Tip of the Week: Pruning Fruit Trees

It is that time of year again to get out there and prune those fruit trees.  "Annual pruning of fruit trees helps to maintain vigor, tree health, and fruit size. Apple trees can be pruned almost any time in winter, but peach/nectarine, apricot and plum trees should be pruned in spring, just before bloom. These trees are more sensitive to colder temperatures, and if they pruned too early, they may experience some dieback."- Tree Fruit IPM Advisory, by Marion Murray.

Terminology and Making Proper Twig Cuts

 www.wintergreenhouse.com/plant-guides/fruit-trees

When pruning any tree, never remove more than 1/3 of the canopy. In general, remove:

• rubbing branches
• branches that are growing into the center of the tree, straight up, or straight down
• broken or dead branches
• suckers and sprouts: Retain a small number of well-placed suckers within the tree to keep new growth closer to the center of teh tree and to replace old scaffold limbs as they are removed.          

To read the rest of this IPM or to sign up for the Fruit Tree Advisories please visit:
http://utahpests.usu.edu/IPM/htm/advisories/treefruit/ 

For more information on fruit variety recommendations for Utah visit USU Factsheet:
https://extension.usu.edu/boxelder/htm/fruit

For tips on planting fruit trees in Utah visit USU Extension Factsheet:
http://extension.usu.edu/cache/files/uploads/planting%20fruit%20trees%203-11.pdf

For more information on maintaining and pruning visit USU Factsheet:
http://extension.usu.edu/files/publications/publication/hg_363.pdf