Rollinia - To Prune or Not to Prune

[Jacob13]

Hello Friends,

I just wanted to pose this question to all of you out there because I need your help.  I have 2 Rollinia Fruit trees and as you can see from the Pictures below, they both have very different growth habits. From what I have seen and read, there are 2 types of growth habits, and my 2 trees are examples of both. 

The 1st tree is only about 4' Feet tall and is almost as wide as it is tall.  I have never pinched/pruned the terminal bud, or cut the leader branch, and I still get plenty of horizontal branching.  As for the 2nd tree, it is about 7' Feet tall and practically all vertical growth. However, at the top 6" inches of the 2 tallest branches, they are now heavily branching out horizontally.

So here is my dilemna/question - Should I top/prune back the branches on the 2nd taller Rollinia tree to try and induce more and lower horizontal branching, or leave it alone?  I have plenty of room to allow it to keep growing vertically, and haven't any real need to top it or prune it back. I know doing so would shorten the tree and hopefully induce more horizontal branching, but would it help to induce flowering more quickly?  Or, would leaving it alone help it to flower and eventually fruit more quickly?  Being that this is its natural growth habit, should I leave it alone to grow as it wishes? Any information would be helpful.

1st Rollinia Tree


2nd Rollinia Tree


Thanks,

Jacob

[HMHausman]

If I was growing in my yard,  me being the anti-pruner, I would not prune.....being greedy and wanting the earliest possible sizing of the tree and therefore most rapid fruiting.  However, in your setting even I would do some tip pruning.  You shouldn't lose or delay fruiting too badly, if at all, as the blooms do not come from the ends of the branches terminal buds.

Harry

[Berto]

Jacob,
I have 2 trees with the same growing habit as yours.  I prune both of them to encourage lateral branches.  Otherwise, a Biriba (rollinia) will grow very tall, and they can become huge massive trees.  I keep cutting their tops all the time.

[GwenninPR]

I have some I keep pruned back and one I did not. 
Since it was a seedling, it is now taller than my fruit picking pole. It will get topped at some point this year.

[Felipe]

I am an anti-heavy-pruner, but I like cutting the tips of many fruit trees in order to induce lateral braching and a compact, bushy growht. I this case I woul do it, as I do with most of my annonas, including two biribas 

[Jacob13]

Thanks everyone for your advice.  I guess I got to shake off the dust from my Felcos.

Jacob

[Soren]

I am an anti-heavy-pruner, but I like cutting the tips of many fruit trees in order to induce lateral braching and a compact, bushy growht. I this case I woul do it, as I do with most of my annonas, including two biribas 

Agreed, the fruits are not easy to pick from a tall tree but that said many doesnt get tall at all unless you count six meters as tall?

[FlyingFoxFruits]

If I was growing in my yard,  me being the anti-pruner, I would not prune.....being greedy and wanting the earliest possible sizing of the tree and therefore most rapid fruiting.  However, in your setting even I would do some tip pruning.  You shouldn't lose or delay fruiting too badly, if at all, as the blooms do not come from the ends of the branches terminal buds.

Harry

It may be counter intuitive, but I've found that for certain trees like Biriba, pinching tips, encouraging lateral branching, (and branching period) induces reproductive growth faster than trees that are not ever pruned, which usually have less growing tips, and less chance of early fruition.

Always prune Rollinia, atemoya, soursop, sugar apple, illama, etc..in my opinion as a grower of these.

So, yes, you must prune these!!!

[FlyingFoxFruits]

Jacob,
I have 2 trees with the same growing habit as yours.  I prune both of them to encourage lateral branches.  Otherwise, a Biriba (rollinia) will grow very tall, and they can become huge massive trees.  I keep cutting their tops all the time.

Listen to this wise man, being from Brazil, I'm sure he's seen the right way to grow these!

Noel's tree is a tower of triumph. that is hard to harvest fruits from (some near 30ft up in sky).  I don't think he's ever pruned the top, and should consider cutting off the top 10ft, and encourage a mass of lateral growth.

[fruitlovers]

Agreed, the fruits are not easy to pick from a tall tree but that said many doesnt get tall at al unless you count six meters as tall?

