Pruning of Tropical Fruit Trees - A Primer

by Roberta Seltzer

Fruit tree pruning helps yield high quality fruit as well as limits a tree's height and spread. The result is a stronger tree.

You will need a sharp, quality hane pruner, a lopper and a hand saw. Never remove more than one-third of a tree's canopy at any one time. Trees can be pruned to thin out the tree, allowing wind to pass through without damaging the limbs.

Most deciduous fruit trees are pruned when they are dormant-the end of February to the beginning of March, depending on weather. Pruning stimulates shoot growth near the cut.

Evergreen trees are also best pruned in winter before they flower. Most evergreen trees, such as  citrus, avocados and mangoes, are pruned to keep them from getting out of hand.

Here are some tips I have learned:

Avocado (Persea americana): Tree tops should be cut back to 15 feet. Anually removing a few upper limbs back to their crotches will enable fruit to be produced on the lower limbs. My tree survived Hurricane Wilma in part by being less than 15 feet high.

Banana (Musa spp.): These have underground stems  (rhizomes) from which the flowering and fruiting stalks arise. Leaving only two or three thick stemmed pups ( suckers ) per mother tree gives you better fruit. A water sucker has wide first leaves and should always be removed.

Grumichama (Eugenia dombeyi): It is a great tree for homeowners; it is slow growing, has beautiful glossy, green leaves and a very tasty cherry fruit a month after it blooms.The only pruning needed is cutting dead branches and shaping.

Lychee (Litchi chinensis): Pruning should be done right after harvest in order to allow new shoots and leaves to harden off before the onset of winter temperatures. Cut back tops of the trees to 10 to 15 feet.

Mamey Sapote (Calocarpum sapota): Maintenance pruning involves removal of narrow angled ( V-shaped) main branches, leaving wide-angled branches. Trees should be kept to a height of 16 to 18 feet.

Mango (Mangifera indica): Formative pruning of young trees will increase the lateral branches and builds a strong framework for tree growth. Trees should be limited to about 15 feet. A trick to controlling the amount of fruit set is timing when the tree is pruned. Don't prune the tree if you want it to produce fruit. If the tree is too large or needs shaping, prune it after picking and before the end of August. If you want shade and not fruit, then prune the tree after September. This will disrupt the bloom cycle.

Star fruit (Averrhoa carambola): Fall removal of upright limbs and removal of dead branches will reduce tree height and maintain fruit production. My tree has been bearing fruit within a year after having lost its' fruit and leaves due to hurricanes.

This information has been derived from http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/, the "Florida Fruit" book and my own experience.

Palms - Do Not Over-Trim

By Paul Craft

The pruning of palms is far simpler than pruning woody ornamentals. Dead leaves and old fruit bracts are all that need to be cut from palms, it is easier still for crownshift palms because the leaves shed immediately when they turn brown. Picking the old leaves up and disposing of them is all there is to do.

It is best to cut leaves only after they have completely turned brown. Palms will translocate nutrients from the older leaves to the newer leaves. By cutting leaves that are still green, the tree is robbed of these nutrients. At times, partially green or yellow leaves can be quite unsightly and it is safe to cut these leaves if they are more than 50 percent brown.

If it is desired to prune a palm, the general recommendation is to trim off only those leaves that hang below the horizontal plane of the crown, leaving a sufficient leaf crown to maintain the health of the palm. Trimming any more can be injurious to the palm in the long term, especially if done on a regular basis. Allow the palm to grow back a complete rounded crown before pruning again. It is also particularly important that a regular fertilizer regimen be followed to guarantee nutrients available to the palm since it is being robbed of nutrients when the leaves are cut.

Leaves should be cut as close to the trunk as possible. The remaining leaf base will eventually fall off, but it may take several years. In some species, such as Phoenix, an interesting pattern can emerge on the trunk by cutting the leaves off at a certain point, adding an ornamental feature to the palm. Trying to strip the leaf bases from the trunk before they are ready to fall off can cause scarring of the trunk.

