edible trees & shrubs
summer
pruning of apples and pears
Apple
and pear trees are traditionally pruned in the Winter when
they are dormant. However they also benefit from a second
pruning in Summer just as the fruit is developing. This is
because apple and pear trees put on a lot of new shoots in
Spring and Summer and these new shoots can cause some fruit
tree management problems.
Benefits of
summer pruning
Apple tree with Spring and Summer growth shoots at the top.
The same tree after the shoots have been pruned back.
Summer pruning makes it easier to put netting over the tree to protect the fruit from birds.
B. Increases the air flow around the fruit and allows more direct sunlight to reach the centre of the tree. Lack of air flow and sunlight slows the ripening process and increases the risk of fungal diseases.
C. Allows you to pick the fruit more easily.
D. Reduces the amount of Winter pruning you will have to do.
how to summer prune
Summer
pruning is easy to do. Simply cut the shoots off at the base where they
emerge from the older established branches. They are easy to spot as
they are usually thinner, more flexible and lighter in colour than the
older branches.They also will not have any fruit on them.
If your fruit trees have not reached the size that you want them to reach then do not prune the shoots that are pointing in the direction that you want the tree to grow. They will develop into mature branches in the following season
Other fruit trees such as Plum and Nashi trees will also benefit from a Summer pruning.