California Pepper Tree (Schinus molle)
Gardening Question from Melanie:
Should CA Pepper Trees be pruned?
My tree is about 15 feet from the house and about 2 stories high. I think it’s 25 years old.
One year ago, my son trimmed the ends of those branches which were scraping the house. The branches were 1/2 to 3/4 inch thick.
I did not want them cut, as they would have cleared the roof in a year or two, and I did not see that the feathery branches were causing any abrasion.
He cut them in the middle of each branch (about half – way between the ends of the branch and and the trunk of the tree.)
Now, most of those pruned branches are dead all the way back to the trunk.
Should pepper trees be trimmed?
Now it’s just full of deadwood and ending up very one-sided.
Photo by Starr Environmental 
Answer from Pat:
I am so sorry to hear what happened to your pepper tree (Schinus molle). Yes it’s fine to prune a pepper tree, but pruning and training should be only done when a tree is young. After that it’s better to let the tree spread and just remove dead twigs. As with any tree pruning it must be done correctly. It also sounds as if your tree was a bit too close to your house, but I agree a few soft branches and leaves wouldn’t hurt. You were exactly correct not to want it pruned.
Sadly it sounds as if your son cut your tree incorrectly because of a lack of understanding about appropriate pruning. He should have referred to a good pruning manual. This would have taught him that no tree ever should be cut in the middle of a branch. This can harm any tree but especially a California pepper. The correct way is always to go back to a joint. That way, you can control growth but the tree can continue growing. Instead of my telling you what to do in this case, which would be an impossible job since I’m not standing there looking at the tree, I suggest you hunt for a good professional tree trimming company or arborist to advise you on corrective pruning. Additionally, for the sake of the tree dead wood should be taken out. My advice is not to say a word to your son or he might try to fix the tree and simply harm it more. He is not alone in being ignorant of appropriate pruning. This is a common problem. So, get a professional to do the job. Ask people you respect as knowledgeable for a recommendation to make sure it’s a good person or company .
Once a pepper tree has branches the width of your arm it’s better not to cut them at all because peppers are subject to psyllids, beetles, rot and other damage and cutting through branches can allow places for these pests and diseases to get into the tree, but in the case of your tree, it sounds as if something has to be done. If worst comes to worst, replace the tree and plant the new one further from the house.
Photo by Donnaphoto
Hi Pat – we purchased 4 California Pepper Trees trees in 10 gallon pots and 1 multiple (4) pepper tree pot- they are about 9-10 feet tall and very narrow and scraggly.
We need to plant them and trim them but don’t want to make any mistakes and ruin our trees!
We have clay soil. We have poultry and a mini- mule and miniature horse – we have collected manure and have composted it 9 months to a year – should we add this to the soil when planting our California Pepper Tree?
Please, some advice?
Thanks, Susie
You should never add manure into the planting hole of any tree but particularly not with pepper trees. Even aged manure can burn tender roots of young trees. California pepper trees can thrive in any kind of soil, even in heavy clay and do not need or like rich soil. I’m so glad you asked this question.
Before planting any tree, since you have clay soil it might be wise first to check the drainage, as described on page 40 of my organic book: Basically: First dig the planting hole, then fill it with water and let the water drain out. Fill the hole a second time with water. Place a yardstick across the top touching the water and measure down from it. If the water level drops at the rate of 1/4 inch or more every hour drainage is adequate. If not, then choose another spot or plant in a raised bed. 4 inches high is adequate, but allow room for watering and as the tree grows make a water basin further out. Fill the raised bed with native soil and dig the hole straight through it into the soil below. Eventually the edges of the raised bed will rot away and the tree will be well established by then. Failure with newly planted trees usually comes from not watering them often enough or deeply enough to get them started especially if the weather is warm and dry.
