Richard Campbell on Pruning

Last week I told about the long day that found me at Fairchild Farm in Homestead with three dozen other enthusiasts from the Suncoast Tropical Fruit and Vegetable Club. Still an hour before mid-day, the late summer sun was intense. But after four hours in the air-conditioned bus, we were ready to watch Richard Campbell in action.

Richard is one fast pruner, spending no more than a few minutes on any given tree. He cautions against overthinking the process, working instead from general principles and a few particular needs for each species.

One of the first points Richard emphasized was pruning to minimize damage in high winds. Homestead is on the front lines for Atlantic hurricanes, and a big one can devastate an unprepared grove. Fairchild's studies have shown that survivability starts to drop above thirteen feet. Thus, for example, Richard prunes avocados to thirteen feet, then to fifteen feet the next year, then back to thirteen and so on. Alternating the heights diminishes the buildup of branching at a single level. Of course thinning out the interior of a tree allows wind to pass through more easily, as well as admitting sunlight to the lower branches to keep them healthy and productive.

Our first stop was the native tree area. I was pleased to hear that Richard considers the American Persimmon (Diospyros virginiana) an excellent-tasting fruit. Regular readers will recall that I acquired a small one last year and planted it next to the woods to the south of my house. Richard said that the 13-foot rule doesn't apply to this species, as it has very flexible branches that make it hurricane-proof. He took off a few dead branches but otherwise left the 30-foot tree on its own.

For most fruit trees, however, Richard recommends very vigorous pruning, and not only to withstand high winds. He explained that modern fruit trees are adapted to pruning, which stimulates and promotes growth, rejuvenating the tree and increasing productivity. The energy the tree produces should go into its fruit rather than maintaining a lot of wood, so another general goal is to increase the “leaf-to-wood ratio.” Of course for any plant, dead wood cannot be a benefit and removing it is always correct.

Our first demo was an ultra-rare Wilson Popenoe avocado. Near the ground, the trunk was massive, having been top-worked several times. Indeed, Richard estimated that the original tree was planted around 1940. He was up the tree in a flash, sawing off the largest main branch. Its removal cut the height of the tree by nearly a third. Richard says there is little point in trying to shape an avocado, since they are vigorous growers that won't keep their shape anyway. The main goal is simply to limit its height. Clipping a few other branches to thin out the interior, the first tree of the day was finished in a couple of minutes.

The bark of avocado trees is vulnerable to sunburn, and Richard suggests protecting newly-exposed wood with white latex paint--- just dilute it with water in a spray bottle and apply.

Next we went to a small collection of fairly young jakfruit. Because of the danger of dieback, these should be pruned only during the hot, rainy season when the tree grows fastest. To promote fruiting, “bring it down and bring it up.” That is, prune the top to limit the height, and remove low branches to allow light and air to reach the trunk where the fruit will form. Always cut off the stem when harvesting the fruit.

We finished up with Richard's favorite of all fruits, the mango. He claims to have eaten more of them than any other human being. Nothing I could write here could compare to the value of watching Richard's online videos, such as tipping, pruning young mango trees, and pruning vigorous mango trees.

After hearing about some of the new varieties being developed at Fairchild and at the Zill enterprise, and tasting some samples right off the trees, we made our way back to the bus. It was time for goodbyes, and taking photos of people rather than trees. Here I am next to Richard--- I'm the taller and half-as-strong one. On the other side of Richard is Larissa, a very knowledgeable grower in the Crafton-and-Berto circle a ways down the coast. At the two edges are friends Michael and Kevin, who are members of the MRFC and TFSS as well as STFVC. And behind the camera was another three-clubber, MRFC Secretary Josh Starry.

Richard was incredibly generous with his time and knowledge, spending more than two hours with us, and we were grateful and inspired. From there we were off to an excellent lunch at the Verde Community Farm and Market, and a brief tour of the community farm before the return trip home. Despite the lengthy journey and the hours in the hot sun, the day had flown by. Unforgettable.