Sixty Second Secrets for Gardening Success: Pruning Fruit Trees!

Today on Sixty-Second Secrets for Gardening Success: Pruning Fruit Trees!

 

Most fruit trees will benefit from annual pruning. The best time to prune a fruit tree is late winter or early spring. Fruit trees produce flowers on short, modified twigs called spurs. Removing these will result in reduced flowering and loss of fruit production. 

 

 

When pruning fruit trees, follow these simple steps:

·       Sterilize your pruning tools between every cut. A solution of 1 part bleach to 10 parts water work best.

·       Remove any dead, diseased, and damaged branches first.

·       Never remove more than 1/3 of the trees canopy during a growing season.

·       Last, prune the tree to allow air and light to penetrate the interior of the tree.

Adding wound dressing may be an age old practice, but should be avoided. Research has shown that this practice has no positive benefits on trees and may even harbor disease.

For more information on pruning trees, contact your local CSU Extension Office.

Sixty-Second Secrets for Gardening Success is a production of Colorado State University Extension.
CSU Extension: Extending knowledge, changing lives.

See also
Pruning Peach Trees (YouTube)

Pruning Apple Trees (YouTube)