When is the best time to trim my fruit trees?

Question

I have an orange, and a kumquat tree.

Answer 1

Hedging and topping of citrus trees are used to control tree size sufficiently to facilitate normal tree growth and production, especially for pest management, and to facilitate harvesting and to maintain optimum productivity.

The failure to control tree size will result in larger trees, and larger trees will produce even larger yields--but only to the point where crowding becomes really severe. Interior limbs and twigs will die, pushing the fruit-bearing growth further and further from the center of the tree. Production will top out at its maximum potential level, after which yields will decrease annually, falling to unacceptably low levels in just a few seasons.

Topping should be conducted as soon as hedging is completed, as there is no valid reason to leave the tops unpruned. Some growers prefer to hedge and top the entire orchard at one time, others opt to do alternate middles over 2 years. If hedging cuts will not exceed about 1 foot into the canopy, cutting the entire orchard at one time is viable. However, if pruning has been delayed to the point that deeper cuts into larger wood are necessary, pruning alternate middles would be the better option. Hedging into 1-inch wood will significantly reduce production in the following season, some of which may be offset by increased production in the unpruned middle.

Answer 2

Probably the best time is after you've harvested the fruit and before the next set of blossoms open.  Most pruning is done while a tree is dormant.  But the citrus trees are evergreen.  I trimmed my citrus trees before the flush of growth occurs in the spring.  If you are doing minor pruning (removing just a few branches) then probably any time is O.K.