Food, Garden

How to prune fruit trees correctly

Pruning tree

You should prune your fruit tree regularly. This not only rejuvenates the tree, but also provides a rich harvest. What should be noted and when you start with the cut, read in the following guide to prune fruit trees correctly.

Prune fruit trees correctly: checklist

  • Apart from peach and sweet cherry, you cut your fruit trees in the period between November and April. Make sure that there is still no frost, as the open wounds at minus degrees can worsen the wood. Peach trees are blended in April, while sweet cherry can be cut back immediately after harvest.
  • When cutting, remove mainly deadwood and branches that are transversely or obstruct other branches.
  • Do not be afraid to remove branches that have borne fruit in recent years. Young and fresh wood usually yields fruits of better quality.
  • Lightly trim the tree tops so that air can also circulate in the upper grove. This not only makes harvesting easier with the ladder in upper regions, but also prevents fungal diseases.
  • Use the right tool. For thin shoots is a normal secateurs. For thicker branches use a pruning shears. Be sure to create as little wound surface as possible. The tool should be sharp, so that on average no bumps occur. For larger trees, a stepladder must not be missing.

How to cut your fruit tree properly

Cut the crown into a kind of pyramid.
The last bud when cutting should sit outside or on top of the branch. Cut off only the shoots that are between two buds.
Shorten the shoots by a third.
Remove wild shoots

At what time you best start planting flower bulbs, we’ll tell you in another article.

gerhardt-richter Gerhardt Richter is a writer and a trainer at trade technical colleges, specializing in carpentry, plumbing, mechanics and construction.