The best time for fruit tree pruning is during its dormant period. Wait till the leaves have fallen. This helps you see what you’re doing to ensure you cut the right branches. Fruit tree pruning also invigorates the remaining buds, keeping them healthy and productive.

Fruit Tree Pruning Techniques

Different fruit trees can be pruned in different ways, but there are three basic steps to keep in mind for any variety.

1. Clean it up. Cut away any dead, damaged, or diseased wood. Remove any sprouts at the base of the trunk—they come from the roots and won’t bare fruit. Also remove the straight, vertical branches, known as watersprouts. When removing any branch, make sure the cut is flush with the larger limb without leaving a stub.
2. Thin it out. Allow more light and air to flow through the plant. This will help boost fruit production and limit pest and disease issues. Remove branches that grow downward, toward the center of the tree, or that cross another branch. You want to see evenly spaced branches in a pleasing pattern from the center. When trying to decide what branches to cut, look for any wide angle ones that may break under the weight of heavy fruit. Keep branches that form an angle close to a two or ten o’clock position.
3. Back it up. Prune back the outermost growth of the tree so the branches become shorter and thicker as they grow. This helps keep them from snapping under the weight of the fruit, and it activates more growth lower in the canopy, making for smaller, more fruitful trees. Cut off about 20 to 30 percent of last year’s growth. This could be anywhere from two inches to four feet back from the tip of each branch, depending how vigorous the tree. These cuts should not be flush. Infact, you want to leave one-quarter inch above a bud that faces the direction you want that branch to grow.

More Pruning Tips

Use sharp shears for clean, easy cuts, and clean up what you’ve cut off from around the tree. If you have other questions about pruning your fruit trees, contact Elite Tree Care for more specifics.