With all these clean-up cuts, it’s important to prune the branches back flush to the larger limb they’re growing from - don’t leave little stubs. If you prune young tree plants, you need to remove all of the fruit buds in the first and/or second year, so that the bush puts its energy into growing. Allowing suckers and water sprouts to remain on your fruit tree will only take away from the vegetative and fruiting wood you want to grow strong and healthy. This same thing applies to fast-growing vertical shoots coming from the trunk/branches that may appear later in your tree’s life as it matures. Ideally, any growth from below the graft union or growth coming from the roots/below the ground should be removed as soon as it appears. Suckers and watersprouts are some common examples of fast new growth that take away energy from plants and trees. When you begin to prune, the first step is to prune away dead, damaged or diseased wood, and also sprouts raised from the base of the trunk called ‘suckers’ and erect, perfectly vertical branches, called ‘water sprouts’. Farmers just need to follow a simple three-step process that works for the vast majority of fruit trees, whether they grow pome fruits (apples, pears and quince), stone fruits (peaches, cherries, apricots, plums), bushes (blueberries, cranberries, raspberries, currant) or tropics. The best time to prune your fruit trees is at the beginning of the vegetation, at bud break stage.įarmers are often scared of pruning, they often think they will prune too much or too little, but pruning is not the brain surgery. For all other fruit tree forms and bushes, winter pruning is crucial. It manages growth only on trees with restricted forms such as cordons, espaliers, fans and pyramids. Summer pruning allows sunlight to ripen the fruit and ensures good cropping the following year. It helps with the growth and development of younger plants thus creating a structure that will maximize vigor and productivity, minimize insect and disease problems, and help maintain strong canopy that will produce large and quality fruits, for many years.There are two types of pruning- winter and summer or pruning in the green. Pruning is crucial for the management of plant’s life and health.
The key to keeping fruit trees attractive and productive is annual pruning. Within a few years of planting fruit trees, most farmers find themselves with scraggly overgrown bushes and trees, rather than the Garden of Eden they had envisioned.
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