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Now is the best time to prune fruit trees for better fruit this summer – here’s how



Pruning is optional in some plants. it is No True of many fruit trees. Not only must you prune them to produce fruit, but you must also prune them correctly.

People often fear that they are cutting too many branches, when in reality, they probably aren’t. Sufficient Sorting

Proper pruning encourages fruit trees to bear fruit. Learn why, when and how to prune fruit trees.

Why do you need to prune fruit trees?

Luis Alvarez/Getty Images

Besides encouraging fruit production, there are three main reasons for pruning fruit trees:

  1. For pest and disease prevention: For example, a The basic rule of sorting is called “3D”: To promote plant health, always remove dead, diseased and damaged limbs whenever you find them.
  2. let the sunshine in: Fruit production is better when the inside of the canopy is open, allowing sunlight to come in from all angles.
  3. to reach: You will need to access all areas of the tree to both care for it and pick its fruit. Excessive vegetation will make access more difficult.

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When to prune fruit trees

Best Time to Prune Most Fruit Trees It is during their dormant period. Specifically, the time from late winter to early spring is optimal because the coldest period of winter has ended (this makes it easier for pruning wounds to heal), yet new growth has not yet emerged. .

But there are some exceptions Time No to prune (unless it is simply to remove dead wood) in the fall, which encourages tender new growth that will die out only when winter arrives.

pruning supplies

The Spruce / Jacob Fox

Even if you don’t need all of these supplies immediately, the serious fruit tree grower should invest in the following sorting equipment,

  • sorters:This is the tool you’ll use most. All small branches to be cut (and there will be many) should be cut with pruners.
  • Loppers:Loppers are for the next step. If you find that a branch is too thick to be cut easily with your pruners, use loppers.
  • pruning saw: This tool is for cutting the largest branches.

How to Prune Fruit Trees

The Spruce/Jaime Burroughs

You should prune about 1/5 of your fruit trees each year. Any pruning you do will be for pest/disease prevention and to open up the center of the tree.

In your fruit tree’s early years after planting, put a lot of thought into training your tree to achieve the desired shape. A few main branches will eventually form the framework of the tree. These are called “scaffolding” organs. Small branches emerging from scaffold limbs are called “lateral” branches.

Sometimes, the tree also has a central “leader”, which is the main vertical branch emerging from the trunk. But other times, you may opt for “open center training,” where there is no central leader. “Revised Central Leader Training” is a compromise between the two.

The following are general rules for pruning fruit trees:

  1. Properly clean and sharpen your pruning tools: Pruning tools can catch and hold diseases if not cleaned properly. Before you begin, wipe the blades of your pruners with isopropyl alcohol. Also sharpen the blades so they make clean cuts instead of ripping the wood.
  2. Remove dead, diseased and damaged branches whenever you see them.For example, if the entire branch is dead, cut it off at the branch collar (the raised tissue where the branch meets the trunk). If only the tip of a branch is diseased, cut off the first visible diseased portion. Then count three nodes down the branch and make another cut at a 45 degree angle (making sure you’ve cleared out the diseased area).
  3. Remove suckers and water seedlings: Both are vertical growth and should be pruned, but they are different. suckers Come to the grassroots level. Water sprouts sprout from the branches.
  4. delete cluster: In addition to the 3D rule, there is a CAC rule in pruning fruit trees, where the letters stand for clusters, acute and crossing. It means this. We’ll start by removing the clusters (or “whorls”). These are small branches that surround a part of the larger branch from which they emerge. They are considered unproductive and will only cast shade where you don’t want it.
  5. remove sharp angled branches: “Acute” here refers to the angle at which a branch emerges from the trunk or another branch. In particular, a branch that is too vertical is said to form an acute (sharp) angle, which is undesirable. Pay special attention to scaffold branches. They should point at a 45 to 60 degree angle. Any angle greater or less than this is considered unstable.
  6. Remove crossing and inbound branches: Crossing branches will rub against each other, possibly opening wounds that will invite diseases. Since we want to open up the interior of the canopy to let in light, an obvious type of branch to remove is one that crosses over each other. For the same reason, remove inward-facing branches.
  7. Remove low branches and downwind branches: As your tree grows, begin removing the lowest branches. At maturity, you will not want any branches less than 4 feet above the ground. Always remove downward-facing branches as well. Both will receive plenty of shade to bear fruit.
  8. Assess the overall size of the tree: Stand back and shape the overall shape. Ideally, the branches at the top should be shorter than those at the bottom, so that the latter are not deprived of sunlight.

special cases

  1. When you first plant a fruit tree, there will probably be too much growth above ground to support the young root system. Instead of removing 1/5 of the vegetation, you will probably need to remove 1/3. Left alone, it will die anyway, so take the opportunity to shape the tree according to the suggestions above.
  2. Prune sweet cherry trees in August rather than in late winter or early spring. At this time there is less risk of bacterial infection.



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