Pruning fruit trees - why and when
- plate2platecompost
- Sep 21, 2021
- 1 min read
Below is a very concise guide on how to prune fruit trees from Alan, who runs Fruitworks Coop. Alan and myself are both based at West Leeds Activity Centre and as I improve soil health and Alan improves tree health it makes sense that we showcase each other's work. Enjoy, Mark
"Pruning fruit trees helps them be healthy and productive. Without pruning, fruit trees can get diseased, over-sized and difficult to pick. Broadly speaking pip fruit (apples & pears) are pruned in the winter and stone fruit (plums & cherries) in the summer. The only exception to that is "trained" trees, which are pruned in the summer to limit growth to a particular shape".
Winter pruning is about encouraging growth (in helpful, happy directions) and summer pruning is about reducing vegetative growth to divert energy into fruit development. Plum trees are pruned in the summer because of their susceptibility to a fungal disease called "Silver Leaf". The approach to cutting can be summarised as 3 D's and 2 C's.
Dead, Dying and Diseased.
Crossing and Congested
You need to prune crossing branches as they can create open wounds which could become infected. Congested areas reduce air flow through the tree.
Finally, if you have taken out more than a fifth of the volume of the whole tree stop there for this year. If you haven't, then carry on cutting above an outward facing bud to encourage growth in desirable, 45 Degree angles.
@fruitworkscoop run regular courses to help you learn for yourself how to prune trees. Or they have a pruning service to do it for you.
This post on pruning is so helpful, especially since I always worry about cutting too much back at the wrong time! It reminds me of my final year at university when I had to do a similar "pruning" of my thesis chapters; I was so overwhelmed that I actually sought out some academic editing help to help me decide what to keep and what to trim away. Just like with fruit trees, sometimes you have to cut back the clutter to let the best ideas really grow and flourish!
This post made pruning fruit trees feel less scary and more like simple yearly care. During a busy semester I even got Help with online calculas class so I had more time on weekends to work in the yard. I tried your idea of removing crossing branches on our old apple tree, and the next year the fruit looked bigger and healthier. It reminded me that small, regular cuts can keep both trees and minds in better shape.
I read the article on how to prune fruit trees and it made sense that trimming them helps keep them healthy, easier to pick and grow better fruit when done in the right season, like winter for apples and summer for stone fruits. I remember trying to write my Business assignment late at night and having to break it into steps to finish without stress, so I get why gardeners plan pruning in stages too. It made me think that good timing and clear steps matter in both gardening and school work.