STIHL tip
By the way: a well-kept lemon tree is ideal for decorating a roof terrace or in a Mediterranean-style front garden. Citrus trees are also a great choice for sloped gardens and small gardens.
How to prune a lemon tree
A lemon tree adds Mediterranean flair to the garden. Find out how to prune the citrus tree.
05.03.2025
Overview: Pruning a lemon tree
- It is best to prune lemon trees in early spring
- Use a sharp, high-quality tool to make cuts
- A shaping cut gets the crown looking pleasing
- A rejuvenation cut renews an older lemon tree
- Pruning is essential for healthy growth and lots of fruit
To prune your lemon tree, always use clean and sharp secateurs, such as the STIHL PG 10 Bypass secateurs. For thicker branches, an ideal choice is the STIHL GTA 26 battery-powered garden pruners, for example.
It is best to prune lemon trees in late winter or early spring, for example February or March. This gives the lemon tree a chance to form strong new growth.
However, please note that the Federal Nature Conservation Act bans pruning between 1 March and 30 September.
To ensure that your lemon tree grows evenly and symmetrically, you should prune it well every year – ideally in late winter or early spring.
You can also do lighter maintenance pruning throughout the year as needed, to keep your lemon tree in a beautiful shape.
Yes, you can cut a lemon tree back hard in early spring to give new life to your tree – however, in our latitude it will take longer for the lemon tree to regrow.
Please also note that between 1 March and 30 September, the removal and severe pruning of hedges, trees and other shrubs is prohibited under Section 39(5)(2) of the German Federal Nature Conservation Act.
You can identify a water shoot on a lemon tree because it is a long, thin growth which grows steeply upwards. It is not able to form flowers or fruit, so it is ultimately useless for the lemon tree and only serves to deprive it of nutrients.
So water shoots should be removed.
Orange, lime and kumquat trees are pruned in the same way as lemon trees. So once you have mastered lemon tree pruning, you are ready to prune virtually every other type of citrus.
A lemon tree will rarely grow a naturally pleasing and even crown shape – so it is advisable to prune young lemon trees into shape.
Regularly pruning and thinning your lemon tree also supports healthy growth and a bountiful harvest, as it means the tree is supplied with enough light and oxygen.
Pruning a lemon tree – when is best?
The following overview offers an initial guide to the right time to prune your evergreen lemon tree (Citrus limon).
| Time of year | Pruning recommendation | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Spring | Yes | Before new growth, at the latest in March (note the pruning ban!) |
| Summer | Conditional | Only light shaping and maintenance pruning (note the pruning ban!) |
| Autumn | Conditional | Possible before overwintering |
| Winter | Yes | Late winter/February, perfect to enable strong new growth |
In principle you can prune your lemon tree all year round, as lemon trees are tolerant of pruning. However, the best time to prune your lemon tree is in late winter, for example February. This gives your lemon tree enough time to put out strong regrowth after pruning.
The good reasons for pruning lemon trees in winter are not just botanical but also based on legalities. The Federal Nature Conservation Act (Section 39 BNatSchG) prohibits heavy pruning between March 1 and September 30. Light shaping and maintenance pruning is permitted, however.
Lemon trees make great decorative potted plants.
If you want to prune your lemon tree in spring, you should choose a day at the beginning of March beforenew growth appears.
If pruning your lemon tree in autumn, make sure that there are no frosty temperatures. You can leave your lemon tree outdoors until October or November, but you should bring it indoors in the event of overnight frosts.
To overwinter a lemon tree, you should choose a bright winter home for it, with windows and LED lighting. The lemon tree will need little water over the cold months.
The lemon tree can be placed out again into the spring garden, as long as all chance of frosty temperatures has passed.
Pruning a lemon tree: The right tool and accessories
To prune a lemon tree, you should first have the right tool and protective equipment ready. To make the work easy and safe for you, and to avoid damaging the citrus tree, prioritise quality here.
For lemon tree pruning, high-quality and sharp secateurs are appropriate, such as the STIHL PG 10 Bypass for tree maintenance. Smooth cut surfaces heal more easily, whereas rough and unclean cut edges increase the risk of fungal infection and plant disorders.
Before pruning your lemon tree, clean your cutting tool carefully. Doing so will ensure that it remains sharp and functional for a long time – and as such is optimally equipped to deliver a clean cutting result.
Working with high-performance power tools is fun and allows you to broaden your skills, which is great if you can rely on effective and safe protective clothing.
Always wear your personal protective equipment when working with STIHL power tools. Find out more in the owners manuals for your product. Before using your power tool for the first time, fully familiarise yourself with it and ensure that it is in flawless condition before each use.
On request, your STIHL dealer will be happy to prepare your power tool for its first job, and will also advise you on models and sizes of protective clothing that you can try on at your leisure. Please remember that personal protective equipment is no substitute for safe working.
You are ready to prune your lemon tree safely and precisely:
Lemon tree shaping cut
When pruning a young lemon tree, a shaping cut is essential to get the crown into a pleasing structure. This is how to carry out a shaping cut:
- Choose a strong central stem (= leader), cut it back by about a third and tie it to a cane. You should remove competing stems when pruning the lemon plant.
- Choose 3 to 4 strong side stems and cut off all other stems. Remember to remove any water shoots as well.
- Water shoots (also known as “water sprouts”) are thin, long and upright shoots that do not produce fruit and will ultimately only deprive the lemon tree of nutrients.
- Now you can also shorten the side branches of your lemon tree by one third, cutting directly behind a bud and tying them in to a support.
Lemon tree maintenance cut
After 1 to 2 years, it is time for the first maintenance pruning of your lemon tree. The basic structure of the crown is already established – now the following pruning approaches are available:
- Thin the crown of your lemon tree from time to time so that the fruit gets enough light and air.
- If two shoots are growing from a single branch ring, cut one of them off.
- If any branches are crossing each other, you should also remove one of them when pruning the lemon tree.
STIHL tip
Beware! Make sure that you do not just shorten these branches, but remove them completely. Otherwise, the stems will just branch further and your lemon tree will become even denser.
Lemon tree rejuvenating cut
You can give an old lemon tree a new lease of life with rejuvenating pruning in spring. Here is how:
- Trim all thicker branches to 10-15 cm when cutting back your lemon tree.
- Lemon trees are quite tolerant of pruning and will even grow back from shortened branches.
- If you cut the lemon tree back very dramatically, remember that it will take a little longer to regrow in our latitude.
