Hello,

First time poster here. Have been reading this great site for a couple of months now.

I have a 9yr old Celeste in ground. Located in North Texas a little north of Dallas.

I have read that mature Celeste should not be pruned and that they should be thinned instead. What are your opinions on this? Accessing the fruit is not a problem for me.

A few other questions along the same lines;

1. Does pruning improve production, quality or size of the fruit?
2. Does it affect the health of the tree?


My tree is approx. 12W X 8H. The buds are beginning to turn green now. I was a bit concerned I would have dead branches this year due to several nights where the lows dipped into the single digits.

Thanks in advance.

Hi Nana,

I agree with Cecil.  I was just going to say ... the only reason (in my mind) to prune any tree that old and/or large is for looks/shape/health or to share with friends. 

It is a beautiful tree indeed.

Ooops--I severely pruned back my 10-yr-old Celeste growing in a bush shape (5 large trunks).  I hope I didn't kill it.  Naw--I don't think I could kill that tree now if it didn't get killed in the first three years, but we'll see.....

There are green buds sprouting out here and there on it.

I pruned back the Celeste out front severely, as well, but it's only got one trunk coming out of the ground.  It's about the same age.  I guess I'm daring them to die.

noss

Noss,

Vivian, I pruned back a 30 year Celeste several years ago at my in-laws(boy was I in trouble), anyway it bore no figs the next season(still was in trouble). Luckily it did begin bearing figs again(whew!) the next season. I don't think you killed it either.

Nana, beautiful Celeste and welcome to the forum.

Cecil--NOW you tell me!  ;)

Tim--Well, if it doesn't produce anything this year, or next, I won't have to see the dropping so many of their fruit, then, will I?  LOL!

The one out front, Legacy, is putting out some buds from the thick wood where I cut it back, I noticed today.  Same for the one out back, "Celeste."  (I know that's not very original, but--Hey--She needed a name, too...)

Both of them are coming aliiiivvve.

I may have to go buy some figs from the orchards this year.....  Phoo!

noss

Curious as to why a pruned Celeste would not produce the same year since they produce on new growth too. My young tree was killed to the ground last winter and grew about 8' last year. It produced a mess of fruit that Summer and Fall from October thru November despite shedding immature fruit from July thru August. I can see where that might be a problem in short season zones.

Ruben,

I thought the same thing, but didn't ask about it.  Perhaps if it's a really old tree, it doesn't work like that.  Mine are about 10 and 11 yrs old.

Maybe if the tree is pruned way back, it has to expend so much energy to leaf out, that it forgets about putting out any fruit.  It needs leaves more than fruit and Celestes are survivors of the highest kind.

The comedy of errors I committed upon those two trees would be unreal if I told you about it and they lived in spite of it all.

noss

I guess we will see this year how yours does, Noss. I pruned mine to 4 trunks also and left them abt 4.5' tall. I plan on training it to the recommended (for areas at risk for winter-kill) multi-trunk 'open center' form. Hope yours gives you lots of fruit this year!

Vivian/Ruben,I don't know why that particular tree behaved that way, but it did and just was my experience. I would have thought it would have bounced back right away. Maybe because it was old with 12-14" trunks. Hope yours bounce right back. I always have heard to prune old Celestes 1/3 per year for three years from old timers here.

Tim,

Is that what you did or was it more drastic?

Hi Ruben, what I did was more drastic on an 30+ yr. old tree. Yours should be fine. Sorry for any confusion.