How and When to Prune Fruit Trees
Pruning shapes the structure of a fruit tree and helps sunlight reach productive wood.
But fruit trees should not all be pruned the same way.
Why Prune?
Pruning can:
- Develop strong structure
- Remove dead or diseased wood
- Improve airflow
- Increase sunlight
- Control height
- Encourage productive fruiting wood
- Make harvest easier
Best Time for Most Dormant Pruning
Most deciduous fruit trees are pruned during late winter while dormant, before strong spring growth begins.
Avoid extremely early winter pruning if severe cold is still likely.
Peach Trees
Peaches are commonly trained to an open-center form.
Remove the central leader early and develop several strong outward-growing scaffold limbs.
Peaches fruit on one-year-old wood, so regular pruning is important.
Apple and Pear Trees
Apples and pears are often trained to a central leader.
The goal is a strong main trunk with well-spaced scaffold branches.
Plums
Pruning system varies by plum type.
Many are trained similarly to peaches or with a modified leader.
Figs
Figs need much less formal pruning.
Remove dead, damaged, crossing, or overly tall growth.
Young Trees vs. Mature Trees
Young trees need training.
Mature trees need maintenance.
The first few years are about building structure.
What to Remove First
Start with:
- Dead wood
- Diseased wood
- Broken limbs
- Crossing branches
- Branches growing inward
- Water sprouts
- Suckers from below the graft
Branch Angle Matters
Wide branch angles are usually stronger than narrow upright crotches.
Young branches can sometimes be spread before they harden.
Don’t Overprune
Removing too much at once can stimulate excessive vegetative growth.
A good rule is to make deliberate cuts rather than trying to “thin everything out.”
Heading vs. Thinning Cuts
Heading Cut
Removes the end of a branch and encourages branching below the cut.
Thinning Cut
Removes a branch back to its point of origin.
Thinning generally opens the canopy without creating as much dense regrowth.
Summer Pruning
Limited summer pruning can help control vigorous growth or remove water sprouts.
Avoid excessive summer pruning that reduces leaf area needed for fruit and tree health.
Sanitation
Clean tools when moving between trees with serious disease issues.
For diseases such as fire blight, sanitation and cutting well below symptoms are especially important.
GardenGrowz Tip
Prune with a goal.
If you cannot explain why a branch should come off, leave it until you can.