All trees do better when planted straight into native soil without amending it even in the case of clay. However, I strongly advise that whenever you plant a tree or shrub in clay soil you should incorporate about a coffee can full of soluble gypsum into the bottom of the hole before planting. This will help to improve the drainage. Also rough up the sides of the hole, don’t make it round and slick like the inside of a nursery pot. This will allow roots to get out into the surrounding soil. When you take the trees out of the can, be sure to loosen up their roots so that they don’t go round and round as if they are still in the can. Cut through them if necessary but then support the root ball when you are placing it into the hole. If you don’t need a raised bed, then plant the trees a little high, so the top of the root ball is an inch or two above the surrounding ground. Refill with the native soil you took from the hole and press down with your gloved hands, not your foot! Then water deeply and slowly. Though your trees seem narrow and straggly now they will soon spread out and the trunks will thicken once they are in the ground.
About manure: It’s a great way to improve soil, including clay soil when placed on top of the ground in October over the roots of ornamental or fruiting trees and shrubs and on top of the ground in fall in your vegetable and flower garden and let the rains water its goodness into the ground during winter. Then at the end of the season when you are preparing the soil for spring planting in February or March, it can be incorporated into the ground of flower and vegetable gardens. Wherever there are roots of permanent plants, however, don’t dig it in because this would damage roots. Even when left lying on top of the ground, manure will gradually break down and become part of the soil structure, just as fallen leaves do in cold-winter climates.
I pray you can give me some advice with a tree situation. We have had tree fallers in the lot behind our house for the last few days (the lot is being developed for housing), and there was an incident where they didn’t remove the vines connecting our tree to one on the other side of the fence. When they felled the other tree, it took ours down with it (along with the fence…). They are saying it is “some sort of pepper tree” and will grow back because the roots are intact (even though they said the roots were tangled up with the other tree that was felled). They chainsawed the trunk to be about a foot and a half tall (with four separate trunk shoots). I suspect this tree was originally planted when the house was built in the 90’s, as it was at least 15 feet tall and just beautiful. Before meeting it’s unfortunate end, it was just growing white pods for flowers (that hung from the branches in clusters of four or so), and the leaves were opposite pinnate. From pictures I’ve researched, the leaf shoots of Pepper trees are much longer (there were only about five leaves per cluster), but is that because it is early in the season?
Anyway, they said it will grow back and I say it should be replaced. What are your thoughts?
Thank you so much for your time!
Warm Regards,
Michelle
There is no way to be sure this tree will grow back. Also the base may rot. I agree with you. The stump should be removed and ground up. Add nitrogen so that it does not subtract nitrogen from the ground. (See the introduction of my book for explanation.) Then replace the tree.
Hi Pat. I am trying to figure out why our beautiful pepper tree’s leaves are turning yellow. This tree is beautiful and we have taken very good care of it. I am worried, though, that it might be getting too much water as it is growing at the edge of a grass lawn that gets watered every 3 days. It also looks as though it has little holes in it on some of the bark. Almost as though a woodpecker as been at it. However, none of our other peppers on the property have this. Can a tree get too much water? Thank you
If drainage is poor, yes a tree can get too much water. (Check the drainage. If lack of drainage is due to alkaline clay soil, apply gypsum according to package directions.) In general, however, pepper trees usually do not suffer from growing in a lawn.
Holes in the trunk sound like borers. Unfortunately, the Polyphagous Shot Hole Borer has been accidentally introduced into Southern California and it is attacking over 100 species of ornamental and fruiting trees, including avocado. However, I have not been able to find out if pepper trees are one of the subject species. Additionally, pepper trees are prone to attack by the pepper tree psyllid, which discolors the foliage. Lately, however, this pest has been under control in many areas due to the successful release of a beneficial insect which is parasitizing the pepper tree psyllid.
Hi Pat. I have an enormous and amazing schinus molle. It is planted next to the sceptic hole. 🙂 So, in 3 years it is about 3.5 M tall. I say it’s drinking from ‘the pond of plenty’. I don’t really want to prune it because it truly is a gorgeous tree. However, at some point I am worried it will completely take over one side of my house. So, I may have to prune it whether I like it or not. What do you suggest? If and when the time comes. It was spreading laterally but finally seems to be growing up more than out. But that could just be because it is now fall where I live. Also, there really aren’t any ‘professional’ tree people here. They say they know but they don’t. Thanks so much.
