Young trees. Young jackfruit trees do not need pruning during their first year. Shoot tip pruning once or twice during spring and summer will force lateral bud break and make the tree more compact. Non-pruned trees usually develop a strong central leader. During the second season, trees should be pruned to the first lateral branch, which will slow upward growth and enhance spreading of the canopy. As trees mature, upright vigorous shoots should be removed and the inner canopy thinned out at the end of the harvest season. Mature trees. Removal of selected upright, vigorously growing shoots is recommended. Removing the central leader to a weak lateral branch will slow upward growth and enhance lateral canopy development. Old flowering shoots should be removed after harvest. Fruit thinning. The number of fruit per tree or major limb should be limited to 1 on young trees, as heavy fruit loads have been observed to result in limb decline or death and tree stunting. On mature trees, limiting the number of fruit per major limb may enhance the quality and size of remaining fruit.
