Occasionally citrus trees have been pruned up off the ground. Some have asked, "What is the reason for this?"
Skirt pruning of citrus has been around for a long time in those countries surrounding the Mediterranean Sea. The skirt of the tree includes those branches which hang down and touch the ground or are near to the ground. In Italy, the skirts are pruned as high as the goats can reach.
In the United States, California in particular, skirt pruning done with clippers or a pruning saw, not goats, is a recent development and mainly came about as a means of controlling snails in the orchard. By skirt pruning, usually 18 – 24 inches, snails as well as ants are denied easy access into the tree. Then the trunk is the only route. Farmers can concentrate their pest control efforts on a small area, the trunk, rather than spraying the whole tree with pesticides. In the case of snails, copper foil is often banded around the trunk; snails will not cross the copper band. For ants a sticky material is sometimes applied.
Skirt pruning will also help control brown rot disease of citrus fruit. Since low hanging fruit is eliminated, the overall fruit quality will improve.
