Pruning Feijoa trees

Yes you would benefit from pruning the trees as you suggest. It is great to prune so ‘a bird can fly through it’ is the old rule of thumb.

Generally, pruning is only needed in the early years to help shape the tree. Removing the lower branches can make picking up the fruit easier. Pruning has a significant effect on fruiting. The more you cut the less fruit youll get. Cutting hard back causes strong new growth which remains in a vegetative phase (lots of leaves but not many flowers) for quite some time. Fruit is borne on the outer areas of the tree where the branches get plenty of light. Lack of light can inhibit flowering. So i’d suggest that you resist the temptation to prune hard, except perhaps to cut out any obviously weak or broken branches, or those that are low down and severely shaded by the upper parts of the tree. The ideal shape for a feijoa to fruit is round.