Don’t prune the fruit trees in wind or snow
Advice on preparing to get the best crop in the coming year
Last season was a great year for apples – make sure this year is by winter pruning your apple and pear trees – but only if it’s not windy or snowing!
If it is, just ‘window garden’ and brush up on the techniques here.
Winter pruning mainly applies to trees grown as standards or bushes 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.
You also prune other types in summer but for different reasons.
Pruning should be carried out when the tree is dormant, early March at the latest.
You’ll need sharp secateurs, loppers and a pruning saw. Start by removing crossing, rubbing, weak, dead, diseased and damaged branches. If you do nothing else, this will improve your tree.
Keep the centre open by removing larger branches with a pruning saw. If a tree is neglected and several need to be removed, spread the work over two or three winters.
Reduce the height and spread of any branches that have grown too big by cutting them back to a vigorous lower branch (make sure this is at least one-third of the diameter of the branch being cut out).
From here, the next steps depend on whether the tree is a spur-bearer, tip-bearer, or partial tip bearer.
Most apples are tip-bearers, but look up your variety and find out which one it is. You’ll find more information on my website www.mandycanudigit.com on some of the common apples and pears.
Confusingly, it’s best to prune a partial tip-bearer like a spur-bearer (it has spurs as well).
Spur-bearing varieties: shorten the previous year’s growth on each main branch by about one-third to a bud facing in the required direction to encourage the development of new branches and spurs.
Cut back any young laterals growing from the main framework to five or six buds.
On older trees, remove any spur systems that have become overcrowded.
Tip-bearing varieties: prune the previous year’s growth on each main branch and the most vigorous laterals to the first strong bud.
Leave unpruned laterals less than 30cm (1ft) long. Cut back some older fruited wood to a young shoot or leaf bud to reduce congestion.