Pruning and training young trees At planting time In a central leader system, the tree needs to be pruned to allow the canopy to taper from narrower at the top to wider at the bottom to keep the upper branches from shading out the lower ones. Cutting the branch tip redistributes the auxin to the side shoots, making them grow.Ī thinning cut removes a branch back to its point of origin and makes the tree canopy less dense. A growth hormone called auxin is concentrated in the shoot tip. Do you need a heading cut or a thinning cut?Ī heading cut removes the tip of the branch back to a lateral branch and makes the tree canopy denser by stimulating the growth of side shoots. Avoid pruning after late July as it can predispose trees to winter injury or delay dormancy. In the summer, remove water sprouts or suckers from the base if needed. The best time of year to do major amounts of pruning is when the trees are dormant (January to early April). Do not use tree paint, as it allows wounds to stay moist, making it more attractive to disease organisms and insects. Cuts made at this location will callus over quicker than those cut too close or with stubs left too long. Ideally, the portion of branch left should be about 0.25-inch-long, just above the branch collar.
A cut into the branch bark ridge is too close (above). Also eliminate spurs or branches that grow downward.Īvoid leaving long stubs when pruning, but don’t cut too close to the remaining branch either. If branches are closely parallel to each other or cross, remove the weakest branch of the pair. Remove branches that form too narrow an angle to be corrected with a limb spreader. Remove any dead or broken branches, suckers and water sprouts. Controlling the number and position of scaffold branches, along with fruit thinning, will result in a healthier tree and higher quality fruit. Fruit trees with many branches can bear more fruit than they can ripen. The tree canopy requires training to allow leaves to be exposed to sunlight so they can make sugars for tree growth and fruit production.
Each year, pruning and training is needed to produce high quality fruit and maintain tree health. Side branches need to have wide angles of attachment to the trunk to be strong.
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