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One needs to prune fruit trees annually, as from the first years
of a trees’ life. Pruning is practiced for the following reasons:
- To allow light penetration. Light penetration is essential
for flower bud development and optimal fruit set. When
the fruit ripens, it utilizes light fully, so it is important to
remove excessive shoots.
- To remove dead, diseased or damaged branches,
thereby preventing the spread of disease.
- To shape-up the tree. By removing excessive growth the
shape of the tree will be maintained.
- To control size and vigour of the tree. Trees that are not
pruned usually have upright branches, resulting in
serious limb breakage under a heavy fruit load.
When to prune:
Pruning can be done during transplanting of trees (initial pruning
and training), in winter and summer.
If young trees are branched when they come from the nursery or
garden centre, remove nearly all the branches, leaving only the
trunk a few feet high, immediately after transplanting. This will
allow the gardener to train the tree to grow in a desired way.
Winter pruning:
Pruning should mostly be done during winter, or dormant
season. This is when the leaves have fallen and the structure is
more easily identifiable. However, trees should not be pruned
until all danger of frost has passed. Pruning in winter maintains
the shape of the tree and adjusts the balance between the root
system and the aerial part of the tree.
Summer pruning:
Summer pruning is advisable, especially for removing watersprouts,
and root-suckers. Summer pruning can also be
practiced during the first three years of training the tree to produce
the desired shape. Undesired growth should be removed in
early summer or after harvesting. If the trees are heavily pruned,
reduce the amount of fertilizer applied in relation to the severity
of pruning. Heavily pruned trees may not need fertilizer for a
year or two.
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