Train Calfornia pepper trees when young, cutting off lower branches if you wish to walk under your tree. After that it is best never to prune it. If you must prune it, be sure never ever to remove more than 20% of foliage at one time or you might lose the tree. After the tree is mature you can prune a heathy California Pepper tree any time of year as long as you are sure never to remove more than 20% of the foliage at any time. Fall or spring is best for pruning, but summer pruning has the benefit of slowing growth. Always cut back to a side branch that has a growing tip, which you can pinch back if desired to encourage branching. Never cut off a branch leaving a stub. Also except in the case of a genuine emergency, do not cut into any branch thicker than your arm or you might endanger the life of the tree. Schinus molle are prone to problems and pruning often brings them on unless you follow all the above rules. Recently in Laguna Beach I saw a young, dead pepper tree that suddenly died last spring during a spell of hot weather following the pruning. The tree trimmers had cut off almost all of the foliage. The owner said it used to be beautiful until if was pruned. I recommend you do not leave the tree during the time your tree trimmers are trimming it.
Too bad your tree is too close to your home or at least badly sited. By pruning just a little each year you might be able to control it somewhat.
Hi Pat, I have a large (30′ high) pepper tree which has 3 large branches. It is in the middle of a lawn with a flower bed around it.
Lately I discovered that the back branch has died completely and a second one shows some dead leaves.
It is a beautiful tree and I’d love to keep it.
Help!!!
I have had several questions about sudden death of California pepper trees. At first I thought the problem was over-pruning during a severe drought such as we have had, since each of these trees had been recently pruned and one of them had been over-pruned. Now I realize that California pepper trees are being killed by a new and terrible pest called Polyphagus Shot Hole Borer. This horrendous pest bores into plants and injects a type of fusarium disease that causes die-back of branches such as you describe and eventually the death of the tree. It is a tragedy since many tree species are being damaged and killed by this disease, including avocado. Look online for photos of the damage caused by shot-hole borer. Inspect ad scrape the bark and see if you can find the holes and runs of this insect. Then phone your local Farm Advisor and report the problem.
Organic gardeners might apply earthworm castings to the soil over the roots of healthy trees susceptible to shot-hole borers and also spray a concoction of earthworm castings mixed with water onto the bark of healthy trees. I’m not sure this will help but it might.
Sad news,
I’ll try your suggestion.
And thanks so much!
Rami.
I live in Mexico, clay soil, my pepper tree leaves are turning yellow. The tree man told me it was the grub worms or root rot. We dug down, found lots of worms. Could the leaves be turning yellow because of the worms? If not, do you have any ideas?
Pepper trees used to thrive in any kind of soil and live for centuries. If you found earthworms, those are good not bad. The main thing that is killing pepper trees is a relatively new borer, called the shot hole borer. This bores round holes in large branches and the trunk. It is killing many trees mainly because it is the vector for a new kind of fusarium wilt. So far there is no known cure. I am very sympathetic with you. There is also a psyllid which attacks pepper trees and deforms and turns leaves yellow. Spraying does no good.
We have a 50 year old California Pepper Tree. Four years ago we had to cut a limb off. Now where the limb was is rotting. We’ve put a metal plate over it to try and keep it dry but to no avail. Will our beautiful tree die? Is there anything we can do to save it?
California pepper trees are very prone to rot which is why many pruning books tell gardeners never to remove any scaffold branches. It is a shame that you needed to prune your tree. You may never be able to halt the rot, but your beloved tree will not necessarily die. If I were you I would remove the metal plate and not worry too much. Several of the most ancient pepper trees in California are completely rotted out and hollow inside. Nonetheless, they survive.
In this respect, let me tell you a story. In addition to being a garden writer and public speaker for the last 40 years, I am also a lifelong painter in oils and watercolors. I learned to paint 78 years ago at the age of ten. A few months ago I drove from my home to San Juan Capistrano to paint with a group I belong to. I never found my friends the other painters, but as soon as I arrived I found something to paint: An ancient pepper tree. It must be at least 200 years old and looked as if it was totally hollow inside. It only had a few branches left but they were covered with fresh green leaves that cascaded down all around the trunk. I had more fun painting that tree, got it done quickly—changed a few bits at home later— and was on time to meet a long-time friend at the Ramos Cafe for lunch. That was one of the most fun painting days I’ve had this year and two weeks later the painting sold. I hope to paint it again sometime.
