Corona's Principles of Pruning

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PRUNING FRUIT TREES

A fruit tree allowed to bear all the fruit it sets in the

spring will produce scads of poor-quality fruit, or it will

produce well only every other year. For consistently

good crops you must thin clusters of young fruit to a

single fruit. Do this when the fruit is still small (mar-

ble to golf-ball size). Each fruit should be 6 inches or

more from its neighbor. Such thorough fruit thinning

is time-consuming, but you will appreciate the effort

come fall.

Pears, plums, and cherries produce most of their fruit

on stubby growths between the branches called spurs.

Peaches grow on one-year limb growth, and apples

grow on both spurs and limbs. Spur-type trees produce

less limb growth and so require less pruning, but even

spurs must be thinned periodically. A spur will produce

good fruit for two or three years. Then it should be

removed to encourage new, more vigorous spurs.

Try to maintain a strong central leader on young ap-

ples, switching to a modiﬁed-leader form as the trees

age. Prune them lightly every year. Remove dead or

damaged wood, thin branches for open growth, re-

move suckers and water sprouts. Moderate annual

pruning is far better for the tree than irregular severe

pruning.As with all fruit trees, thinning of young fruits

ensures a much ﬁner crop.

Cherries need less pruning than other fruit trees. They

tend toward an open-center growth habit, but it is still

a good idea to encourage a central-leader habit when

the tree is young, changing over to a modiﬁedleader

or open-center system.

Peaches, nectarines, and apricots are all very vigor-

ous and therefore need regular, careful pruning to pro-

duce well. They are also relatively shortlived (about 10

years), another reason pruning is so important, since

it stimulates new, vigorous growth. Train all three to

an open-central growth habit. They tend to grow tall,

and the best fruit forms at the top of the tree, so prune

to keep the top in bounds. Prune in late winter while

the trees are dormant yet when you can remove any

cold-damaged wood.

Train a pear tree in much the same manner as an ap-

ple, with a central leader that can be allowed to form