and the flat fruiting and yield are decreasing year by year.

Tips for pruning litchi trees

The tools for pruning litchi trees are pruning shears for small branches and saws for large branches. The saw should be sharp, and the cut should be smooth and free of broken branches to prevent rot and bacterial growth. If the tree does not bear fruit that year, pruning can be done early. After pruning, clear rotten fruits, dead branches, pruning branches and weeds on the ground and burn them in a concentrated manner to reduce the source of overwintering pests and diseases.