And here’s another story: Many years ago when I was about 30 years old, Jim Breece, our Farm Advisor at the time told me to cut down a 50-year-old cypress tree on the south end of our upper patio because the top was dead and he said it was going to die of beetles and disease anyway. I did not want that tree to die, so though I liked Jim, I didn’t obey him. Instead, at 9:00 am the next day, after my children had left for school, I climbed that tree, sawed off the top of it, pushed it off so it fell and sat on the sawed off trunk for a while looking at the great ocean view. At that moment my mother-in-law, Frances Wright—(Mrs. John Lloyd Wright)—, who lived next door came out of her house higher on the hill and yelled at me, “Pat! Just what do you think you are you doing?” “Saving the life of a tree!” I yelled back. “What would Louis say?” she asked. (My husband Lou was her beloved only son.) “He would say ‘good job!’” I yelled back. This made her laugh.
Then I climbed down that tree and sawed off all it’s dead branches behind me as I descended. Then I laid down the saw, put my arms around what remained of that tree and said with all my might, “Please live!” I guess the tree heard me because slowly, over the next few years, it grew a branch straight up towards the sky to create a new trunk. Today my cypress tree is still alive and has a giant “Zig-zag” in the middle of its now 50 foot-high trunk, a living testimony to prove that love overcomes fear and even death.
Point is, give your beloved tree a hug, and tell it how much you want it to live. Maybe it will listen to you and grow into an ancient survivor that is more beautiful than ever.
Pat — We purchased a foreclosed and neglected house in Northern California (Bay Area) and we have dozens of “volunteer” Pepper Trees growing too close to our house. Considering the size of the mature trees, we know that these young trees will need to be removed at some point. As an experiment, this last November we asked our gardener to dig up the largest of them (5-7 feet) and transplanted them to other areas of our property. We watered them (drip system) and we have had plenty of rain this winter but the trees look dead! The leaves dropped off within a couple weeks of transplanting and have yet to grow back. A couple of them have peeling bark. I have scratched the trunks with my thumb nail and they all appear to be green and moist. Are they still alive? Is there still hope that they will they come back or should we give up on them?
If they are dead, what did we do wrong? How would one go about transplanting them successfully? We have so many of these young Pepper Trees that need to be removed and it would be a shame not to use them elsewhere on our property.
Established trees cannot be transplanted unless trenched around and boxed for a few years during which time you are watering and feeding the roots in the box. After that it is possible the cut the roots beneath and the tree will survive. Then you would need a large crew of men and a crane and truck to transplant the tree. My advice is to cut the trees down and begin with something better.
You could plant the tiny seedlings and they would have a chance of living. I am sorry to tell you this, but nonetheless it is a great truth: Any plant growing in the wrong place is a weed. I think you could grow something a lot better than these trees, but if you want to grow them begin with the seedlings, plant them according to the correct spacing away from each other so every one of them can grow to full size and they will grow fast and you will have great success.
I had nothing in my garden in 2003 except head high weeds and about 12 huge peppercorn trees. In over 40 degree heat those trees saved us and the dogs – the shade makes it at least 10 degrees cooler I think and the leaves catch the smallest breeze. You will find them all over Australia as they self seed so easily but they are the best trees for climbing, for shade and just for being trees. That said, the lore here is that they harbour white ants but we haven’t found it so. Out garden has evolved with native, exotic and the good old peppercorns – in fact, we have named our little cottage “Peppercorn Palace”. And while they leave a vast pile of leaves and mess it isn’t hard to grow anything in pots in their generous shade and I have planted geraniums which have thrived under them.
Thank you for sharing your knowledge with us all.
Margaret Fullarton
Margaret Fullarton
I also love these trees. Thanks for explaining they do well in Australia. Years ago I lived in a hot interior climate and the area under our pepper tree was like a green-walled room, providing cooling shade for sitting and a safe place for children’s outdoor play. I agree about potted plants. I also used ropes thrown over branches to hold up hanging baskets, thus decorating the “walls” of our outdoor room. Colorful songbirds attracted by the berries of female trees, add fmusic.
