Puzzled About Pruning?
Monday, January 26th, 2009Me too! I bought ten fruit trees, read up on amending the soil, using gopher baskets to protect young roots, and even painting the bark to protect from sun scald (you can read my planting guide here).
But when it came to pruning my new trees, I stopped in my tracks! I’ve referenced multiple websites, four books, and of course consulted our staff. What did I find? I learned that there are as many different opinions on how to prune a fruit tree as there are resources!
There were some commonalities when it came to pruning second year, dormant, bare root stock (what you’ll get from Peaceful Valley) which I’ll share:
- Don’t prune your trees when they are wet. This makes them more susceptible to disease.
- Select about four limbs which are well spaced (not right next to each other or all on one side of the tree for example). Cut these limbs back by two-thirds, leaving the bottom third of the branch. When you make the cut, prune the branch such that a bud is near the end and is pointing in the general direction you want the branch to grow.
- Remove the remaining limbs by clipping them off, flush with the trunk.
Now wait and watch ‘em grow!
