How to Prune Fruit Trees

Pruning and Thinning

Fruit trees greatly benefit from regular, annual, aggressive pruning and its importance cannot be over-stated. It is essential to maintain the ongoing vigor of the tree and to maximize the production of fruit.

First year pruning sets the eventual shape of the tree. If your tree is taller than 4 to 6 feet above ground after it’s planted, trim it down to that height. Remove any inward growing branches and as well as any branches which cross over each other. Trim off the tips of the larger branches to encourage growth. Removing the branches will allow air to circulate through the branches and fruit as well as take some of the stress off the root system for newly planted trees.

New stems that grow out of the ground, from the root systems are called suckers. If you see them, simply cut them off at ground level.

If the trees set fruit in their first year of planting, pick off some of the immature fruits, spacing them about 8" apart on the branches. This will encourage proper ripening, helps remove the weight from immature branches, and improve vegetative vigor. Fruit thinning in the future is also important for the very same reasons. Less is more. If you don’t thin, you will get many more fruits than the tree can handle, resulting in broken branches and small fruits. Don’t be afraid to thin. The resulting fruits will be fuller and much nicer.

In later years, shape the trees according to their type. Apple, pear and cherry trees are best trained to a central leader (uppermost upright limb). Peach, nectarine, plum and apricot trees should be trained to a vase shape (no central leader). As you prune, bear this shape in mind and prune accordingly. It is difficult to over-prune a fruit tree.

Steps for Pruning

Make any needed cuts, keeping in mind the plant's natural growth habitat.
Remove all dead, broken or diseased, crossing and rubbing limbs by cutting them back at the point or origin or back to a strong lateral branch.
Remove weak or narrow angled branches and eliminate undesirable trucks in multi-trunk plants
Shorten the previous year’s growth on each main branch (primary) by about one third to a bud facing in the required direction. This will encourage the development of new branches and spurs and maintain a good shape.
Leave young laterals (side-shoots) unpruned so they can develop fruit buds in the second year
Only remove the young laterals if they are crossing or if the growth is too crowded, i.e. growing closer than 10-15cm (4-6in) at the base
Remove strong shoots (great than 15cm (6in) long) growing towards the centre of the tree
On older trees, remove or thin out any spur systems that have become congested. Where thinning or removal is required, remove spurs on the underside of the branches, where the developing fruit will not receive enough light, and produces inferior fruit.
Look at your work, if a lot of additional pruning is necessary you may want to do it in stages over several months to a year to prevent excessive re-growth and allow the plant time to recover.

Don't forget to Maintain Pruning Equipment

When pruning diseased plants, disinfect all blades after each cut with alcohol, spray disinfectant or a mixture of one part bleach to nine parts of water to avoid potentially spreading the diseases.
Maintain sharp cutting edges to allow cuts to heal faster.
Store equipment in a dry room and apply oil after easy each to inhibit rust

When to Prune Trees: Fruit Tree Pruning Calendar

Apples - It is generally best to prune apples and pears when they are dormant. Select a nice, pleasant, sunny winter day. Summer pruning is helpful to retard growth of the tree. If the tree is growing very aggressively and getting taller than you like, take it back in July to control this growth.

Cherries -It is generally best to prune cherry trees when the weather is hot. Do not prune in the winter or late fall or early spring. Bacterial diseases are present in all non-arid environments and are particularly detrimental to sweet cherries. These bacteria are most active in cool, wet weather. So wait until the tree has leafed out and the warm late spring weather patterns are well established – usually by the end of May - to prune your cherry trees.

Figs - Prune little to none. To stimulate new growth, thin out older trees which grow very little each year. Thinning also increases fruit size. Prune the trees enough to stimulate approximately 1 foot of growth each year. Remove all weak, diseased or dead limbs each dormant season.

Peaches, Nectarines and Apricots - The best time to prune peaches, nectarines and apricots is in the early spring. Try pruning after the last frost date for your area. At this time, most of the winter damage can be trimmed off and you will minimize the effect of late frost damage to your buds and blooms. Peaches and nectarines bear fruit only on one-year wood, that is, the shoots that grew the previous season produce this season's fruit. Half or more of each season's new shoots usually need to be thinned out, to prevent crowding and make room for fruit to grow.

Pears - The same as apples. Pruning should be carried out when the tree is dormant, between leaf fall and bud burst (usually between November and early March).

Plums - As plums are very vigorous growers, you will want to prune aggressively. Bear in mind that summer pruning, when the trees is still growing, will help contain the spreading nature of your plum tree. You cannot over-prune a plum tree. So do clean up pruning in the winter, to get rid of broken and dead branches and shape up the tree. Then in July, prune again to maintain a manageable size.

When to Prune other Trees and Shrubs

It is important to prune at the appropriate time of year.

In general, prune in late winter when most plants are dormant
Avoid pruning immediately after new growth develops in the spring, allow the plant time to regain the energy it spent growing.
Pruning spring flowering shrubs soon after they bloom and summer flowering shrubs by late winter
Avoid pruning any plant in late summer to early fall - it can encourage new growth which is susceptible to winter damage.