And I forgot to say – we are always pruning and trimming and quite ruthlessly at times and I have yet to have one give up – in fact, I am convinced they redouble their efforts!!
Thanks for additional comment. What hurts is cutting hard into thick branches.
Hi Pat, greetings from sunny South Africa.
We have a lovely large pepper tree which is our favourite breakfast and any meal place actually.
Recently I attached a few pieces of bark with staghorn ferns and other ferns to the trunk and branches to make the space feel like a forest retreat.
Will the misting of the tree trunk every day damage or hurt the tree? This is our nicest shade in our average 37C summer temp. Would hate to lose it.
It is about 8 years old and about 8m high and about 10m spread.
Thanks a lot.
I am not sure whether misting under your tree will hurt your pepper tree, but I think not. If I were you I would go ahead and install the mister, but make sure that you do not heavily prune the tree. As long as the outside bark is intact, the bark will dry and the tree should not rot inside, but if there are any large cuts open and free from bark then the constant moisture wood could rot the wood inside the bark.
Hi Pat,
I planted a 24″ box pepper tree last week. All the leaves are falling off. The leaves at the end of the stems are curling up then falling off. I have been giving it a good deep watering. What should I do?
I suggest you purchase Humic Acid, mix according to package directions and soak the ground all over the roots with plenty of this solution.
I have a beautiful tree that is growing in front of my house by the road. It’s about 3-1/2′ tall with about an inch thick stalk. I’m worried the city will remove it and wanted your advice on transplanting it. I suppose I can just make an attempt and hope for the best since it’s surely doomed where it is now.
Just get as much of the root ball as you can and then use humid acid as a planting fluid. Dig and prepare the new hole before digging up and replanting the tree. You most likely will not succeed but humid acid might produce a miracle. Also water the hole before planting and water daily for the next week then 3 times a week then twice a week for a month and after that once a week until established.
I have a 5 meter high tree in my garden and have GREAT DIFFICUTLY in growing any thing under the tree in the flower bed surrounding the base of the tree.
The tree is not dense and lots of sun coming thru
Does it “poison ” the soil ?
Must I add lime etc to correct ?
Many Thanks
Peruvian pepper tree, often called “California pepper” tree, (Schinus molle) is in my opinion a beautiful tree. It’s virtues include the facts that it is evergreen, easy-to-grow, drought-resistant and brings birds. Also it is well adapted to growing in coastal zones of Southern California. It also has several inescapable negative characteristics, but no tree is perfect. For example, it has invasive roots and this means no plant can survive in the soil surrounding it, both beneath its shady canopy and also further away from the tree to the extent that the tree roots reach outwards. It is utterly impossible to grow a flower bed anywhere near this tree. Nothing you can do can erase this problem since it is a characteristic of this particular tree and is one reason it grows so well when planted in the right location.
Do NOT add lime to the soil under this tree or anywhere in your garden since this might kill many of your plants and make the majority of them do badly. Most native soils east of the Rocky Mountains have year-round rainfall and partly because of this they are acid and farmers and gardeners add lime to make them more alkaline. But most soils west of the Rocky Mountains are dry soils that are alkaline and thus many farmers and gardeners add various acid amendments to try to make the soil more acid. If you add lime to your soil you risk ruining it permanently by making it impossible for any plant to grow. Additionally, our western imported water is already heavily alkaline. It adds lime and too much of it every time you water your garden.
Hi Pat. A few years back I bought my wife a CA pepper she had wanted for so long. We planted it front of house and it grew quickly. We were very disappointed to find out it would not produce the beautiful berries that drew her to the tree in the first place. How could the nursery not inform us of this issue with female and male trees?! I know you can’t answer that. Now the problem is the green leaves constantly litter our front porch/patio. With no berries and constant litter, my wife now hates the tree and wants it removed. I am totally against removing this now-giant tree. I’m not a killer. I say she has to live with sweeping the front porch every day. My question is: is the constant litter normal? Is there something we can do to slow down the falling leaves? More/less water? Fertilizer to make the tree healthier? The tree grew like a weed and to me, it couldn’t be any healthier, but why all the leaf droppings? We live in west Los Angeles in perfect weather. Thanks. Jon
There is no perfect tree. Constant litter is one of the characteristics of California pepper tree (Schinus molle). When inadequate research
has led to a bad choice of tree, then cutting it down and planting another is the best solution and does not make you a killer any more than
does pulling weeds out of flower beds. As has often been said “a plant growing in the wrong place is a weed”, and this includes trees. Also,
by the way people who work in nurseries love plants but often are not particularly well-educated on plants and gardening. Additionally,
this tree is generally not a good choice for the front yard since its roots might invade your sewer pipes.
