Pruning Fruit Trees

January through March is the time to prune your fruit trees


By Dawson Bailey
Howard County Extension Agent - Agriculture

NASHVILLE, Ark. — Pruning and training fruit trees are two of the most important cultural practices for their management. This should begin at planting time. Pruning is the removal of parts of the tree; training is directing the growth of the tree through pruning, limb spreaders, clothespins, or other practices. There are many reasons to prune a tree including to reduce the tree size, to form a strong framework that will support heavy fruit load, to stop the spread of disease, and to allow light to penetrate throughout the tree.

Best Time to Prune

The best time to prune fruit trees is during late winter or early spring, January to early March, before the beginning of active growth. Later in the spring is better, but if you have a large number of trees to be pruned, time it so you will finish before bud break. This timing is important for many reasons. The wounds will heal quickly when new growth starts. Undesirable branches and other wood to be pruned can easily be seen without leaves on the tree. The bark is less likely to tear during that time of year, and trees pruned in early winter may be damaged by low winter temperatures after pruning.

Pruning Guidelines

Some general pruning guidelines to follow:

  • Remove dead, diseased, and broken branches
  • Remove water sprouts (excessive growth at the top) and suckers (excessive vegetative growth at the bottom of the tree)
  • Remove shoots emerging from the rootstock
  • Eliminate competition between branches that grow toward one another or toward the center of the tree
  • Eliminate narrow or sharp-angled branches
  • Remove growth that is angled toward the ground, and remove branches that touch the ground.

Trees also need to be trained. Methods of training fruit trees may be central leader or open center. A central leader system is characterized by one main, upright trunk. Apple, apricot, cherry, pear and plum trees are generally pruned to the central leader method. Peach and nectarine may be pruned to either a central leader or open center. 

If your central leader tree has been neglected and does not have the true central leader shape, consider your main objectives in pruning and training. In many cases, there are too many lateral branches and upright limbs that need to be removed to allow more light to penetrate the tree. Neglected trees often have overgrown tops that shade the rest of the tree. In this situation, you should cut back or remove the tops to allow better light penetration, but do not remove more than 30% of the tree’s top to avoid shifting the tree into a vegetative state with little fruit development.

For more information on pruning fruit trees, see our fact sheet FSA-6042: Pruning Fruit Trees,  or call the Howard County Extension Office at 870-845-7517. The Cooperative Extension Service is part of the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture.

 

About the Division of Agriculture

The University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture’s mission is to strengthen agriculture, communities, and families by connecting trusted research to the adoption of best practices. Through the Agricultural Experiment Station and the Cooperative Extension Service, the Division of Agriculture conducts research and extension work within the nation’s historic land grant education system. 

The Division of Agriculture is one of 20 entities within the University of Arkansas System. It has offices in all 75 counties in Arkansas and faculty on three campuses.  

Pursuant to 7 CFR § 15.3, the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture offers all its Extension and Research programs and services (including employment) without regard to race, color, sex, national origin, religion, age, disability, marital or veteran status, genetic information, sexual preference, pregnancy or any other legally protected status, and is an equal opportunity institution.