Pruning and training

Pruning, training branches and vines, and pinching, for orchards, vines and flowers.

The advice below comes from each crop's guide — every item shows its source, region and date. It is pending expert review; ask your local officer whether it suits your area.

Crops with advice (20)

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• Mango1 recommendations

  Full guide for this crop →

  • Canopy management through the years

    Remove rootstock sprouts and low branches near the ground. Do not allow flowering up to three years: remove inflorescences as they appear. Every year in August–September, keep two healthy shoots and trim away weak ones among crowded terminal shoots. Prune back 20 cm of the annual terminal growth immediately after harvest. Once in three years, in August–September, prune internal branches judiciously. In old trees, remove overlapping, crossing, diseased, dried and weak branches for sunlight and aeration.

    Pending expert review

    Source

    Crop Production Guide – Horticulture Crops 2020 (Directorate of Horticulture and Plantation Crops, Tamil Nadu & Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU)), Mango – Canopy management

    Region

    Tamil Nadu

    Last updated

    2026-11-04

• Drumstick1 recommendations

  Full guide for this crop →

  • Pinching, intercrops and ratoon

    Fill gaps within a month. Pinch seedlings at about 75 cm height for more branches. Cowpea, bhendi and tomato can be intercropped. After harvest, cut trees back to 90 cm; they bear again in 4–5 months, and two ratoon crops can be taken — apply NPK 45:15:30 g per plant with 25 kg FYM within a week of each cut-back.

    Pending expert review

    Source

    Crop Production Guide – Horticulture Crops 2020 (Directorate of Horticulture and Plantation Crops, Tamil Nadu & Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU)), Annual moringa – After cultivation; ratoon crop, pp. 115–116

    Region

    Tamil Nadu

    Last updated

    2026-11-05

• Black pepper1 recommendations

  Full guide for this crop →

  • Training and spike shedding

    Weed twice, in June–July and October–November. Train vines onto the standards; prune excess foliage of the standards and keep them about 6 m high. To reduce spike shedding, the source lists a 1% diammonium phosphate foliar spray four times (May, June, July and August).

    Pending expert review

    Source

    Crop Production Guide – Horticulture Crops 2020 (Directorate of Horticulture and Plantation Crops, Tamil Nadu & Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU)), Pepper – Aftercultivation; fruit drop, pp. 165–166

    Region

    Tamil Nadu

    Last updated

    2026-11-05

• Tamarind1 recommendations

  Full guide for this crop →

  • Training, pruning and intercrops

    Train in the first year for a high head and evenly spread scaffold branches. Remove rootstock sprouts. Prune dried, diseased and criss-cross branches in April–May, after pod harvest. For the first four years, legumes, short vegetables, annual moringa, sesame and sorghum can be grown between rows.

    Pending expert review

    Source

    Crop Production Guide – Horticulture Crops 2020 (Directorate of Horticulture and Plantation Crops, Tamil Nadu & Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU)), Tamarind – After cultivation; training; pruning, p. 183

    Region

    Tamil Nadu

    Last updated

    2026-11-05

• Guava1 recommendations

  Full guide for this crop →

  • Pruning and crop regulation

    Prune the past season's terminal growth by 10–15 cm in September–October and February–March to encourage more laterals, and bend erect branches by tying them to pegs. Guava has three flowering seasons; it is desirable to take only one crop a year. Flowering is regulated ("bahar treatment") by withholding water, irrigation, fertilization and pruning.

    Pending expert review

    Source

    Crop Production Guide – Horticulture Crops 2020 (Directorate of Horticulture and Plantation Crops, Tamil Nadu & Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU)), Guava – After cultivation; crop regulation, pp. 28–29

    Region

    Tamil Nadu

    Last updated

    2026-11-04

• Pomegranate2 recommendations

  Full guide for this crop →

  • Training and pruning

    Fruits are borne at the tips of shoots from mature wood. Train the plant to a single stem up to 60 cm with 3–4 main branches. Every December, after harvest, shorten the past season's shoots by one third to promote new shoots on all sides, and remove dried, diseased and crossing branches, root suckers and water sprouts.