I heartily recommend that you and your wife buy an old copy of Sunset Western Garden Book from Amazon.com., for example the
2007 edition which has a Pink flower on the cover. I have a hardback copy of this book. On page 617 it states that Schinus molle
known as California pepper tree, “…produces copious litter, is subject to scale infestation, and has greedy surface roots that make it
hard to garden under.” In the paragraph above that it tells you that the trees are either male or female and male trees do not bear berries.
After this book arrives you and your wife can have the fun of consulting the plant-choice lists in the beginning of the book that will guide you
to pages in the plant encyclopedia where each tree you are thinking of purchasing is described in detail. In this way you will be able to
make a much wiser and safer choice of tree for your front yard and perhaps save yourselves from a future disaster.
A word to the wise”: DO NOT purchase the most recent edition of this book called “the New Western Carden Book” with an orange flower
on the cover, since much of the best information plus many plants have been cut out of it so it is not nearly as reliable or useful.
Hi Pat,
I would like to e-mail you a photograph of a large California Pepper tree branch which broke where it connected with the trunk. It looked dead to me. Asplundh pruned it and claimed that they topped the tree. Eight months later, that branch looks pretty much dead and it broke off during a wind storm and landed on some overhead transmission lines.
Thank you very much for your assistance.
Jeff
Thank you for your comment which I have read twice. I cannot see any question that you are asking me about. You are just telling me a sad story about your tree.
Hi Pat,
We are having several pepper trees planted. Some with branched trunks, some single trunks. What should their spacing between plants be?
We have some peppers on the property that have a canopy over 80 feet wide, but these are at least 15 years old and planted in the open. There are some where the canopies are smaller, but they are spaced only about 60 feet apart.
My landscaper wants to plant my new ones about 10 feet apart and I think he’s nuts, but can’t find any guidelines on-line to show what the spacing should be.
Please help.
Ever grateful.
How closely you plant pepper trees depends on how you want to use them. In other words there is no “should” involved here. You might find this hard to believe but they can be planted even as closely as 2 feet apart and grown as a billowing hedge. However, if you want their total shape to show as individual specimens then they should be placed at least as far apart as 30 feet. Really it’s up to you and how much property you have and how you want the trees to look. My suggestion is to study the spacing of the trees that you have in instances where you like what you are seeing. So if a tree is 80 feet wide, as you said, and you don’t want them to touch, maybe you should space them about 45 feet apart. Remember you are the boss, not your landscape architect, but also it’s all in what effect you are looking for. Ask yourself how you want the trees to function in the landscape—as a screen? as a forest? as a design element? as a backdrop? as a hedge?—and discuss this with your landscape architect, so that your decision is based on the eventual appearance and function of the trees in the landscape.
Hi Pat,
I’m in awe of how much you know! You are a wealth of information! I am hoping you can help me out with a bit of a problem I’m having. I have a beautiful schinus molle that was planted in 2011. It’s well cared for , but in a sandy coastal location in Southern Tasmania, exposed to lots of hot and cold winds. It struggled for the first couple of years but has really taken off now, although it’s still probably only 2 metres high. Despite this, it’s super lush and every year is covered in a stunning cascade of little white flowers. But it never has berries. Not once has it had berries. I tried to find out if schinus molle have two sexes, and only one bears fruit. I get the impression from reading about them that the flowers on all trees are of both sexes, and that all trees bear fruit. But nowhere has it specifically said that all trees should bear fruit, and I am wondering if this is actually so. And if all trees do bear fruit…. that begs the question – why does mine not bear fruit, and is there anything I can do to encourage it? There are many other peppercorns in my location which do bear fruit, it may help to know. I heartily thank you in advance for any light you may be able to shed on this dilemma! With eternal gratitude 🙂
Thank you so much for the compliment that warmed my heart. I am blessed with a gift of a photographic memory, which was encouraged at the wonderful school I went to in England as a child. Since I am now 88, going on 89, I hope it lasts! It also helped me during the 1980’s when I had a TV program on plants and gardening which was a three-minute segment on the evening news. My producer held a stop watch and timed my segment down to the second. Before going on camera I would glance at a large cue card and quickly memorize the script, then demonstrate and ad lib straight into the camera within the exact time allotted. I no longer give many talks, but last year I was scheduled to speak at a large club meeting and the projection machine broke down. Luckily I could see all the slides in my head in the correct order, so I was able to give the whole talk without notes or slides to jog my memory.
