Pruning citrus, olives, feijoas and figs

Evergreen fruit trees don't follow the same rules as apples and peaches. They keep their leaves all year, they carry fruit in different ways, and most of them need far less pruning than you might expect. Figs are the odd one out here: they're deciduous, so they get their own section at the end.

For tools and how to make a clean cut, see the guide to pruning basics.

When to prune

Citrus

Citrus are among the easiest trees to prune, because they need so little. A healthy lemon, orange, mandarin or lime can go years without much more than a tidy-up. They carry fruit right across the outside of the canopy, and leaves protect both bark and fruit from the sun.

What to remove

1. Dead wood. Dead twigs inside the canopy are common and worth removing, as they can harbour pests and disease.
2. Water shoots. These are fast, upright, often thorny shoots that grow straight up from main branches or the trunk. They rarely fruit well and spoil the shape.
3. Rootstock suckers. Any shoot from below the graft union, the knobbly join near the base of the trunk, is from the rootstock. Remove it at the source, or it can take over the tree.
4. Crossing and crowded branches. Thin out the odd branch where growth is very dense, so light and air can get into the canopy.

Skirt lifting

Citrus naturally grow branches right down to the ground. "Lifting the skirt" means removing the lowest branches so the canopy sits roughly 30 to 50 cm above the soil. This:

• keeps fruit off the ground and away from snails and slaters
• makes it easier to mulch, water and feed under the tree
• improves airflow at the base and can reduce some pests and diseases

Timing and heat

Prune citrus after the main harvest, and pick a mild spell. If you need to reduce height, do it gradually over a couple of seasons.

In the warm months, be careful not to open up the canopy too much. Citrus bark is thin and sunburns easily when it's suddenly exposed to full sun, especially in an Adelaide summer. Sunburnt bark can split and let in disease. If you do expose a branch, painting it with a diluted white water-based paint is a common way to protect it.

Olives

Olives are tough, drought-hardy and well suited to Adelaide. They fruit on growth from the previous season, so regular light pruning keeps them productive.

1. Prune after harvest, in late winter to spring.
2. Remove the three Ds: dead, diseased and damaged wood.
3. Open up the centre so sunlight reaches the inside of the tree. Olives are often grown as an open vase, much like stone fruit.
4. Take out suckers from the base and water shoots from the trunk.
5. Keep the tree at a height you can pick from. Reduce tall branches by cutting them back to a lower side branch.

Olives tend to crop more heavily every second year. A moderate prune after a big crop can help even this out. Prune in dry weather where you can, as olives can be affected by disease entering fresh cuts.

Feijoas

Feijoas are hardy, attractive evergreen shrubs or small trees that make a great fruiting hedge. They need only light pruning.

• Shape lightly after harvest or in late winter, before new growth starts.
• Remove crossing branches and thin the centre a little to let in light.
• Remove suckers from the base if you want a single-trunk tree.
• Feijoas flower and fruit on the current season's growth, so avoid hard pruning or heavy hedge-trimming in spring, which removes flowering shoots.

As a hedge, a light trim after harvest keeps it tidy without costing next year's fruit.

Figs

Figs are deciduous, so they're usually pruned in winter (June to August) while bare. Many common fig varieties can produce two crops: an early crop on last year's wood, and a main crop on the current season's growth. Pruning lightly protects the early crop, while a firmer prune promotes the main crop.

1. Remove the three Ds and any branches crossing through the middle.
2. Open up the centre to let light in.
3. Shorten long branches to keep the tree to a size you can net and pick. Figs are vigorous and can get large quickly.
4. Remove suckers from the base unless you want a multi-stemmed shrub.

Figs have a milky sap that can irritate skin, especially in sunlight. Wear gloves and long sleeves, and wash your hands afterwards.

Figs also respond well to hard pruning if an old tree needs renewing, and they're excellent for training as a fan-shaped espalier.

The general rule

For evergreen fruit, think "tidy" rather than "prune". Remove what's dead, damaged or in the way, keep the tree a size you can manage, and leave plenty of leaf cover over the branches to protect them from our summer sun.