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A Beginner's Guide to Fruit Tree Pruning
05 Jul, 2022
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Central Leader
This shape is best used for apples and pears.
- Cut out dead, damaged, and diseased wood.
- Remove small secondary branches coming off a branch that is within a hands span of the main
trunk.
- Prune branches at an angle of 45° sloped away from the trunk.
- Select strong branches that will form layers around the trunk. Each layer needs 50cm spacing,
prune out any branches that are close together.
- Apply pruning paste to each cut, this will seal the wound and protect against pest and disease.
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Open Vase Shape
This is the best shape to use for stone fruit, such as peaches and plums. Follow these steps in the first year to establish shape.
- Cut out dead, damaged, or diseased wood.
- Select three strong branches, evenly spaced around the tree to start forming your vase shape.
- Cut out the central trunk to the uppermost branch of your vase, then prune back any other
branches by half.
- Cut out any secondary branches off the three chosen branches that will grow into the vase or
start to cross over other branches.
- Apply pruning paste to each cut, this will seal the wound and protect against pest and disease.
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Espalier
This shape is ideal for apples grown on dwarf rootstock (M9) or the dwarf pear Garden Belle. Follow these steps in the first year to establish shape.
- String two wires between posts, positioning the first wire at knee height and the next at waist height.
- Cut the main leader to where you want the lowest set of branches to form – usually where the first
wire is.
- The tree will branch out from where you have cut it back. Select the best three sprouts and pinch off the rest.
- When two of the sprouts grow to about 7.5cm long, make them the horizontal arms and begin tying them along the bottom wire.
- Let the other sprout grow vertically to the next wire and cut it off again. Once this vertical limb has sprouted, repeat the process from step two.
- Apply pruning paste to each cut, this will seal the wound and protect against pest and disease.
Grow Well Tips
- Always cut at a 45° angle sloping away from the trunk.
- Never prune back more than a third of the growth at once.
- When cutting larger branches, remove weight by cutting further up the branch so that the cut does not tear.
- Apply pruning paste to all cuts.
- Prune on a fine day to avoid infection.
- Sharp clean tools are essential.
- Sterilise all tools after pruning each tree, so that pests and disease are not passed from one tree to another.