Pruning Mature Pecan Trees - New Mexico State University

dehorned or moderately dehorned. The severely dehornedtrees have not produced pecans after 3 years.Corrective PruningA certain amount of corrective pruning must be doneeach year to maintain tree health and to accommodateorchard equipment. Narrow crotches should beremoved. Complete branches should be routinelyeliminated in the center of the tree to improve sunlightpenetration. Branches that are getting in each other’sway should also be eliminated routinely to preventlimb shading. Cuts should be made to the nearestcrotch to prevent regrowth of suckers. This processwill delay orchard crowding but, eventually, it will benecessary to thin the orchard or start mechanicalhedging.Lower scaffold limbs that prevent clamping of thetree shaker during harvest must be removed. Limbsthat are low enough, because of the tree’s heavy crop,that tractor wheels will run over or damage themshould be removed. Dead wood can be removed, butmost producers just shake it out during harvest. Thoseorchards that have been hedged a couple of times usuallyhave a large amount of dead limbs.One of the most expensive parts of any pruningoperation, whether the orchard is being hedged ortrees are being removed, is the removal of prunings.There are as many methods of removing the brush afterpruning as there are orchards. Each producer willwork out a procedure that fits his situation, labor force,and available equipment. Some firewood can be sold,which might offset some of the brush removal cost.SummaryPruning mature trees is expensive but necessary.Most pruning operations that are done to maintain treesize and to reduce shading.Growers shouldcoordinate these pruning operations with the periodicremoval of trees to maximize production and maintainquality. Annual light mechanical prunings may be theanswer to large orchard operations. If done routinelyremoved branches will be no thicker than 1” to 1 1 / 2”in diameter.New Mexico State University is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer and educator. NMSU and the U.S. Department of Agriculturecooperating.Revised February 2000Las Cruces, NM5CGuide H-629 • Page 2