Many consumers today are interested in knowing how their food is produced, and are therefore drawn to the idea of becoming producers themselves by growing their own fruits and vegetables. Fruit trees such as apple, peach, and pear not only provide a source of nutrient rich food for homeowners, but can also add to the aesthetics of the home landscape. To get the most out of these trees, proper training and pruning is necessary.
Annual pruning is essential to producing high quality fruit of sufficient size and quality. Pruning removes dead and diseased tissue and allows light to penetrate the canopy which increases fruit bud development for the following years and increases the quality of the current crop. It is also a means of controlling tree size to ensure that harvesting can be done safely and efficiently.
Although a mature tree might be growing in full sun, a very dense canopy may not allow adequate light to reach inside the canopy. Opening the tree canopy also permits air movement through the tree, which promotes rapid drying to minimize disease infection and allows thorough spray penetration when applying pesticides. Additionally, a well-shaped fruit tree is aesthetically pleasing, whether in a landscaped yard, garden, or commercial orchard.
The best time to prune fruit trees and vines is during late winter or early spring just before the beginning of active growth. Pruning grapes at this time of year may cause vines to “bleed” but this will not hurt the plant. Additionally, summer pruning can be used to remove water sprouts, root suckers, and fire-blight infected wood.
For trees or vines that have not been pruned for several years, it will take multiple years of pruning to get them back in good shape, with 3 or 4 major heading cuts being made each year along with smaller thinning cuts. Where limbs grow parallel to each other or cross other limbs within 24 to 30 inches, one of the limbs should be removed to eliminate shading and bruising of limbs and fruit. In some cases, it may actually be faster to plant a new tree and train it properly rather than trying to restore a tree that has been let go for too long.
On Wednesday, March 9 a fruit pruning demonstration will be held at the Homestead in Granville, TN. We will begin at the Sutton General Store at 10:00 a.m. with a discussion of tools, pruning techniques, and common pruning mistakes. From there, we will go out to the orchard and demonstrate how to effectively prune fruit trees and grape vines.
If you would like to learn more about training and pruning fruit trees and vines, try to make it out to the Homestead in Granville on March 9 at 10:00 a.m. Afterwards, you can enjoy a meat & three lunch available for purchase at the General Store. For more information call the UT Extension office at 735-2900.
