Pruning can be used to remove the dead wood from the tree and help it to recover. It’s quite common to lose apricots, for example, to a disease called blossom blight.īut it can also lead to disease in the wood, and sometimes even to dieback. This can have several unfortunate results. Stone fruit trees in particular are very prone to fungal disease, particularly in wet years. The first one is if your tree has been affected by disease. There are a few examples where this might be a good idea. Though not as much as if you’d pruned it in winter when it was still dormant. Pruning in spring or early summer is more likely to encourage the tree to grow than pruning in late summer. Summer pruning is also useful if you’re renovating a huge old fruit tree and you’d love to be able to reduce it’s size without it growing back just as big. This is best achieved with late summer pruning, after harvest and when the trees have stopped growing for the season. They are usually either removed or shortened to help convert them into spurs. Watershoots commonly grow on horizontal branches, for example in espaliered trees. For example, if they grow low down in a vase shaped tree they may be able to be kept as new limbs. You can see them clearly at the top of the apple espalier in the photo above.Īs usual, there’s no “right” or “wrong” answer. These are strong, upright laterals that grow in spring. We’re often asked what to do with watershoots. Pruning when the trees are already flowering is likely to lead to a smaller crop, but that may be better than leaving them completely un-pruned.Ī beautiful apple espalier Dealing with watershoots.If your trees have already broken dormancy when you prune them, you’ll be wasting some of the energy they will have already put into growth.The later you prune, the less the tree is likely to grow in response. This effect gradually wanes as the season progresses.Pruning in winter encourages a strong growth response in the trees.In most cases, you’ll probably be trying to encourage growth. The answer will depend on whether you’re trying to encourage growth or slow it down. So, what are the likely results of pruning in late winter/early spring, and is it a good idea? If you haven’t finished your pruning in winter, you may be wondering whether it’s too late to prune your trees. Generally, you can prune most fruit trees (apples, pears, peaches, nectarines, and plums) in winter while the trees are dormant.īut that doesn’t always happen. Click here to get your FREE ebook 10 Key Steps to Growing Great Fruit
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