Corona's Principles of Pruning How to Guide

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The reasons for pruning fruit trees are the same as
those for pruning any tree or shrub. Pruning of two-
year-old whips is important to the shape, health, and
productivity of the mature tree. Regular maintenance
pruning to remove dead or diseased wood or wood
that is growing in awkward directions is also import-
ant. Unlike pruning ornamental trees and shrubs,
properly pruning fruit trees makes a difference
between large, annual crops of excellent fruit and spot-
ty, intermittent crops of variable quality. Fruit trees
are encouraged to bear lots of large fruits, pruning to
develop a strong branch system capable of withstand-
ing the annual load of ripe fruit is also critical. For tips
on basic pruning techniques and the best times to
prune, see “Pruning Methods” and “When to Prune”.
Most fruit trees are sold as two-year-old bare-root
whips, and must be pruned when planted. Cut the main
stem back by about one third to a fat bud, and prune
side branches until you have removed about a third of
the total wood. Such severe pruning of small, newly
purchased trees is always diffi cult for beginners, but
years of experience have shown thatit is benefi cial and
will get your tree off to a faster, healthier start.
Prune fruit trees to allow ample sunlight to reach
into the middle of the tree, otherwise fruits will not
ripen properly and will lack good color. This can mean
removing many more lateral branches and stems to
PRUNING FRUIT TREES