Pruning Fruit Trees

[Hobie]

When is the best time of year (in the northern climates) to prune fruit trees? I have an old apple tree that was neglected for years. I have been trying to prune it gently, which is difficult because the tree is probably 25+ feet tall now. Usually do this in spring, but I noticed a neighbor pruned hers during our January thaw. I don't want to shock the poor old tree and then have it subjected to cold winter weather. (I also don't want to prune it back to stubs like some people do. It's a pretty tree, and if I can't reach the top apples, I don't care.)

[tecumseh]

why don't you pm applebwoi... he informed me at one time that he grew a number of fruit trees.... plus he is 'educated' in that general area of knowledge. just a suggestion...

[dcross]

Now is the time, but beyond that, I'm clueless:)

[RAlex]

Try this link for pruning fruit trees. Hope it helps. As I havent much luck getting my two apple trees to blossom
http://mtvernon.wsu.edu/frt_hort/pruning_basics.htm
Rick

[Hobie]

There's a foot of snow on the ground! "Now" is NOT the right time for ME! :D

tecumseh - thanks, I PM'd applebwoi. Strange I never made the name connection. (duh!)

[Sundance]

Hobie......... I have 300 apple trees and several other varieties. The main idea is to prune before a major sap flow while the tree is "dormant".

Here I am in Zone 3 and I often trudge in some snow to prune. I usually shoot for late Feb or early March.

Here are some great links. And remember to regularly sterilize the pruning tool.

http://mtvernon.wsu.edu/frt_hort/pruning_basics.htm

http://www.nafex.org/

http://www.hrt.msu.edu/hortlinks/Fruit.htm

[carbide]

You can prune your apple trees anytime after the leaves fall in autumn and the buds start to swell in spring. I just did mine a couple of weeks ago when it was almost 70 degrees here. I normally do them in late February or early March.

If your apple tree has been neglected for a number of years it is best to prune it a little at a time. A very neglected tree will normally take three winters to get it back into shape. Try to remove the branches so that you get some sunlight into the interior of the tree. Never take out more than 1/4 of the branches in a given year. Remove all of the suckers (vertical branches) first. Remove the branches to their base in order to minimize wild sprouting from their tips and to also minimize the chance of disease in the branch.

[dcross]

There's a foot of snow on the ground! "Now" is NOT the right time for ME! :D



Just lash the prunings into snowshoes! BTW, the local bunnies appreciate it if you leave the prunings lay until spring.

[Sundance]

Bunnies......... Grrrrrrrrrrr............ They are the bane of orchards everywhere. Death to bunnies. Harder to deal with than deer here.

[Hobie]

Don't know if anyone else has done this, but if you take selected prunings (with lots of buds), slit the bark along the branch for about 2" in 3-4 places at the cut end, bring indoors and place in water, they will bloom in your house. It's wonderful!

[Brent Bean]

We have many orchards in the county we live in which includes , apples, peaches, pears, both sweet and tart cherry’s along with grape vineyard. And lots of blueberries which I operate a U-pick operation. As of late I have seen many of the large orchard operators up in their pruning platforms so I would guess that it would be ok to prune now. If you look up Michigan State University web page and get onto their agriculture section you can find detailed information on all facets of fruit production care. As far as blueberries I will start pruning in late February to early could damage the canes if we got to cold of weather.

[Oldbee]

Hobie: I grew up on an apple orchard [30 acres] and my Dad and I spent many days like this, in the late winter,.. pruning; with the snow still deep around our knees. The twigs of those,.. "suckers", and the other branches would slap our faces when we cut them; I swore, and than some at the time. Now, I miss those apple trees, silhouetted before the,...January sunset.

A 25 foot apple tree you have? Depending on your "hopes" or ideas as to what you want to do with it, an apple tree that high may need to be "trimmed" at the top so that it becomes more managable over the years. It may look,.... "ugly" for a spring and an autumn or two, but in the next spring of the year, it would look like one of those "apple trees" that,.......Keats or,...Shelley and Frost would write about; I am sure.

[Focus on Bees]

sundance, or anybody else for that matter. How do you rid yourself of rabbits short of trapping or shooting ?? any ideas ?

[Sundance]

Focus........I am working on that one. My orchard has fence all the way around it but they are sneaking in so Sat (warm weather coming, may hit 25!!) I will be plugging the sneak points. They sure can raise heck with young trees.

In the yard I am going to try live traps then dispatch the fluffy little monsters. Then in the fry pan!! They are tasty.

[Sundance]

Winter is the only time you can effectively trap them here. When food options are limited.

You'd think my 3 dogs would be some help, but no........

On top of that the locals really took out the coyote population much to my disappointment. :mad:

[Focus on Bees]

fluffy little monsters......ya got me laughing on that one :D . I have live out in the contry, but have too many neighbors close by to use the gun. Thought about a dog, but then I have to care for it, and I'm not ready for that yet. Might have to try live trapping like you. Seems I rid myself of one or two and then a month or so later another stops by and takes up residency uhhh.... Little buggers...:cool:

[Troutsqueezer]

For the timing of pruning trees, I think the general theory is if you prune too early, the wound in the branch will remain open for a longer period of time and invites disease and pests. If you prune closer to springtime the tree will heal the open wound quicker as it starts spring growth. That also goes for roses and most plants.

[Beekissed]

We are topping some of our overgrown apple trees and doing general pruning now. We moved here last year and the very productive, but old and neglected, orchard hadn't been pruned in years so we are taking it slow and removing dead limbs and topping two of the tallest. We are applying a beeswax balm to the cuts to seal out bugs and bacteria. Next fall we will see how the trees did with our initial pruning and may get more adventurous. We had the only trees producing this last year and, man, did they produce! We don't want to get too busy fixing something that isn't broken, but will proceed with caution. Our cat keeps all rabbits from the orchard, we had one move in and within a week he was breakfast! We have a very large coyote and hawk population here, so we don't have the problem as much as others. Good Luck! :)

[Sundance]

There is some debate on tree wound dressing. I initially used them
just thinking "it makes sense". But after some research, I no longer
use any. I let the wound heal.

I do routinely sterilize the pruning tools before, during, and after
pruning.

When I mow I always keep a roll of electrical tape on board in case
I skin one. The tape works great for keeping the bark in place while
it heals.

Tape is great for grafts as well.

Ahhhhhhh hurry spring!!! It's -11F here now and the HIGH Tuesday is
going to be -9F then down to -25F that night.........:mad::mad: