Below you’ll find some examples of pruning required on Avocado Orchards and how Avoworks would approach each of these.
50% prune:
This is an aggressive prune used on trees that have canopied out and need a lot of work to reduce the height and width of the trees rapidly. Initially, this prune will result in a lower crop in year one, but future yields will be greater as there is more light covering the tree which will allow fruiting all over the tree and not just in the top. This prune needs to be done in spring or winter as the tree will be left exposed to sunburn if pruned in the summer.
Structural prune:
Typically done in spring or winter. This prune can be tailored to the growers needs and orchard planting style but the essence of this style is to achieve the following:
- Reduce main branches to 4 to 5. This allows for a better fruiting structure and less competition in the tree.
- Target height and width of trees. The height should be 70% of your row width.
- Allow greater light penetration through the tree for better fruiting
- Allow better access for harvesting
- Increase fruit quality/packouts through less wind rub.
Regrowth prune:
This is a light prune in autumn to thin out all the new growth/water shoots that have growth throughout the spring/summer as a result of your winter or spring pruning.
- There may multiple new growth point on a limb. This needs to be thinned do to 1,2 or 3 new shoots.
- Tipping these new shoots is also important.
