If you regularly prune your fruit trees, you can look forward to a more productive harvest and he althy trees. You can find out here which cutting measures have what effect and where to set the cut correctly.
If you have fruit trees in your garden, you can not only look forward to fresh fruit of the best quality. Fruit trees are also a real ornament for the garden. However, you have to do a lot to ensure that the trees remain he althy and that you can harvest plenty of fruit. Above all, the pruning of the fruit tree is important, because it lays the foundation for strong growth, lush flowering and, consequently, for a rich harvest. Anyone who thinks that one cut is sufficient when planting the fruit trees is mistaken. If you want to achieve a high-yield harvest over many years, then you have to prune your fruit trees from time to time. We will explain in more detail below when and how to do this correctly.
Why do you have to prune fruit trees?
Fruit trees need regular pruning for a number of reasons. On the one hand, the fruit tree pruning serves to keep the tree he althy. As with so many other plants, pathogens such as lice or fungi can spread to the branches of fruit trees. Only removing the affected branches will ensure a he althy fruit plant.
But over time, some branches will become lazy. These branches must then be removed, after all, branches without flowers will not produce any fruit. So it's time to make room for new and, above all, blooming branches. In this way you promote fruiting. The same applies to dead wood and wild shoots. These must be removed to make room for new, he althy branches.
Conclusion:
If you want to keep fruit trees he althy and harvest lots of fruit, you have to use scissors regularly. Without the pruning, fruit trees would grow quite wild and not bear much fruit.
What tools do I need for pruning fruit trees?
The right tool is the be-all and end-all for pruning fruit trees. Without the right tool, you cannot make clean cuts. In addition, theCutting measures otherwise become a, above all dangerous, tour de force. Therefore, always make sure that all tools are sharp. This makes editing easier and clean interfaces generally close much faster. You also prevent fruit tree cancer from developing. Recommended tools for pruning fruit trees include:
❍ Bypass Secateurs:
Depending on the thickness of the branch, different tools are required. For example, bypass pruning shears with a revolving handle are ideal for smaller and especially thin branches. It is designed like conventional scissors with two blades and is therefore recommended for cleanly cutting thin branches. The rolling handle also ensures better handling.
❍ Anvil Pruning Shears or Loppers:
For thicker branches, however, we recommend using an anvil secateurs with a revolving handle. It has only one cutting edge that hits a piece of metal with a little pressure. It is therefore ideal for cutting through harder or dead branches.
Alternatively, you can use pruning shears. One with a telescopic extension is advisable here, because you don't necessarily need a ladder for the cutting work. Such scissors with a telescopic extension are also called cutting giraffes. They can be extended to a certain length and equipped with a steel spring and a pull chain. In this way you can also cut the fruit trees at a height of several meters without having to use a lot of force.
❍ Pruning Saw:
If you have to remove a relatively large branch, it is best to use a pruning saw. This is also available with a telescopic rod. However, some skill is required with this tool, because handling it is not that easy. It is therefore best to practice a little beforehand. This is especially true if you are using a cordless pruning saw.
❍ Leader:
If you are not very good with tools that have a telescopic handle, you have to climb the ladder to cut branches at height. A telescopic ladder is highly recommended here. However, make sure you have a secure footing and always cut the branches so that they don't fall on you.
When is the right time to prune fruit trees?
In addition to the technique, the timing of fruit tree care is also important. If you want a bountiful harvest, prune in late spring or summer. This slows down the growth of the tree and promotes flowering. So the fruit crates are full in autumn. With apple andHobby gardeners should, for example, pick up pear trees in June and trim long shoots (see training pruning). And because after the harvest is before the harvest, the training cut follows again in late winter. Because only a tree that stays in shape will provide plenty of fruit again in the following year. The only rule is when it's frosty: keep your hands off the scissors.
The following is a brief overview of when which fruit tree needs to be cut:
| Type/Month | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apple | ❀ | ❀ | ❀ | |||||||||
| Pear | ❀ | ❀ | ❀ | |||||||||
| Cherry | ❀ | ❀ | ||||||||||
| Peach | ❀ | ❀ | ❀ | |||||||||
| Plum | ❀ | ❀ | ||||||||||
| Plum | ❀ | ❀ | ❀ | |||||||||
| Quince | ❀ | ❀ |
How to properly prune fruit trees
Terminology
Before we come to the individual cutting measures, here is a brief explanation of the terms so that you will understand everything better later:
❍ Center drive:
The central shoot is the shoot that forms the stem extension.
❍ Lead drives:
Are shoots that emerge from the central shoot at an angle between 45° and 90°.
❍ Water Shooter:
Also called water shoots, they are unbranched long shoots that shoot up and do not have flower buds. They are always cut right off the old wood.
❍ Juice Scale:
The juice scale is created when you shorten all the leading shoots to the same height.
Pruning phases at a glance
As already mentioned, fruit trees grow in many different waysway cut. First of all, there is a pruning that you need to do once and right after planting. Accordingly, this is also called plant cutting. This is followed by the annual training cut and later also the maintenance and rejuvenation cut. For these cutting measures, you must proceed as follows:
Pruning:
What many people don't know is that certain plants have to be cut immediately after planting in the garden. This also applies to fruit trees, for example. After planting, you should shorten strong shoots by half and weak ones by a third. It is important that you pay attention to the so-called juice scale, i.e. shorten all leading shoots to the same height. You also have to shorten the center drive. However, this should be 10 centimeters longer than the leading shoots.
The general rule is: When cutting, always look out for buds that grow outwards. You can cut off the branches at an angle about five millimeters above these buds. On the other hand, you should cut off thicker branches as close as possible to the branching.
Training cut:
You must then carry out the training cut from the second year of planting. The aim is to thin out the crown and thus ensure that the fruits receive more light and that the harvest is generally much more productive. With this pruning, remove shoots that grow parallel to the leaders, cross each other, or grow inwards. Also bring the leading shoots of the crown back into the juice scale. In this way you ensure year after year that the fruit tree bears plenty of fruit and that diseases and pests don't stand a chance.
Conservation cut:
You do not have to carry out maintenance pruning in the first few years of the tree. Only when the fruit tree is about 10 years old. This cut removes everything that hinders or even prevents a bountiful harvest. So speak instincts that
- grown inwards,
- stand too close,
- hang low,
- grow towards the ground,
- touch,
- shoot up vertically (water shooter),
- dead.
After this pruning, the tree should bear plenty of fruit next year.
Taper Cut:
Over time you will see that the harvest is getting smaller and smaller. Then at the latest it is time for a rejuvenation cut. This cut is about thoroughly thinning out the fruit tree.To do this, first cut back the leading shoots radically. Then you have to do everything that is also required for the maintenance cut. In other words, remove dead, inwardly growing, touching, etc. branches.
The instructions in the video:
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Seal cuts or not?
Many hobby gardeners resort to so-called wound protection agents, also known as artificial bark, after pruning the fruit tree. They then apply this to large cuts to prevent germs from entering the tree through the wounds. However, experts advise against it, because wound protection agents can even have the opposite effect. Because if the artificial bark cracks, water can penetrate. And that, in turn, promotes fungal infestation. So refrain from such means. After all, trees are able to heal themselves thanks to what is known as callus, a natural wound tissue.
Where to put the clippings?
Don't just throw clippings in the compost. You can also chop it up and then use it to cover beds. The pruning is then comparable to bark mulch, which is known to protect the soil from drying out and also protects it from heavy rainfall. The green waste also prevents weeds from spreading. So you have a lot less to do in the garden. Incidentally, you can also make mulch from other materials. Here is our article Using mulch correctly.