Equipment used to trim palms should be treated with isopropyl alcohol or hydrogen peroxide before moving from one palm to another. This will help prevent the spread of any disease such as lethal yellowing or fungal diseases.

Untrained tree trimmers partake in a practice called hurricane trimming that is detrimental to the palms. It has gone on so long that many homeowners think it is a practice that does not harm the plant. Palms are very wind-resistant plants, not bothered by high winds nearly as much as woody trees are, yet there is a myth that cutting most of the leaves from a palm will help it survive a hurricane. The opposite is true, severe trimming jobs weaken the crown to the point it can snap off in moderate winds.

If the hurricane cut is done on a yearly basis, the leaves will become smaller and the trunk will become narrower, resulting in what is called pencil pointing. The palm will become weaker and more prone to disease, nutritional problems and breakage if high winds do arise.

Zimmerman Tree Service Continues To Adhere To Best Industry Practices

                   Local Tree Care CompanyGains 3-Year Industry Re-Accreditation

Zimmerman Tree Service, a commercial and residential tree care company located in Lake Worth,Florida has been recently re-accredited in accordance with Tree Care Company Accreditation standards put forth by the Tree Care Industry Association (TCIA), America's oldest and most respected tree care trade association. Accredited tree care companies must re-apply every three years so that their practices can be reviewed and the continuation of best business practices can be verified.

TCIA Accreditation is the only program of its' kind in the tree care industry. It is a voluntary process evaluating businesses to ensure that professional practices and standards are met by all employees that work on your property. When you hire an accredited tree care company, you can rest assured that this organization has been checked for proper insurance, applicable licenses, reliable and ethical customer service practices, and meets strict operating standards. A key objective for Accreditation is to help companies provide the highest levels of service to customers.

To achieve business Accreditation, businesses undergo an extensive review of professional practices aimed at safeguarding consumers, including:

> Consumer satisfaction
> Best business practices
> Formal employee training
> Compliance with industry standards
> Adherence to safety and quality standards
> Insurance coverage

As a measure of protection to consumers, businesses undergo renewal check-ups annually. The annual renewal ensures that the company continues to employ trained professionals, is still properly insured and has a good safety and consumer satisfaction rating.

The 3-year Re-Accreditation achievement demonstrates that Zimmerman Tree Service has undergone an extensive review of practices as well as a site visit, and continues to adhere to all accreditation standards.

Bad Tree Pruning Is An Expensive Way To Save Money

By David Schwartz

In this era of massive budget shortfalls, every municipality from the largest to the smallest is looking to save money. The City of Cranston Rhode Island's solution was to have their Department of public Works trim the 28-year-old Gleditsia (honey locust). So much for good ideas.

There were approximately 40-45 Gleditsia, which were installed in 1982-1983 as part of a renovation of the Rolfe Square business district. I am very familiar with Rolfe Square as I lived in Cranston for many years. One day, as I was visiting my post office box, another patron of the post office, who I knew was an arborist, approached me to inquire if I had seen the trimming the Cranston DPW was doing to the trees on Rolfe Square. I said I had not noticed, but upon exiting the front door of the Post Office, I was rather amazed at what I saw. Many of the locust trees had been completely stripped out with up to 75 percent of the foliage removed. The cuts were a mix of slab cuts, stubs and ripped bark.

Later that day, I received a phone call from Cranston Councilman Emilio Navarro, who had been receiving calls from concerned residents about the appearance of their city's business district. He requested that I meet him on site. We met on the next day Friday, September 10, 2010. He wanted to know if the trimming that was done was proper or improper. I told him that in my opinion, these trees had been severely damaged. At that point, the Councilman approached the Department of Public Works to ask two questions: What was the purpose of the trim, and why was it being done in such a manner?

The administration responded in an email statement issued by Robin Schutt, the administration spokesperson: "To clarify, tree trimming is something that our Highway Department does routinely. The trees on Rolfe Street required trimming, as in many cases the branches were too low - and did not meet public safety standards, or were rubbing against buildings and roofs. Any damage from those is on the shoulders of the City. I realize, as does the Public Works department, that the long term life of a FEW of these trees might be compromised - but the reality is that these were not appropriate trees in the first place - and eventually will need replacing - trimmed or otherwise (and our decision was to save the trees for as long as possible)."