Anyway, after reading what you said I sure am glad I know the answer to your question: Yes, you are 100% correct: Schinus molle is a tree that has two sexes. So there are male trees that never bear fruit and female trees that bear fruit, thus if there is no pollinator within a certain distance, or no bees to spread the pollen your tree will flower but bear no berries. With some plants such as corn (maize), pollen is spread by the wind but I have never heard that is the case with pepper trees.
I have several California pepper trees they all hook great except for one. It recently has yellowed out considerably.
I think your tree with the yellowing foliage is under attack by an insect, most likely the Pepper tree psyllid. However also make sure that this young tree is getting enough irrigation and even though pepper trees need little if any fertilizer, all plants appreciate plant tabs in the planting hole at planting time to get them off to a good start. The best way to overcome pest problems especially psyllids is to introduce beneficials such as lacewings. If you have sprayed your garden with chemical pesticides or if a neighbor sprayed, this can increase the problem since spraying kills beneficials.
Hi Pat, i would like to grow some false pepper trees around my land as they make great shade for the horses, i had some on a previous yard that i was at and the horses made great use of them for scratching their bums.
they are quite epensive to buy where i am in spain but there is one growing just up the road, would it be possible to take cuttings from the tree and how do i do it?
By “false pepper tree” I am guessing you mean Schinus molle. No, unfortunately this tree is not easily propagated from cuttings. The best way to propagate pepper trees is to grow them from seeds. Here is how:
Collect the seeds and soak them overnight in a jar of lukewarm water.
The next morning fill a clean flat or seeder tray with well-drained potting soil. Thoroughly moisten this soil and let the water drain out so top is moist and flat.
Sprinkle the seeds evenly over the soil. Cover with 1/2 to 1/4 inch of soil. Moisten again and let water drain out. Pat down the top of the soil so it’s flat and touching the seeds.
If you wish you can create a greenhouse condition by sticking chopsticks in the corners of the tray or container and covering the tray with plastic. Keep tray in bright light. Watering will not be needed as often when tray is covered with plastic, but be sure to water if soil becomes dry. Remove the plastic when seedlings sprout and gradually expose them to direct sunlight, increasing length only by an hour a day.
If not covered with plastic, place the tray in a warm place where sunlight strikes daily, such as a windowsill facing east or if in winter facing south. (A greenhouse window is idea.) Water whenever the soil is dry, enough to keep soil evenly moist. Watch for seedlings to emerge.
When seedlings are 3 inches high, use a teaspoon to remove the roots from the tray and then plant them in small individual pots of moist potting soil. Keep watering enough to continue even soil moisture. Keep pots in sun.
Hi Pat,
Unfortunately I have to trim my large pepper tree because it’s branches are starting to encroach on my neighbor’s property and are shedding a large amount of leaves everywhere. From reading above, I know you say to prune no more than 20% at a time. Hopefully this will cut down on the mess. I’ve heard different perspectives from some trimmers on how best to trim the pepper trees. Some of them say “lacing”/thinning the branches is beneficial while others do not. What are your thoughts? I also live in South Orange County, Ladera Ranch. Do you have any tree specialists that you recommend? Thank you for your time.
