When to prune lime trees | Spring & Fall + Tips for more limes

Lime trees will benefit from pruning in early Spring and again in Fall. This will keep them in a neat shape, will remove any excess or damaged branches and increase the amount of limes the tree will grow. Lime tree pruning should be done with sharp secateurs and this will encourage the tree to grow into a neat shape.

Lime trees can be a fantastic feature tree in your yard and pruning them during the growing season will help to keep them looking neat.

Spring is when a lime tree will be rapidly growing new leaves and stems. Around one month into Spring, these new leaves can be trimmed back to make sure you can still reach all of the branches.

Removing extra stems will allow the tree to concentrate all of its energy on growing larger fruit rather than many small ones which may drop off.

Do lime trees need pruning?

Many lime trees are small and will naturally grow into a wine glass shape. While lime trees do not actually need pruning to grow to full size it is essential if you want a neat shape and to remove excess leaves.

Lime trees like the popular Tahitian Lime benefit from a tip prune, which is where the end 2-3 inches is removed from longer new growth. Branches that are crossing each other and rubbing against each other can also be removed.

Why prune lime trees in Spring and Fall

Spring and Fall make the perfect times to prune a lime tree. Spring is when the lime tree will be adding lots of leaf growth as the weather begins to warm.

In Fall, the plant will be preparing to go dormant over the cooler months so this is a great chance to shape the tree and remove any old fruit and flowers.

Here are the top reasons to prune your lime tree in Spring and Fall.

Keep it to an appropriate size

Pruning at the start and end of the growing season in Spring and Fall will allow you to train your lime tree to stay the shape you want. Some lime trees will grow more leaves on one side as they reach for the sun or will head for the sky and grow tall.

With a gentle prune you can keep them to the shape you want. I actually tip prune my lime tree 2-3 times over Spring to keep it in shape. This is as easy as using sharp secateurs and removing the end few inches of an overgrown branch.

Allow sunlight into the inner branches grow larger fruit

Pruning a lime tree in Spring will help to open up the tree. This will allow sunlight and air movement to the inner branches of the lime tree which will help to reduce the risk of insects and diseases and will help to grow larger fruit.

Allowing sunlight into the branches will encourage the flowers to open, allow insects or wind to pollinate the flowers and will give the tree the room to focus energy on growing larger fruit.

Increase fruit production

Pruning a lime tree will help the tree to grow more fruit. Removing extra leaf stems will allow the tree to focus its energy on fruit growth rather than leaf growth. Only remove a small amount of leaves at a time and you will begin to see where the fruit is forming.

How to prune a lime tree in Spring and Fall

Here are the few easy steps to prune a lime tree in Spring and Fall to keep it healthy and producing limes.

Remove suckers

Removing suckers is the first step to pruning your lime tree. Grafted lime trees will have a productive top that grows delicious fruit attached to a strong, tolerant root system. Any stems that are growing below the graft should be removed.

These stems or suckers will be growing from the root stock and can have large spines and will not produce fruit. Cut these stems off hard against the trunk of the lime tree using clean, sharp secateurs.

Trim any branches that are crossing

The next step is to trim off any branches that are crossing and touching each other. Large branches that are crossing can rub against each other and cause diseases to enter the plant. Simply trim these off with your secateurs to give the branches space.

Trim any branches extending beyond the shape you want

Lime trees can be kept in a neat ball shape or wine glass shape to suit your space. For lime trees that are growing branches beyond this area, trim them off and keep the shape you want. For me I am training mine into a wine glass shape with stems growing upright and out slightly.

Reduce the density of the interior of the tree

For trees with lots of leaves and stems in the middle, you can thin these out to allow more air movement. Remove up to ¼ of the stems to reduce the leaf coverage. Make sure you don’t take off too many branches otherwise the tree can struggle to recover.

Trim a bit at a time and come back another day if you think you need to remove more.

Top Spring and Fall pruning tips for limes

Here are my top tips for pruning in Spring and Fall.

Cut the branch at an angle with sharp secateurs

When removing branches or stems make sure you cut them at a slight angle. This will allow water to run off the cut and avoid any diseases or rot forming at the end of the cut stem.

Only ever remove a maximum of 1/3 of leaves at a time. To be on the safe side, I only ever remove up to ¼ of leaves in one trimming. It is easy to get carried away and take off too much.

Wear garden gloves and use sharp secateurs

Wear good quality garden gloves to protect your hands when pruning and use sharp secateurs. Both of these will allow you to do this job safely and to make clean cuts to help the tree recover quickly.

When to prune lime trees | Summary

Lime trees should be pruned in Spring and again in Fall. Lime trees can be shaped over the warmer months and then they will slow their growth over Winter. Fall is the perfect time to neaten up the plant and remove any damaged leaves or old fruit.

After you have pruned in Fall the lime tree will be happy until Spring when it will put on new growth and grow new flowers. You will have perfectly shaped tree ready to grow lots of fruit.

Happy growing.