How to Prune Fruit Trees

Reasons for pruning fruit trees

To explain fruit tree pruning, Alan says that one must know why you prune a fruit tree. He offers these reasons:

• To create shape;
• to retain juvenility;
• to encourage growth;
• to improve health;
• to remove dead and diseased wood;
• to encourage blossom quantity;
• to increase fruit quantity and quality
• to control height;
• to thin out superfluous growth;
• to allow better air movement within the plant; and
• to allow light penetration for healthier foliage and fruit.

Age of fruit trees for pruning

Young fruit trees need to be pruned into a framework of three or four vase shaped fruit-bearing branches during the first and second years of growth. This is known as the juvenile or formative phase of fruit tree production and can be achieved with young fruit trees bought from a nursery.

A more common gardening problem is the issue of pruning a mature but neglected fruit tree that has been growing in the back garden for ten or more years. Rejuvenating a fruit tree through pruning, fertilising and regular irrigation is possible.

Each fruit tree requires different pruning

• PEACHES AND NECTARINES bear fruit on wood from a previous season's growth, so pruning is done to encourage shoot production. In fact, drastic pruning encourages the best fruit production. Identify which stems you wish to keep for fruit production, then remove all water shoots, small shoots, and dead and diseased wood. Never reduce the length of stems kept for fruit production as fruit is mainly borne towards the ends of branches. Time to prune: Early-mid winter.
• APRICOTS AND PLUMS must be pruned into shape during their first two years of life - thereafter your secateurs are best kept in your pocket. Remove dead wood, but any major pruning will badly affect fruit production.
• APPLES, PEARS AND CHERRIES should have young wispy water shoots removed in early to mid-winter, and overcrowded branches cut out. But, like apricots and plums, fruit on this group of trees appears on two-year old wood and drastic pruning will harm rather than help fruit production.
• CITRUS trees need dead, damaged or overcrowded branches removed after the frosts have passed. Thinning out older fruiting wood will encourage new growth.
• QUINCE requires drastic pruning to get rid of all spindly growth. The secret is to keep the centre of the tree clear. Prune in the latter part of the winter.
• FIG trees should be pruned towards the end of the winter to thin out and remove all crossed branches.
• GRAPES require a framework of one or two stems on a trellis. Select a healthy bearing shoot to appear every 20cm. along the main stems and remove all unwanted shoots between the selected stems. Prune in late winter.
• ALMONDS bear fruit on two-year old wood that remains active for many years. Younger wood can be encouraged to eventually replace old wood. Remove dead, thin, diseased or spindly shoots in the dorman season of early to mid winter.