Barbados cherry - prune now or wait

[derekcentrico]

So, everything I've read lends to the idea that I need to prune.  Heck that thought led me to doing the basic reading thus far.

My issue is timing.  I planted this plant about one and half months ago.  It has taken off like no tomorrow.  I'm concerned about the extreme growth at the bottom.

Some articles fail to mention a time to prune.  Others say early fall before the tree goes into its dormancy.

Any thoughts?

[starling1]

Barbados cherry is one of the toughest things I've ever grown, if not the toughest.  It won't be phased whenever you prune it.

That said, I'd only prune of the lowest limbs, because as the tree grows, its branches rise up and droop back down in a cascading form.  The lower branches are the easiest to harvest from thi reason as they are on the outside of the bush, and the leaves have hairs which causes skin irritation.

[murahilin]

So, everything I've read lends to the idea that I need to prune.  Heck that thought led me to doing the basic reading thus far.

My issue is timing.  I planted this plant about one and half months ago.  It has taken off like no tomorrow.  I'm concerned about the extreme growth at the bottom.

Some articles fail to mention a time to prune.  Others say early fall before the tree goes into its dormancy.

Any thoughts?

I pruned off all growth in the lower 3ft or so of mine so I could have one straight trunk. If you don't mine the multi trunked bush look, no need to prune it right away.

I don't think they have much of a dormancy period and will probably continue to push growth all year, although at a slower rate during cooler months. You should be able to prune it any time throughout the year.

[derekcentrico]

Allrighty, I got this thing trimmed up a bit.

There's a split a few inches from the ground.  Should I trim this?  I have fear cutting a branch that's of decent size off where the main trunk bends and goes up.



Here's how it looks now as a whole:




Thanks for the input!!!

[murahilin]

Allrighty, I got this thing trimmed up a bit.

There's a split a few inches from the ground.  Should I trim this?  I have fear cutting a branch that's of decent size off where the main trunk bends and goes up.



Here's how it looks now as a whole:




Thanks for the input!!!

I wouldn't worry about pruning off the branch that is that low to the ground. It will only get larger and you still have enough leaves up top so it should be okay to prune it.

[From the sea]

I prune all blanches lower than hip high, and I prune often, never had a problem.