Pruning preps trees for better production
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Pruning fruit trees is important to develop a strong, well-balanced framework to improve strength, give better shape, induce branching, and improve fruit quality. Lack of pruning causes trees to grow poorly and produce less fruit, while excessive pruning makes fruit trees susceptible to diseases, delays fruiting in younger trees, and causes older trees to grow too much. A properly pruned fruit tree also is easier to pick fruit from or to control pests. Fruit trees should be pruned yearly using proper pruning techniques.
First, remove dead, dying, or broken branches. Remove larger branches by using the three-cut method. The first cut should be an undercut (beneath the branch) about 4 inches from the crotch, one-third to halfway through the branch. The second cut should be made an inch up the branch so that when the branch falls, the lower cut provides a stopping point that keeps the bark from ripping down the trunk. The remaining stub can then be cut off, taking care not to cut too close to the tree so that a branch collar remains. The branch collar is the ridge of bark at the point of connection between the branch and the trunk. Leaving the branch collar lets the wound heal more rapidly and reduces decay.
Remove branches that produce little fruit or that shade the tree too much. To determine which branches are producing fruit, look at the buds. Fruit buds are commonly more plump and less pointed than the small leaf buds. Removing these unwanted branches allows light to the lower branches that are producing fruit. Thinning also will increase fruit production. Weak branches that are less than 1/2-inch diameter will produce shade, but rarely produce fruit. If you are in doubt, remove smaller branches that interfere with light reaching the interior of the tree and keep the larger branches intact.
Remove weak branches, water sprouts, and suckers. Water sprouts are vertical shoots that grow from larger branches or from the trunk of the tree. Suckers are the shoots that grow from the base of the tree. Both will take away energy the tree needs for normal growth and will reduce fruit production.
Finally, remove scaffolds that do not have wide branch angles, are pointed upright, or are too close together, making sure that they are evenly spaced around the tree. You only want to take off 15 to 20 percent (never more than 30 percent) of the tree at one time, so removing larger unwanted scaffold branches may need to be done over several seasons. Remember to use the three-cut method when removing larger branches.
Most fruit trees should be pruned in late winter or early spring before buds begin to swell. Water sprouts, suckers and diseased branches can be pruned in early summer. And the central leader should be headed back at the time of planting.
Proper pruning tools include hand shears, loppers and a fine-toothed saw. Be sure to keep your tools sharp and in proper working order. Dull tools can tear the cut, making would healing nearly impossible, which leads to an environment for decay.
Learn more by reviewing the Montana State University Extension MontGuide “Pruning Fruit Trees in Montana.” This publication is available through the MSU Lake County Extension office or can be downloaded from the Montana State University Extension web store (www.msuextension.org/store) by searching for the titled publication.