    Pending expert review

    Source

    Crop Production Guide – Horticulture Crops 2020 (Directorate of Horticulture and Plantation Crops, Tamil Nadu & Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU)), Pomegranate – Training and pruning, p. 36

    Region

    Tamil Nadu

    Last updated

    2026-11-04

  • Choosing a flowering season (bahar)

    With regular watering, pomegranate flowers all the time and gives small, irregular crops. To regulate it, withhold irrigation for two months before the chosen season (4–5 weeks in light, shallow soils) so leaves shed, then medium-prune 40–45 days later, apply fertilizers and resume irrigation; flowering becomes profuse and fruits are ready 4–5 months after flowering. The three seasons are January–February (ambe), June–July (mrig) and September–October (hasta). Choose based on water, market demand and pest pressure; ambe bahar is most preferred for its high yield.

    Pending expert review

    Source

    Crop Production Guide – Horticulture Crops 2020 (Directorate of Horticulture and Plantation Crops, Tamil Nadu & Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU)), Pomegranate – Crop regulation (bahar treatment), pp. 36–37

    Region

    Tamil Nadu

    Last updated

    2026-11-04

• Grapes1 recommendations

  Full guide for this crop →

  • Training and pruning

    Train the shoot straight up a bamboo or casuarina pole to the pandal, tip it at about 2 m, and develop main arms in opposite directions, then secondary and tertiary arms. Pruning bud level depends on variety: e.g. 2 buds for Thompson Seedless and Sharad Seedless, 4 for Bangalore Blue and Anab-e-Shahi, 5 for Red Globe, 5–7 for Muscat Hamburg. Muscat Hamburg is pruned twice for two crops: December–January (harvest April–May) and May–June (harvest August–September). Seedless varieties get a back pruning in August–September and a fruit pruning in January–March for one crop.

    Pending expert review

    Source

    Crop Production Guide – Horticulture Crops 2020 (Directorate of Horticulture and Plantation Crops, Tamil Nadu & Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU)), Grapes – Training; pruning; pruning season, pp. 21–22

    Region

    Tamil Nadu

    Last updated

    2026-11-04

• Sweet orange2 recommendations

  Full guide for this crop →

  • Planting and training

    Use budded plants; Rangpur lime is the best rootstock, and rough lemon is also used. Dig 75 x 75 x 75 cm pits at 7 x 7 m spacing and fill with topsoil and 10 kg FYM. Plant at the centre and stake. For the first 3 years, train the plant to a well-spread framework at 45 cm height on a single trunk. Legumes and vegetables can be intercropped before bearing.

    Pending expert review

    Source

    Crop Production Guide – Horticulture Crops 2020 (Directorate of Horticulture and Plantation Crops, Tamil Nadu & Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU)), Sweet Orange – Planting material; preparation of field, p. 17

    Region

    Tamil Nadu

    Last updated

    2026-11-04

  • Pruning and mulching

    No regular pruning is needed; after harvest, remove only dead, diseased and overcrowding branches. Mulch the basins with dry leaf waste or paddy husk about 10 cm thick to stop weeds, conserve moisture and improve fruit quality.

    Pending expert review

    Source

    Crop Production Guide – Horticulture Crops 2020 (Directorate of Horticulture and Plantation Crops, Tamil Nadu & Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU)), Sweet Orange – After cultivation, p. 17

    Region

    Tamil Nadu

    Last updated

    2026-11-04

• Acid lime1 recommendations

  Full guide for this crop →

  • Pruning, zinc spray and mulching

    Remove branches on the main stem up to 45 cm from the ground. Regularly cut off dried twigs together with about one inch of green wood below, and burn them. Spray zinc sulphate 0.5% (500 g per 100 litres) three times a year — March, July and October — after new flushes appear. Mulch the basins with dry leaves or paddy husk about 10 cm thick.

    Pending expert review

    Source

    Crop Production Guide – Horticulture Crops 2020 (Directorate of Horticulture and Plantation Crops, Tamil Nadu & Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU)), Acid Lime – After cultivation, p. 14

    Region

    Tamil Nadu

    Last updated

    2026-11-04

• Amla1 recommendations

  Full guide for this crop →

  • Training and pruning

    Let the main branches start 0.75–1 m above the ground, and train the tree to a modified central leader. In the early years, encourage 2–4 wide-angled branches growing in opposite directions. Every March–April, prune and thin crowded branches to give the most fruit-bearing area.

