Thursday Tips & Techniques: Pruning Fruit Trees
Fruit trees do best, that is, they produce higher fruit yields and live longer when pruned and trained to their optimum forms. Proper form, which translates into a stronger tree structure, is the primary reason fruit trees should be pruned. Pruning also removes dead, broken, and crowded limbs and opens up the plant to better air circulation and maximum sunlight. In the flowering plant world, more sunlight means more flowers. And, in the fruit world, more flowers means greater fruit production.
Most fruit trees set flower buds the previous summer so as a general rule limit summer pruning to vigorous shoots, suckers, or vertical branches prior to mid-summer. Heavy pruning reduces the number of leaves (i.e food production) and may eliminate too many flower buds. Pruning fruit trees when they are dormant is usually recommended. Its also easier to see what youre doing when there are no leaves on the trees.
Cutting central leaders and growth buds on horizontal branches encourages new growth. Its important to make clean cuts using equipment with sharp blades and cut close to the growth bud where you want new growth to take place, typically about 1/4 inch. And, before you prune any fruit bearing or flowering plant, make sure you know whether the fruit is borne on last years or this years growth.
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