I've seen rollinias here that get 50 feet tall (16 meters) in good soil. Mine on lava rock is over 30 feet tall. I get plenty, and more than plenty fruits, from lower branches, so don't bother with pruning...let the birds eat the ones at the top. Ofcourse for commercial production everything needs to be kept at easily pickable height.
Oscar

[Soren]

Agreed, the fruits are not easy to pick from a tall tree but that said many doesnt get tall at al unless you count six meters as tall?

I've seen rollinias here that get 50 feet tall (16 meters) in good soil. Mine on lava rock is over 30 feet tall. I get plenty, and more than plenty fruits, from lower branches, so don't bother with pruning...let the birds eat the ones at the top. Ofcourse for commercial production everything needs to be kept at easily pickable height.
Oscar

It will of course depend on several things - from growing conditions to genetics - mine are from Jim West, and they have not grown taller for several years; all less than 7m. From his description of the growth habit "from large-fruited, small stature trees".

In my perspective, massive is a Canarium schweinfurthii tree of more than 40m, anyway does someone know how tall Biriba grows under optimal conditions, I can see Morton mentions "4-15 m in height".

[Tropical Bay Area]

I heard rollinias don’t take pruning well, pruning a few sticks are probably fine.

[kalan]

Tropical Bay Area - you just replied to a nine year old thread. That must be the greatest thread resurrection I've ever seen! LOL!
(for the record I don't prune my rollinas much either)
Keith

[Tropical Bay Area]

Tropical Bay Area - you just replied to a nine year old thread. That must be the greatest thread resurrection I've ever seen! LOL!
(for the record I don't prune my rollinas much either)
Keith

I didn’t even notice it lol

[gnappi]

Thanks for resurrecting it!  I like to see old posts.

[roblack]

lol. While the op likely won't be helped much from your input, others may benefit from reading all the responses in this thread.

Never pruned ours until in ground and quite tall.  Needs yearly trimming because don't want it to get too tall. Got some wires running overhead, so keeping the tree about 10 feet.

Flowers great without pruning or defoliating. Haven't trimmed in a long time, and just noticed major flower action along with lone ripening fruit.

[Tropical Bay Area]

lol. While the op likely won't be helped much from your input, others may benefit from reading all the responses in this thread.

Never pruned ours until in ground and quite tall.  Needs yearly trimming because don't want it to get too tall. Got some wires running overhead, so keeping the tree about 10 feet.

Flowers great without pruning or defoliating. Haven't trimmed in a long time, and just noticed major flower action along with lone ripening fruit.

I wonder if the Rollinia is still alive... form what I’ve heard they’re the shortest lived annona

[fruitlovers]

lol. While the op likely won't be helped much from your input, others may benefit from reading all the responses in this thread.

Never pruned ours until in ground and quite tall.  Needs yearly trimming because don't want it to get too tall. Got some wires running overhead, so keeping the tree about 10 feet.

Flowers great without pruning or defoliating. Haven't trimmed in a long time, and just noticed major flower action along with lone ripening fruit.

I wonder if the Rollinia is still alive... form what I’ve heard they’re the shortest lived annona

I don't know about shortest lived of the annonas, but can tell you rollinia is not short lived tree. Have rollinia trees that are about 30 years old. Is that short lived?  About pruning, i haven't pruned mine, except to remove branches touching the ground, and some sucker branches. But they take to pruning ok when large trees. And in good soil they can get 45 feet tall. So it's good to top them so fruits are reachable.

[Tropical Bay Area]

lol. While the op likely won't be helped much from your input, others may benefit from reading all the responses in this thread.

Never pruned ours until in ground and quite tall.  Needs yearly trimming because don't want it to get too tall. Got some wires running overhead, so keeping the tree about 10 feet.

Flowers great without pruning or defoliating. Haven't trimmed in a long time, and just noticed major flower action along with lone ripening fruit.

I wonder if the Rollinia is still alive... form what I’ve heard they’re the shortest lived annona

I don't know about shortest lived of the annonas, but can tell you rollinia is not short lived tree. Have rollinia trees that are about 30 years old. Is that short lived?  About pruning, i haven't pruned mine, except to remove branches touching the ground, and some sucker branches. But they take to pruning ok when large trees. And in good soil they can get 45 feet tall. So it's good to top them so fruits are reachable.

