ʻULU PRODUCTION PRIMER
Pruning & Fruit Drop
Pruning
Breadfruit is a fast growing, soft wooded tree and if left unmanaged they can get very tall – reducing harvestability. For best production results, trees should follow a regular pruning schedule every 1-2 years.
To maintain stable production each year, consider alternating the pruning schedule on your farm, with some trees pruned in even years and others in odd years; this will help buffer against the risk of losing too much production immediately after pruning.
Breadfruit varieties have very different growth forms, which should be taken into consideration when developing the pruning strategy. See our resources on different breadfruit varieties in Hawaiʻi below. Generally, thinning too much of the canopy without leaving selective branches can result in a proliferation of vertical water shoots that are not ideal for continued shaping or productivity.
Top trees at 6ft to 12ft for manageable harvesting height, depending on pruning and harvesting methods and climate considerations; for instance, in locations with high growth rates, trees may double in size within a single year. Try to maintain tree height at no more than 18ft for harvesting. If needed, it is possible to coppice as low as 5-8 ft., but this can delay fruiting for several years.
Mechanical pruning can be achieved using a flail mower to prune the tops and sides of trees, with manual touch ups as needed to trim or shape selective branches.
Cut branches of healthy trees can generally be mulched onsite using either the “chop and drop” method or a chipper and spreader. This practice should be avoided with trees known to be diseased in order to reduce the spread of pathogens.
Download: HUC Pruning Breadfruit Handbook (PDF)
Breadfruit Production in Haiti: Low-input case study
Breadfruit farmer-agronomist Pierre-Moise Louis discusses the low-input farming methods he uses for breadfruit trees.
Fruit Drop
Drought and water-logging can cause fruit abortion, which is premature dropping of immature fruits that are not marketable, although other contributing factors exist and are poorly understood at this point. Dramatic changes in weather patterns can affect this challenge of fruit production as well. The main issue is that the plant is stressed in some manner if dropping or producing dimpled fruit.
Persistent fruit drop on a mature tree, year over year, may be due to nutrient deficiencies – likely calcium and potassium.
NEXT: Management Schedule
