jab pruning- before and after pics

[FlyingFoxFruits]

Ericalynne

I find your story  of  the demise suddenly after a jabo was pruned, quite interesting as well.

Allow me to ask some questions, you don't have to answer them,

1. How old was your tree that died?

2. how long had it been planted in the same location, before death?

3. what where symptoms of death?

4. do you water the tree heavily and regularly?

5. what is your soil type?

6. do you have a large variety of fruit trees, and have been collecting for over 5yrs?
(the reason I ask question above is to establish if you may have a high potential for pathogens, introduced from nurseries, and plants over the years)

7. is your area subject to temps below 32F?

For now that's all I can think of to ask about this case, but I am eager to establish a cause of death.

My guess is the tree was not healthy to begin with, or planted in an adverse growing environment (alkaline ph) and of course...under irrigated. 

Most growers never water enough!

Other than that...I've seen some trees succumb to what appeared to be a fungus that enters the bark through a wound, usually very close to the soil level (with old or sickly citrus trees usually in close proximity).

Hope you have a very healthy and happy jabo now!

don't feel obliged to prune them!

they are self pruning, and fruit heavily enough to feed a village...only of course if they are properly cared for! With ample sunlight, nutrients and water.

I find the jaboticaba pruning very interesting. I pruned one in-ground jabo and it promptly died. And it was only a light pruning. I am afraid to prune the one I have now. You do have beautiful trees.

I think Oscar is probably correct about the fruiting being better on old wood, than just getting more sun. There's someone on the east coast that has jabos growing as understory and they were fruiting heavily.

Erica

[fruitlovers]

I think you misunderstood what i was saying. I always plant jaboticabas in full sun. I know they fruit less in partial shade. What i was talking about is pruning jaboticabas already in full sun so that interior of tree branches are exposed to more sunlight. I thought that is what you were saying increases fruiting, and i don't see any evidence of that, at least not yet.

[FlyingFoxFruits]

No I understood u.

Bottom line, my belief is such...

jaboticabas of certain types, can be encouraged to fruit very heavily, by thinning out branches that aren't fruiting, or fruiting as heavily as those that it's impeding.

This theory does only hold true to a certain degree like you said...when they get huge, you can't really prune them that much, and they make so much fruit, it would probably be a negligible gain of fruits produced by pruning your tree.

But we aren't in Brazil...here we are in USA, trying to push these trees to fruit at an early age/small size, with consistent and heavy crops.

I think you misunderstood what i was saying. I always plant jaboticabas in full sun. I know they fruit less in partial shade. What i was talking about is pruning jaboticabas already in full sun so that interior of tree branches are exposed to more sunlight. I thought that is what you were saying increases fruiting, and i don't see any evidence of that, at least not yet.

[Mike T]

In full sun the canopy and skirt get so dense that pruning has to take place so you can easily access the bulk of the fruit.I only know a couple of trees over 40 years old and they have adopted an upright tall character where trunk access is easy but 90% of the fruit are too high.Crop size would have to be measure in not only the volumeof ruit at each fruiting event but also the number of times that fruit flushes have taken place in a year.Even in a heavy pruning year my 9 year old in full sun seem to have up to 4 major fruiting flushes.

[fruitlovers]

No I understood u.

Bottom line, my belief is such...

jaboticabas of certain types, can be encouraged to fruit very heavily, by thinning out branches that aren't fruiting, or fruiting as heavily as those that it's impeding.

This theory does only hold true to a certain degree like you said...when they get huge, you can't really prune them that much, and they make so much fruit, it would probably be a negligible gain of fruits produced by pruning your tree.

But we aren't in Brazil...here we are in USA, trying to push these trees to fruit at an early age/small size, with consistent and heavy crops.

I think you misunderstood what i was saying. I always plant jaboticabas in full sun. I know they fruit less in partial shade. What i was talking about is pruning jaboticabas already in full sun so that interior of tree branches are exposed to more sunlight. I thought that is what you were saying increases fruiting, and i don't see any evidence of that, at least not yet.

I plan to keep your comments in mind as i do some experiments to see what works best with jaboticabas. Let you know in about 10 years or so.

[Mike T]

Lifting the skirt get gets you closer to the action.Jabs are so dense you need a way into the sphere and pruning from the bottom up is one way to do it.