Interesting, bill in Mountain View HI tells me he treats them as large tomato plants and easily replacabe. He says some make it past a decade, some don’t. Interesting.

[fruitlovers]

lol. While the op likely won't be helped much from your input, others may benefit from reading all the responses in this thread.

Never pruned ours until in ground and quite tall.  Needs yearly trimming because don't want it to get too tall. Got some wires running overhead, so keeping the tree about 10 feet.

Flowers great without pruning or defoliating. Haven't trimmed in a long time, and just noticed major flower action along with lone ripening fruit.

I wonder if the Rollinia is still alive... form what I’ve heard they’re the shortest lived annona

I don't know about shortest lived of the annonas, but can tell you rollinia is not short lived tree. Have rollinia trees that are about 30 years old. Is that short lived?  About pruning, i haven't pruned mine, except to remove branches touching the ground, and some sucker branches. But they take to pruning ok when large trees. And in good soil they can get 45 feet tall. So it's good to top them so fruits are reachable.

Interesting, bill in Mountain View HI tells me he treats them as large tomato plants and easily replacabe. He says some make it past a decade, some don’t. Interesting.

Bill is obviously wrong. There are some things that can shorten their life cycle, like borer beetle or bad care, but that doesn't mean they are short lived trees.

[cassowary]

lol. While the op likely won't be helped much from your input, others may benefit from reading all the responses in this thread.

Never pruned ours until in ground and quite tall.  Needs yearly trimming because don't want it to get too tall. Got some wires running overhead, so keeping the tree about 10 feet.

Flowers great without pruning or defoliating. Haven't trimmed in a long time, and just noticed major flower action along with lone ripening fruit.

I wonder if the Rollinia is still alive... form what I’ve heard they’re the shortest lived annona

I don't know about shortest lived of the annonas, but can tell you rollinia is not short lived tree. Have rollinia trees that are about 30 years old. Is that short lived?  About pruning, i haven't pruned mine, except to remove branches touching the ground, and some sucker branches. But they take to pruning ok when large trees. And in good soil they can get 45 feet tall. So it's good to top them so fruits are reachable.

Interesting, bill in Mountain View HI tells me he treats them as large tomato plants and easily replacabe. He says some make it past a decade, some don’t. Interesting.

Bill is obviously wrong. There are some things that can shorten their life cycle, like borer beetle or bad care, but that doesn't mean they are short lived trees.

Agree, and here they last more then a decade easily. Even if there's borer holes big like a sharpie pencil diameter they seam to remain green and strong. Borers digg in the dry season for us so maybe it's becuase I am not giving them enough water, maybe someone have some ideas on how to reduce the borers.

Most of the time when I try and prune r. deliciosa or a. reticulata the tree seams to put out one new shoot at the same angle as the previous one so if I want it to be permanent I gotta keep tipping it.

"In my perspective, massive is a Canarium schweinfurthii tree of more than 40m, anyway does someone know how tall Biriba grows under optimal conditions, I can see Morton mentions "4-15 m in height"."

After 4 years one tree is 6-7 metre and it's still growing taller.

[Finca La Isla]

Rollinia is a weed tree that quickly could grow to 20m and then die a few years later in the wet, equatorial tropics.  We intensively prune them at about 6m or less.  They make lots of fruit which you need to be able to access.  Volunteers start up all over.  We never plant it anymore.
Peter

[Orkine]

Ready to resurrect this post.

What is the verdict on pruning Rolinia?

[SanDiegoCherimoya]

After reviewing the answers here and making a similar post not too long ago, it sounds like a good idea to top your rollinias at a young age and grow wide instead of tall.

For some reason, most people in Hawaii and other tropics lack canopy management skills. So take their advice with a grain of salt. It must be an ego thing where the faster they grow a taller tree, the better the farmer they think they are.

Ready to resurrect this post.

What is the verdict on pruning Rolinia?

[gnappi]

Since the thread started and now has been resurrected my Rollinia has had a few years growth I can state my observations...

I tip prune mine from top to bottom but I let it get a bit taller than wider so I can walk under it and right now it is at ~12' tall, and the overall shape looks "correct". It flowers well and I get what I consider a fair amount of fruit without hand pollination for a young tree that's been in ground four years.

If I live to see it decline, I'll have another few started from the fruit seeds to replace it.