Understand reasons for fruit tree pruning
The summer and winter seasons are best for managing cutbacks
Pruning apple and pear trees is confusing – why do it in summer and winter? Well, it depends on the type of tree and its age. Summer pruning is mainly for trained trees: cordons, espalier, fan, pyramid, or spindlebush, or if your space is restricted and it is grown in a container.
Trees grown as standards or bushes are managed with winter pruning.
The time to summer prune is when the bottom third of the new shoots is stiff and woody.
In North East England, that’s generally August for pears and the beginning of September for apples.
Summer pruning is to cut back new shoots to allow light to reach the fruit.
Winter pruning is mainly for apples and pears grown as bush or standards. Restricted forms are managed with summer pruning, although winter pruning is used to train them initially.
Apple and pear trees should be pruned every winter to ensure a good crop the following season. The aim is to create an open goblet shape with a framework of about five main branches. How to summer prune: Cut back new shoots (laterals) more than 20cm (8in) long growing from the main stem to three leaves above the basal cluster of leaves. Do not prune new shoots that are less than 20cm (8in) long as they usually end in fruit buds.
Cut back new shoots growing from existing sideshoots (sub-laterals) to one leaf above the basal cluster.
Remove any upright, vigorous growth completely and any stems that are diseased or dead.