    Pending expert review

    Source

    Crop Production Guide – Horticulture Crops 2020 (Directorate of Horticulture and Plantation Crops, Tamil Nadu & Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU)), Amla – Training and pruning, p. 41

    Region

    Tamil Nadu

    Last updated

    2026-11-04

• Ber1 recommendations

  Full guide for this crop →

  • Training and pruning

    Remove rootstock sprouts and keep a straight stem up to 75 cm. In February–March, cut back the unproductive upper part of last season's main shoots and their side branches, and remove weak, criss-crossing, diseased and broken branches, so vigorous growth comes from the most productive nodes.

    Pending expert review

    Source

    Crop Production Guide – Horticulture Crops 2020 (Directorate of Horticulture and Plantation Crops, Tamil Nadu & Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU)), Ber – Training and pruning, p. 40

    Region

    Tamil Nadu

    Last updated

    2026-11-05

• Jasmine1 recommendations

  Full guide for this crop →

  • Pruning

    Prune the bushes to 50 cm above ground in the last week of November every year. Early pruning in August–September induces off-season flowering (November–February).

    Pending expert review

    Source

    Crop Production Guide – Horticulture Crops 2020 (Directorate of Horticulture and Plantation Crops, Tamil Nadu & Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU)), Malligai – Pruning, p. 250

    Region

    Tamil Nadu

    Last updated

    2026-11-05

• Rose1 recommendations

  Full guide for this crop →

  • Pruning

    During October–December, cut back the vigorous shoots of the past season to half their length. Remove all weak, diseased, criss-crossing and unproductive shoots. Protect the cut ends with Bordeaux paste or copper oxychloride. Flowering starts about 45 days after pruning.

    Pending expert review

    Source

    Crop Production Guide – Horticulture Crops 2020 (Directorate of Horticulture and Plantation Crops, Tamil Nadu & Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU)), Rose – Pruning, p. 248

    Region

    Tamil Nadu

    Last updated

    2026-11-05

• Chrysanthemum1 recommendations

  Full guide for this crop →

  • Pinching and desuckering

    Pinch the shoot tips 4 weeks after planting to make the plant branch out. Remove side suckers regularly. The source also lists a GA3 spray at 50 ppm on days 30, 45 and 60 after planting.

    Pending expert review

    Source

    Crop Production Guide – Horticulture Crops 2020 (Directorate of Horticulture and Plantation Crops, Tamil Nadu & Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU)), Chrysanthemum – Pinching; desuckering; growth regulators, p. 256

    Region

    Tamil Nadu

    Last updated

    2026-11-04

• Cashew2 recommendations

  Full guide for this crop →

  • Propagation and planting

    Propagate by softwood grafting, air layering or epicotyl grafting. For the nursery, soak seed nuts in water for 12–24 hours and use only those that sink. Dig 45 x 45 x 45 cm pits and fill with soil, 10 kg FYM and 1 kg neem cake. Spacing: 7 m each way (200 plants/ha); high-density planting at 5 x 4 m (500 plants/ha), pruning interlocking branches in July–August.

    Pending expert review

    Source

    Crop Production Guide – Horticulture Crops 2020 (Directorate of Horticulture and Plantation Crops, Tamil Nadu & Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU)), Cashew – Seed treatment; propagation; preparation of field; spacing, p. 201

    Region

    Tamil Nadu

    Last updated

    2026-11-04

  • Training, intercrops and old orchards

    Raise the trunk to 1 m by removing low branches, and remove dried twigs and branches every year. Until bearing, grow groundnut, black gram or bhendi in the interspaces after rain. Old orchards: remove dead wood, criss-cross branches and water shoots every 2–3 years. Old seedling trees can be headed back at 1–1.5 m in May–June and the new shoots grafted with improved varieties in July–August; watch these trees for stem and root borer.

