Pruning Tamarillos

Chrus starts with ...
I've got a Tamarillo tree that I think may need a prune (see photo). It stands about 2.5 meters high and has had two years of fruiting. The first year we had some nice fruit, this year the fruit was very small (but plentiful, over 100 on the tree).
Given that we are in Melbourne and it's June; where, when and how would you advise me to prune.
I've taken some cuttings (just in case the surgery is fatal!).

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Chrus says...
Thanks Evo, all advice is appreciated. I thought that pruning may help get better fruit, also the tree is getting too large.

epiphany says...
Prune right back to "a framework of branches" (ie right back to about 5-10cm of the beginning of the branches or as required to shape the tree) after harvesting all the fruit & there's no risk of frost...August or September is a good time but don't leave it too late or else the crop will be smaller. Tamarillos fruit on new wood & if you don't prune them, the risk of the fruit breaking the branches is greater (plus the fruit get smaller). Don't worry about pruning them too heavily...check out the pic further down this page to see how far you can go back! http://www.panui.org.nz/ManagingTamarillos.htm

amanda says...
Not too late Julie...it will make it bushier = more fruit! :-)
Mine is flowering atm...and going gangbusters too...
I have staked the main branches to minimise breakages - they are quite fragile aren't they?
Luckily I have a great spot for mine that's out of the wind and the afternoon summer sun...
Such beautiful and dramatic looking plants - makes me feel like I am in the tropics!

MaryT says...
Julie I've also found my tamarillo temperamental - I had it in a pot and carted in around every position in my garden and it failed to thrive. Now I have it in the ground wedged between the bamboo and the Davidson Plum and look what's it's done - it is also flowering! It's had its head snapped off once by wind and it just grew another one :)

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MaryT says...
I don't remember how long I've had it - a couple of years? It was given to me; probably a cutting. I would have mulched it long ago if it was not a gift :) We're expecting some wind in Sydney so it might have its head blown off a second time.

MaryT says...
Amanda I can't say I understand this tree at all. I fully expected it to die after wedging it in a little hole surrounded by other established plants/trees but it powered away. I can't see any roots; it must have burrowed to the centre of the earth. Oh it is also under the jacaranda. I don't even know if I'd like to eat a tamarillo since I'd never tried it. :)

MaryT says...
Thanks, Amanda. It'd better be really, really good; it's had more attention than anything else. :) The wind came and shredded the leaves a bit but the flowers hung on. Quite a lot of flowers. Let's see if they translate to fruit.

KitschWitch says...
Hi JanP. Is your tamarillo in a frosty spot?

I'm in Canberra, and have had different experience each year with my tamarillo--planted next to a north facing wall and under an eave for protection.

For the first year, it frosted off severely, started to rot so we cut it off just above ground level, and it reshot just above that.

Next year the frost didn't hit it so hard, but all of the flowers and leaves were killed. More branches from low down. It flowered and fruited, but since that didn't happen until after last frost (early November) there wasn't time for the crop to fully ripen before the weather was cool (May-June) so the fruit were very sour.

Then it grew quite high and is up under the eaves. Last winter the leaves and flowers all survived. It even flowered during winter! So was off to a running start. We have ended up with tonnes of fruit, and they've been ripe enough to eat since March and will probably continue for another month or so. BUT the fruit are small, since there are so many of them.

After reading a lot about them, I've decided to prune half of the tree hard this winter. Hopefully the flowers and fruit will survive the winter again, get a good start, and ripen in good time. But with somewhat fewer, larger fruit.

I really like the fruit--like a cross between passionfruit (flavour) and kiwifruit (visual) and firm tomato (texture). I cut them in half and scoop out the flesh with a spoon. I eat them plain, but leave about 5-10 mm next to the skin as it's more sour. Which is why larger fruit would be great :)

So, for your tamarillo, if you don't get frost (or not much), I would prune it now to about one metre. It will reshoot pretty quickly and should keep going through the winter and take off in spring.
If it's frosty, I wouldn't prune it until you've seen how the plant handles the frost in your location. The eave above it may be enough to give the higher branches good protection.

I noticed some comments above about where to plant them. Mine is in full sun (although partly under the north side eave) and we had 2 weeks of extreme dry heat this summer (above 40C), and it did fine. I gave it a deep water when the leaves drooped, which was every few days. The roots must be well established now, as in previous (milder)summers the leaves have drooped after every hot day.

Jadelink says...
Aphids and scale seem to adore Tamarillos. I have to clean them off with the pressure setting on the hose regularly. Keeps the numbers down, and they grow and fruit better, this may be whats stopping the fruit.

They do like water, and seem to fruit better with some shade, rather than full sun, even in Melbourne. Not sure how good your soil is, I give mine #1 peasant fertilizer (a couple of bladders of urine and a small handful of fire ash in a bucket of water) every couple of months, and seasol or equivalent about twice a year.

I've never pinched off the growth, they will put out 2 crops a year in Melbourne if they are happy. Yes, they self polinate (or seem to).