Can I Prune My Fruit Trees Now?

Pruning is employed to remove damaged, dead and diseased branches from fruit trees. Undesirable branches that grow on fruit trees use up important nutrients if left on the tree, and reduce the air circulation inside of the tree. Timing is critical to prevent pruning shock and fungal diseases from infecting your fruit trees.

Pruning fruit trees in the late fall or early winter may encourage winter damage. Once a fruit tree has been pruned, it uses its energy to produce new side shoots, leaves and branches. This new growth is easily damaged during the winter by freezes and frosts. By pruning in fall or early winter, you can cause large portions of your tree to die. Dead limbs are the most likely areas to fall from the tree.

North Carolina State University Extension, suggests that gardeners limit their spring-to-summer pruning to removing competing leaders or thinning the inside branches. Because the fruit tree is actively growing, wounds or pruning cuts heal quicker than those made in the late winter. However, these wounds can allow harmful pathogens to enter your fruit tree. Fungal diseases are at their most prevalent during the spring and summer months. The more pruning cuts you inflict, the more likely a fungal disease can enter your fruit tree.

Winter pruning helps invigorate trees in the spring. Fruit trees store up energy in their roots and trunk right before going dormant in the winter. When branches are removed from the tree during the winter, the amount of stored energy doesn't change. In the spring, when the trees come out of dormancy, they can use the stored energy for healthy branch development and foliage growth on the top of the tree. However, fruit production will suffer from heavy dormant pruning, according to the University of North Carolina State. Heavy dormant pruning also promotes an excessive amount of water sprouts or side shoots, which provide little benefit to the fruit tree.

Your oldest fruit trees should be pruned first in the late winter. Wait for the very end of winter to prune your seedlings, because they are easily damaged by winter temperatures. Furthermore, staking the fruit tree seedling can be difficult if the ground is frozen. Typically, pecan and apple trees should be the first to be pruned in the yard. Peach, cherry and plum trees are the next fruit tree types to be pruned.