Pugging

[shinzo]

Isn't it a little bit late in the growing season? (i don't know, may be where you are there is yet enough time in the season to allow good flushes), but in my case,  i pugged mine in the beginning of the growing season to give the tree a whole growing season to recover from the pugging and to send a decent number of shoots and to benefit from the energy acumulated during winter to flush good scaffold branches, if it was my tree under my climate conditions i would wait till spring and pug it. But it is your call depending on your local conditions.

[FruitFreak]

Isn't it a little bit late in the growing season? (i don't know, may be where you are there is yet enough time in the season to allow good flushes), but in my case,  i pugged mine in the beginning of the growing season to give the tree a whole growing season to recover from the pugging and to send a decent number of shoots and to benefit from the energy acumulated during winter to flush good scaffold branches, if it was my tree under my climate conditions i would wait till spring and pug it. But it is your call depending on your local conditions.

Not sure about Cali but in florida it's not too late.  I've topped many different varieties throughout the year with success for the most part give or take a handful.  Mind you my experience has been with younger trees for the most part.  Whatever the case you don't want the newly topped tree to undergo environmental stress (drought, flood, contamination/fungus).  My preference is to wait for the tree to flush to ensure quick new growth.

[zands]

strkpr00 --  read my first reply. As to what height to pug for the first two. It hurts but I say 18"-22".    Third one can be left alone.

You have to clear out the grass to 3ft diameter. Best to mulch it too to 3ft diameter. But that grass is robbing your young trees.

[strkpr00]

I pugged number 2 and tipped pruned number 1 and 3. I looked at that Gary tree for a while, it has 3 branches so I just reduced them. If it doesn't fill in, it gets pugged next spring. thanks for the input. And may Irma us by.