Fruit Trees

Old, unpruned fruit trees, covered in lichen, with decaying branches and new growth reaching to the sky, can produce well and provide a tonne of habitat for wild birds.  However, judicious pruning usually leads to greater fruit production, greater ease of harvesting the fruit and a 'healthier' tree.  Here are some basic guidelines for pruning fruit trees.  I know they work because I've been pruning an old apple tree for years and it seems to produce better fruit every year.  However, I will be taking a tree pruning course at Camosun College this November so I'll likely be able to add to this post soon.

When to prune

Prune in dormancy, in Victoria that means anytime after the leaves are down, from late fall though late winter.

How much to prune

To reinvigorate an old tree, prune a lot.  This will stimulate much new growth.  If the tree is already well managed, prune only a little.  In general, prune up to 1/3 of the total branches.

What to cut

Cut out crossing, rotting and dead branches back to about a centimeter from the trunk.  You don't want to damage the collar, or cells that will heal over the cut, but you don't want to leave a stump that will encourage rot.  

Cut out branches that shade the centre of the tree, so that light can ripen all the fruit.  

Cut branches that grow out of reach, or weight those suckers (see below).

Shorten long branches by up to 1/3 to control the size of the tree.  You will still get fruit on these branches because fruiting 'spurs', or stubby little nubs, grow on older wood.

Weighting branches

Horizontally bent branches produce more fruit than upright ones, and are easier to reach.  Supple branches can be bent to horizontal by tieing on weights.  When left in place for about a year, the branches continue to grow that way.  Nature does this haphazardly with heavy fruit.