    Pending expert review

    Source

    Crop Production Guide – Horticulture Crops 2020 (Directorate of Horticulture and Plantation Crops, Tamil Nadu & Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU)), Cashew – Intercropping; training and pruning; rejuvenation, p. 202

    Region

    Tamil Nadu

    Last updated

    2026-11-04

• Oil palm1 recommendations

  Full guide for this crop →

  • Leaf pruning, ablation, intercrops and pollination

    Avoid severe leaf pruning, which reduces growth and yield. Keep about 6–7 leaves per spiral at 4–7 years, 5–6 at 8–14 years and 4–5 above 15 years. Flowering starts at 14–18 months: remove all early inflorescences by hand every month ("ablation") for up to 2½–3 years so the palm builds girth and roots. Vegetables, banana, flowers, chillies, turmeric, ginger and pineapple suit young gardens; under mature palms, shade-tolerant cocoa, pepper and heliconia. Do not cut or tie fronds for intercrops. Releasing the pollinating weevil Elaeidobius kamerunicus after about 2½ years improves fruit set.

    Pending expert review

    Source

    Crop Production Guide – Horticulture Crops 2020 (Directorate of Horticulture and Plantation Crops, Tamil Nadu & Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU)), Oil Palm – Leaf pruning; ablation; intercropping; pollination, pp. 226–227

    Region

    Tamil Nadu

    Last updated

    2026-11-05

• Tea1 recommendations

  Full guide for this crop →

  • Training and pruning

    Centre young plants 3–5 months after planting by cutting the main stem, leaving 8–10 mature leaves; tip at 35 cm and again at 60 cm. Pruning keeps bushes at a convenient height and removes dead and diseased wood — done in April–May (south-west monsoon areas) or August–September (north-east monsoon areas). The source gives the pruning interval in years as (elevation in feet ÷ 1000) + 1, and describes rejuvenation, hard, medium and light pruning and skiffing. Pollard shade trees at 8–10 m before heavy rains.

    Pending expert review

    Source

    Crop Production Guide – Horticulture Crops 2020 (Directorate of Horticulture and Plantation Crops, Tamil Nadu & Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU)), Tea – Training young tea; pruning; shade regulation, pp. 194–195

    Region

    Tamil Nadu

    Last updated

    2026-11-05

• Coffee1 recommendations

  Full guide for this crop →

  • Pruning, intercrops and cover digging

    Do centring and desuckering for 5–6 years after planting, right after harvest; remove unproductive wood and dead, exhausted branches. Orange, pepper, banana, pineapple, avocado and custard apple can be intercropped. Weed and mulch as needed; at the end of the monsoon (October–November), dig 30 cm deep and bury weeds and debris ("cover digging"); on slopes, dig contour trenches 45 cm wide and 30 cm deep.

    Pending expert review

    Source

    Crop Production Guide – Horticulture Crops 2020 (Directorate of Horticulture and Plantation Crops, Tamil Nadu & Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU)), Coffee – Pruning; intercropping; after cultivation, p. 198

    Region

    Tamil Nadu

    Last updated

    2026-11-05

• Cocoa1 recommendations

  Full guide for this crop →

  • Pruning

    Formation pruning a year after planting keeps the first branching point (jorquette) at 1–1.5 m. Structural pruning at 16–24 months keeps the tree at an optimum height. From the second year, remove low and hanging branches, excess chupons (vertical shoots), and unproductive, dead, diseased and damaged branches.

    Pending expert review

    Source

    Crop Production Guide – Horticulture Crops 2020 (Directorate of Horticulture and Plantation Crops, Tamil Nadu & Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU)), Cocoa – Pruning; after cultivation, pp. 205–206

    Region

    Tamil Nadu

    Last updated

    2026-11-05

• Mulberry (sericulture)1 recommendations

  Full guide for this crop →

  • Pruning, leaf harvest and chawki garden

    Do one bottom pruning a year leaving a 10 cm stem; the other four prunings at 30–35 cm, five in all. First leaf harvest six months after planting, then 45 days after each pruning — five harvests a year. Keep a separate chawki garden (or about 5% of the field) for young-age worms, preferably with S 36: FYM 40 t/ha/year, NPK 225:150:150 kg/ha/year in eight splits, irrigation every five days.

    Pending expert review

    Source

    Crop Production Guide – Agriculture 2020 (Directorate of Agriculture, Tamil Nadu & Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU)), Sericulture – Mulberry cultivation: pruning; harvesting; chawki garden, pp. 364–365

    Region

    Tamil Nadu

    Last updated

    2026-11-05