Cutting out foliage and smaller branches from California pepper trees usually harms them less than cutting off thick branches which sometimes leads to rot. If lacing out your tree will solve the problem of encroachment that is upsetting your neighbor, I think you could safely undertake this job without damage to the tree. It is true however that it would be best to stick to the 20% rule and simply do the pruning more often. Regarding tree trimmers in your area, I am sorry that I don’t know any ot them. Also I don’t consider recommendations of that sort to be an appropriate type of advice for me to be giving out on this blog.
We have a large pepper tree (90” circumference or ~28” diameter) pepper tree in our front yard. It has been well pruned yearly over the years as there is little dead wood you talk about. We have a couple of issues. One of the large limbs (16” Diameter) comes out horizontally from the trunk at about 3 feet off the ground. Unfortunately it blocks the walkway on that side of the tree, so we would like to remove the limb entirely. Our tree pruner, who would not qualify as an arborist, says no problem, just cut it off back at the main trunk. Is this a good idea? We really want to open up the walkway as the other side is not as convenient. Another data point is that this tree is located near the coast in sandy soil. It has thrived even tho the 20% rule is radically violated every winter when we prune the leaves back. They just readily sprout back in the spring and summer growing season. Also the large limb we would be removing is understory to the other upper parts of the tree, so it’s removal would leave intact the upper story structure.
The second issue is the tree roots have caused the surrounding brick walkway-patio to lift up about 1 to 2 inches in a couple of places, where cracks and displaced bricks are evident. This may eventually become a significant problem if it continues unabated. The tree is over 40 years old and about 25’ high. Are tree roots a typical problem I’m this way?
Thanks for the basic guidance in this :-).
I believe your tree pruner is correct. Most likely you can remove the offending branch. Cut it off just beyond the “Branch Collar”, the name of the swelling surrounding a branch where it meets the trunk.
Hello Pat,
We have two California Peppers that are around 50 years old. My husband does prune them from time to time. They do get suckers growing on their trunk which I keep trimming. Is there anything I can do to keep these suckers from growing? Thank you for your time
Thanks for writing about your lovely old pepper trees.
There is nothing you can do about the plethora of suckers. In fact they are a sign of the abundant health of your trees. If I were you, I would rejoice that these peppers are so healthy.
Hi Pat,
I have a row of young (1-2 year old) pepper trees. Some are California Pepper, and Some are Brazilian. They were planted to provide privacy from a new house that is to be built in about a year. As such, I’d like to encourage them to grow as quickly as possible. What is the best way to fertilize, water and care for them to encourage rapid growth?
We live on the Central Coast of California and generally have lots of sun.
Also, what other trees do you recommend that provide good privacy and grow quickly in our climate?
Thank you for sharing so much wisdom!
— Al
If you planted these trees in autumn straight int the native soil (without any soil amendments added) and mulched them after planting and watered them
adequately when rains were insufficient to get them started, I am sure they will be fine. I do not believe in forcing growth of plants. In fact, with climate change
due to global warming most trees are growing far more rapidly and larger than usual. Just make sure they are watered until established.
Arbutus ‘Marina’ grows reasonably rapidly to 25 to 40 feet tall and wide. It is a drought resistant, densely foliaged, dark-green tree that does well in full sun close to the coast, grows reasonably rapidly and has larger fruits than Arbutus unedo, but these won’t cause a litter problem unless close to your house.
Hi,
I have owned my house now for 15 years and it has a male pepper-tree (never had peppers) in the backyard. The tree was already a giant when I purchased the house and I have been having it pruned every second year as it grows an insane amount every year.
Last year and this year I have discovered brown wood dust patches. It’s not like frass, it is powder, like baby powder. I have been to two nurseries in my neighborhood and they do not know what it is. Today I went at one of the patches and brushed away the dust all the way into the trunk and I caught glimpse of one tiny beetle, maybe 1/4 long and 1/16 thick, I also discovered one little larva. I have googled and googled but have no luck finding out what this is. Underneath the bark it has tiny pinholes in the trunk of the tree. My tree must be 5 stories tall, and I am worried this is something that will spread and hurt my it. I have photo’s and video of patches I could upload if possible. Thank you for your expertise.
There are several kinds of bark beetles that attack trees, but none will invade lumber or harm a house. Do not worry about your house.