Prune fruit trees
Give trees the best chance of weathering the next year and do the most important pruning now,
THERE’S always a right time for any gardening job – and all too often for me it turns out to be last month! Fruit pruning is a classic case in point. It’s possible to prune most subjects at almost any time. However, it’s also better to prune most fruit plants once their sap is down and they’re effectively dormant. True tender plants and evergreens may be better left until growth restarts, and stone fruits are best only pruned in mid-summer, but otherwise prune now.
The reasons to prune now are manifold. First, pruning once the sap goes down means fewer resources are taken away than they would be if you leave it until the sap is rising and the buds start to swell in the new year. Second, it’s better for plants to lose top growth sooner than later, as this reduces their chances of windrock damage and breakages. Third, plants ‘expect’ winter damage and so are equipped to deal with it. Finally, it’s better to prune now at leisure rather than do a rush job later.
What are the most important plants to prune first? Well, trained fruit such as espalier apples and pears will need doing most urgently, as if these are left they soon lose their form – cut back almost all their shoots to stubs only, leaving those needed to extend the frameworks. Then grapevines need almost everything that grew this year removing – again, leave short stubs with a few buds and any long shoots needed to extend their frames.
Next, tackle the berries: most of these fruit on last year’s shoots, so all the older (and thus fruited) shoots need removing, and then the remainder need thinning. Likewise, blackcurrants need ruthless removal of much older wood, leaving just the newer. The other currants, gooseberries and blueberries need treating much like the trained fruit. So go on, get that pruning done ASAP!
“Plants ‘expect’ winter damage”