Quick Guide to Pruning Fruit Trees

Here are short to-the-point tips for pruning of Apple and Pear, Apricot, Citrus, Fig, Loquat, Peach and Nectarine, and Plum trees.

An apple at the end of a spur

These tips were written for non-espalier fruit trees, but a lot of the info also applies to trees that are espaliered.

Thank you Max K, Steven F, Richard K, and Laura R for your feedback on drafts of this blog post!

Terminology:

Most fruit trees have the following structure - a frame (stem + up to 5 main branches), from which laterals grow, from which spurs (fruit-bearing short fat twigs) grow.

General fruit tree pruning tips:

About secateurs ..	use sharp clean secateurs.
How to make cuts ..	make clean wounds that are as small as possible
After planting create a vase-shape by ..	selecting up to five healthy outwards-growing branches that will form  the frame. Cut away all other branches.
General pruning tip 1 ..	focus on giving the tree a well-ventilated centre and a height and size  that make it easy to manage
General pruning tip 2 ..	always cut away dead, diseased, weak and damaged branches.
General pruning tip 3 ..	cut away branches that cross each other and may damage each other in  windy conditions, or grow into the centre.
General pruning tip 4 ..	remove all growth below where the tree is grafted because you don't  want its root stock to develop.
General pruning tip 5 ..	don't prune spurs because this is where fruit will be formed.
Hard pruning is sometimes needed, but ..	if you prune hard, the tree will focus on regrowing wood,  and not on growing fruit
When you have completed pruning a tree ..	do not treat the cuts with wound sealants. The cuts will heal  by themselves.
Before starting on the next tree ..	wipe secateurs with methylated spirits or a mix of water and household bleach

Then take into account special things for each fruit tree variety:

Apple and Pear trees

Pruning at time of planting ..	prune the young tree hard at planting time by shortening main branches  by 50%
Thereafter pruning is best done when ..	when fruit has been harvested, but before the tree goes dormant, so it has  time and energy to heal the cuts
Fruits form where on the tree ..	fruit forms on spurs that are 2 years old and older. Spurs can produce fruit buds for 6 to 10 years.
Don't prune ..	do not cut too much off the ends of the tree's main branches that form its frame
But do prune ..	laterals to around 230 millimetres (9 inches).
Pruning at other times of the year ..	summer pruning is optional, but can be useful to shorten or remove over-vigorous laterals and tidy up the tree.

For more info about Apple and Pear trees click here.

Apricot trees

Pruning at time of planting ..	don't prune when planting while dormant. Prune once foliage appears
Thereafter pruning is best done when ..	in Autumn once foliage stopped growing and before dormancy.
Fruits form where on the tree ..	fruits form on 1-year old wood, and, as the tree matures on spurs off  older wood. Spurs bear fruit for 2 or 3 years.
Don't prune ..	don't prune the spurs. Don't remove spurs.
But do prune ..	no special pruning requirements.  Just follow the 'General fruit tree pruning tips’ above
Pruning at other times of the year ..	prune tips of branches to stop tree from growing too much wood during the growing season

For more info about Apricot trees click here.

Citrus trees

Pruning at time of planting ..	pruning when planting is optional. A vase-shape is optional.  Prune only if no chance of frosts.
Thereafter pruning is best done when ..	once a year in early Spring when there no longer is a chance of frost,  so new growth will not be affected by it.
Fruits form where on the tree ..	fruits form on the present season’s growth, so if you prune away too  many new branches, you may not get many fruits.
Don't prune ..	when there is a chance of frosts in the next few weeks.
But do prune ..	prune an old unproductive tree hard to give it a new lease of life.   Follow 'General fruit tree pruning tips'
About pruning at other times of the year ..	pruning at any time except winter is fine if it is needed, but generally  citrus trees don't need a lot of pruning

For more info about Citrus trees click here.

Fig trees

Pruning at time of planting ..	prune if this is needed to give the tree a vase-shape.  See 'General fruit tree pruning tips' above.
Thereafter pruning is best done when ..	in early spring before the tree breaks dormancy prune away dead  branches or branches that cross and damage each other.
Fruits form where on the tree ..	fig trees don't have spurs. They bear fruit in the upper angles between  leaf stalk or branch and stem on current season's wood.
Don't prune ..	too much current-season's wood because that is the wood that will  bear fruit.
But do prune ..	to get larger fruit cut back the annual growth by half its length each  winter.  Wood over 1 year old can be removed to control the tree’s  height, size or shape.
About pruning at other times of the year ..	do not remove dense foliage as leaves protect fruits from harsh  sunlight, wind, and possibly birds.

For more info about Fig trees click here.

Loquat trees

Pruning at time of planting ..	consider its shape when planting and, if needed, prune according to  'General fruit tree pruning tips' above
Thereafter pruning is best done when ..	pruning is best done right after harvest but can be done through to late  summer before the autumn growth flush
Fruits form where on the tree ..	on new branches that are younger than six months. Growth after fruiting  produces next year's fruit.
Don't prune ..	don't cut too much new growth as this will bear fruit.
But do prune ..	prune up to 1/3 off the ends of fruit-bearing branches to keep the tree  compact and increase vigour
Pruning at other times of the year ..	only needed if you want to control tree size, height or shape.  Loquats can do well without much pruning

For more info about Loquat trees click here.

Peach and Nectarine trees

Pruning at time of planting ..	don't prune when planting while dormant.  Prune once foliage appears.
Thereafter pruning is best done when ..	in Autumn once the foliage stopped growing and before dormancy.
Fruits form where on the tree..	only on wood that was created last year, and not ever thereafter.
Don't prune ..	don't prune during dormancy to avoid fungi in cuts. Don’t prune too  much one-year old wood as this will bear fruit the next year.
But do prune ..	cut the length of one-year old branches by 50%.  Cut away branches  that are two years old and older
Pruning at other times of the year ..	prune tips to stop tree from growing too much wood during the growing  season

For more info about Peach and Nectarine trees click here.

Plum trees

Pruning at time of planting ..	prune the young tree hard. Shorten main branches by 50%.  Prune according to 'General fruit tree pruning tips' above
Thereafter pruning is best done when ..	in Autumn once foliage stopped growing and before dormancy.
Fruits form where on the tree ..	on spurs that form on two-year-old laterals.
Don't prune ..	don't prune the spurs.
But do prune ..	prune back laterals to 30cms (9 inches). Shorten branches if  the weight of too many fruits might bend or break them.
About pruning at other times of the year ..	only needed if you want to control tree size, height or shape.

May your pruning be fruitful ...

Max Bee