The e-mail also claims that the city saved $20,000 by doing the trimming in house. The City was pushing back pretty hard to justify their actions, and the fact that this was an election year hardened every one's positions. I am not a political person, and in my 40 years of practice, I have never met a tree that was either Republican or Democrat. My involvement was to act on behalf of the most innocent of the victims; the trees themselves.

Read the rest of the article here.
http://www.zimmermantreeservice.com/Articles/tabid/423/tree_service/145/Bad-Tree-Pruning-Is-An-Expensive-Way-To-Save-Money.aspx

Coconut Palm Injections Vital To Plant Care

Care of Coconut Plant

Coconuts are still an important food source on tropical islands.

Lethal Yellowing Can Cost You The Green

Lethal Yellowing  

Lethal yellowing is a disease first noticed in the Caribbean region of North America about 100 years ago. However, it was not until the 1950s and a devastating outbreak in Jamaica and the Florida Keys that the economic consequences of lethal yellowing were recognized and intensive research begun. More recently, the disease has spread to other areas of Florida and into Texas. There is no cure for lethal yellowing although it can be controlled in valuable trees with regular injections (four times annually) of
oxytetracycline. The good news is that palms native to Florida are generally resistant to this disease.

Symptoms
Lethal yellowing gets its name from the yellowing and drooping of palm fronds beginning with the lower fronds and advancing up through the crown. The disease characteristically has the following progression:

1. Coconuts, mature and immature, begin to drop from coconut palms and the fruit begin to drop from other varieties, a process called ‘shelling’.

2. Flower stalks (inflorescences) begin to blacken.

3. Palm fronds start to yellow (or, in the case of some species, turn greyish-brown), beginning with the older, lower fronds and progressing up through the crown.

4. The spear leaf collapses and the bud dies. By the time that this happens, the tree is already dead.

5. The entire crown falls from the tree leaving a forlorn ‘telephone pole’ stalk.

Unless treated, the tree dies within three to six months of the first symptom.

The Cause
The cause of lethal yellowing is believed to be a bacteria-like organism called a phytoplasma. Phytoplasmas are not yet well understood but, like bacteria, they can be controlled with antibiotics, in this case, oxytetracycline.

The Spread of the Disease
While there is not, as yet, definitive proof, the lethal yellowing micro-organism is most likely spread by an insect, the planthopper (myndus crudus). Again, research is continuing into the way in which this insect spreads the disease. Tests have demonstrated
that insecticides can slow the spread of planthoppers and, with them, lethal yellowing. However, large-scale spraying using currently available chemicals is ecologically damaging and not economically viable. Another approach may be to develop a
groundcover that discourages the insect, as young planthoppers feed on common grasses, but there have been no concrete results so far.

What To DoThere is to date no cure for lethal yellowing. Quarterly injections of oxytetracycline can keep the disease in check and this may be an option for extremely valuable residential landscape palms. Check with your local tree care specialist for advice regarding the cost
and procedure in your area. The best option in combating lethal yellowing is to plant palms resistant to the disease.

Popular Native Palms Resistant to Lethal Yellowing
Cabbage Palmetto (Sabal palmetto)
Royal Palm (Roystonea regia)
Paurotis Palm (Acoelorraphe wrightii)
Florida Thatch Palm (Thrinax radiata)
Key Thatch Palm (T. morrisii)


Common Imported Palms Resistant to Lethal Yellowing
Alexandra Palm (Archontophoenix alexandrae)
Carpentaria Palm (Carpentaria acuminata)
Yellow Cane Palm (Chrysalidocarpus lutescens)
Pygmy Date Palm (Phoenix roebelenii)
MacArthur Palm (Ptychosperma macarthurii)
Solitaire Palm (Ptychosperma elegans)
Mexican Washingtonia (Washingtonia robusta)
Foxtail Palm (Wodyetia bifurcata)
Queen Palm (Syagrus romanzoffianum)