Pruning Fruit Trees

Larry Sagers Horticultural Specialist Utah State University Extension Service Thanksgiving Point Office © All Rights Reserved

To register for classes at Thanksgiving Gardens, call 801-768-7443 or go online at www.thanksgivingpoint.com and click on garden classes. BUDDING AND GRAFTING Larry Sagers Monday March 14 12:30-3:00 PM Cost $10.00 The ancient art of budding and grafting plants is the way modern fruit trees are propagated. Learn to save old varieties or share new varieties. Create trees with multiple varieties or propagate trees that withstand diseases, insects and nutrient problems. This class covers propagation of fruit and ornamentals through asexual propagation. FRUIT TREE PRUNING Dave DeCoursey USU Master Gardener Utah House classroom, 920 South 50 West, Kaysville, Ut Saturday March 12 9:00 AM Cost $5.00 Neglected fruit trees are never productive. Learn how to prune like the growers to have strong, productive trees while still managing their size and shape. Do not neglect your trees for another season but get them in shape to enjoy the fruits of your labors.

Pruning is the removal of plant parts to produce the desired growth response. Pruning is an art based on scientific principles. It is impossible to prune correctly without knowing how your plants are going to respond.

These instructions apply to fruit trees, not ornamental trees. Prune fruit trees to produce a good crop of fruit and to regulate the shape and bearing habits of the tree and quality of the fruit.

Trees grow differently in different soils and different microclimates so trees are not pruned the same. Pruning is only one part of fruit production. Always match pruning with fertilizer applications, fruit thinning and other orchard operations. Ignoring the growth signals of the trees means more work and less productive trees and the trees develop more problems.

PRUNING TIME

Before getting to the how, take care of the when. One old adage recommend pruning “anytime the pruners are sharp” as a guideline. That applies to broken, dead and diseased branches because these are removed whenever they appear, but do major pruning during the dormant season.

Another recommends pruning during any month that does not end in the letter “r” meaning that you avoid fall pruning as it reduces the cold hardiness of the trees.

Start major pruning after severe winter cold has past. Prune apples and pears first because they are most hardy and continue with plums, apricots, cherries and finally peaches. Pruning procedures vary with the type, age, and variety of trees but prune all fruit trees the day you put them in the ground and at least once per year thereafter.

Complete major pruning during the dormant season, before active spring growth begins. At this time, pruning wounds heal faster, flower buds are easy to recognize, and low winter temperatures injuries are avoided.

Summer pruning helps train young trees to desired shapes, removes watersprouts and other undesirable growth, and maintains smaller tree size. All pruning has a dwarfing effect.

TYPES OF CUTS

There are three types of cuts used for pruning.

Make heading cuts in the middle of the branch without regard to what the tree is going to do. Heading cuts are invigorating because they stimulate localized growth of several branches. The resulting branch angles are narrow and weak and the aggressive vegetative growth usually does not produce fruit.

Thinning cuts take the branch out completely by removing it to a side branch. These cuts reduce the vigor in the tree and encourage fruit production. They grow wide crotch angles, settle the tree down and make it produce much sooner.

In removal cuts, cut woody portions of the plant clear to the ground. They are not used on tree fruits but are used in some small fruit pruning.

Many fruit tree-pruning problems come from people making heading cuts and when the trees need thinning cuts.