HAWAI'I GARDENS
Pruning mango benefits tree, neighbors

By Heidi Bornhorst

Q. We live on a lovely cul-de-sac high up in Lanikai. The new owner of the house below us refuses to trim his mango tree because, he says, it will not bear fruit if trimmed. We are only asking for the uppermost branches to be cut shorter so that we have our view back. As it is now, that tree completely blocks out the view of the Mokuluas, and 60 percent of our ocean view. Is there a way (and a time of year) to trim a mango tree shorter without adversely affecting its yield?

A. Yes, there is a way to prune mangoes to be shorter and still bear well. Hire a certified arborist with expertise in fruit trees. Talk story with him first on the phone to make sure you're on the same branch! Make sure you can communicate well with him on the ground before he goes up with the saw.

He should do "drop crotch" pruning rather than "topping" the trees.

Drop-crotch technique follows the natural growth pattern of the mango tree and is the beneficial way to prune. It is also way prettier and more aesthetic than topping.

A good trimming should be like a good haircut. The guy looks way more handsome, somehow. But you can't tell why. The same is true of correctly pruning trees.

Topping is where you cut off the branch right in the middle. This is bad for the tree, looks ugly and will lead to unsafe wood. When you top a mango tree, as so many people with large old mangoes do, you get a mass of messy, weakly attached branches that will not produce much fruit, more leaves than ever to rake up and branches that can easily break off in harsh weather.

A good arborist will look carefully and study the natural shape of the tree. The arborist would work with the owner or the caretaker to screen and frame views and preserve the views of all the neighbors.

Properly trimming and lowering the mango branches will actually provide more fruit that you can safely pick.

They should be pruned regularly, every two years or so, after the fruiting season is pau, and it won't be a big overwhelming, expensive job.

As I've said before, it's all about good, diligent, professional landscape maintenance. Don't just hire any guy with a chainsaw or a weed cutter. Offer to pay more if they rake instead of using obnoxious blowers. Don't be held hostage by yard men with mechanized weed trimmers and blowers! Check references as carefully as you would for a babysitter!

Getting along with neighbors is very important. It's up there with not fighting with your in-laws, the boss or City Hall.

The views and trade winds belong to all of us. We should all work together in our neighborhoods, as land is so small and valuable, and to look at the ocean as a gift we are blessed with. Absentee landowners should be particularly sensitive to neighbors who live here. And their gardeners definitely should give you some mangoes!