If you have followed all our instructions on how to grow a lemon tree, you have given them a container that is small enough to keep their roots from getting soggy, preferably a clay pot, but big enough to support growth to about 4 feet tall. They like to have their roots moist, but not damp. Dead wood is a sign you need to do some pruning, but it is also a sign you have been doing a lot of things right. If you have had your lemon tree growing in a container for three years or more, you probably have some branches that look like dead wood even though they have some healthy leaves on the end. Unless you are a home gardener living in an exceptionally mild and arid climate (USDA Hardiness Zones 10 through 13,) chances are that you grow your lemon trees in containers that you take indoors in the winter. How to Prune a Lemon Tree Grown in a Container Lemon tree in terracotta container. We will start with everything you need to know about how to prune a container-grown lemon tree, and then we will discuss how to prune an outdoor lemon tree.

We’ll divide this article on how to prune a lemon tree for the best health and the best structure while keeping it contained into two sections. Depending on the variety, an unpruned lemon tree can and will grow 30-40 feet tall and 30-40 feet wide if it has the right growing conditions. Let’s dig in! Hard pruning for neglected citrus trees. Pruning lemon trees can be fun it’s a sign of good things to come. There are also different times, reasons, and methods for pruning depending on whether the lemon tree is indoors or outdoors.

Pruning lemon trees is essential for keeping them growing and productive, but the timing, methods, and reasons for pruning your lemon tree are very different from the timing, methods, and reasons for pruning stone fruit trees like peaches, cherries, apricots, plums, and nectarines or pome fruit trees like apples and pears.

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