When and How to Prune Fruit Trees for Your Best Harvest Yet

Sure, unpruned fruit trees can still produce a crop. But knowing how to prune fruit trees properly helps them be more productive and the fruit will be easier to harvest. This guide explains the benefits of regular pruning, the best time to make your cuts, and explains key techniques for pruning fruit trees of all types.

Why Prune Fruit Trees?

If you favor a more laissez-faire approach to gardening, you may be wondering why you should bother pruning fruit trees. The primary reason is to control the size and shape of a tree. This goes beyond removing lower branches to make mowing around the trunks easier. It’s really about training the tree to develop a strong structure capable of supporting a heavy crop without breaking limbs.

Fruit trees that have been pruned are easier to maintain and harvest. The increased air circulation reduces common tree diseases, especially in humid climates. And with the canopy thinned out, sunlight is able to reach the interior of the tree, leading to better fruit set and larger fruit. On the other hand, fruit trees that have been neglected have an overabundance of branches and produce fruit that is small, misshapen, and mediocre flavor.

When to Prune Fruit Trees

Timing your pruning is dictated by a number of factors, such as the type of fruit and specific plant diseases you may be trying to avoid. For example, sweet cherries can be pruned in late summer when there’s less chance of bacterial infection. Prune other stone fruits (those with large pits) just before bloom and up to two weeks after petal fall. Most other fruit trees are best pruned when they are dormant in late winter, when it’s easier to inspect the leafless tree’s structure to determine what cuts are needed.

Restrict summer pruning to removal of sucker shoots (young whips growing from the base of the tree), water sprouts (rapidly growing shoots growing within the canopy), and vertical branches (those growing upright). Because they need more frequent attention, dwarf fruit trees in containers, espaliers, and other stylized shapes can be pruned throughout the growing season.

It’s best to allow young trees to become established for two to three years before doing heavy pruning, as the loss of too much canopy can set them back in their growth. One exception is bare-root trees sold as unbranched whips; they should be pruned back to 28-36 inches at planting time to encourage branching.

What to Cut

Just like other woody plants, fruit trees benefit from the removal of dead, diseased, or damaged wood. Pruning can also help tame excessive growth that shades the inner canopy, inhibits flowering and weakens branches.

Examine the tree from all angles. Look for branches that are crossing or crowding each other, broken, hanging too low or growing too long. Then decide whether to make a thinning cut that removes the entire branch or a heading cut that only snips off a portion. Thinning cuts are used to remove dead, diseased, and broken branches, as well as those growing too tightly and crowding each other. Heading cuts are best for reinvigorating a tree and spurring new growth.

Always remove sucker shoots that arise from the base of the trunk (shown above), as these shoots are non-productive, deplete the tree’s energy, and can crowd out the desirable portion of grafted fruit trees. Water sprouts are fast-growing upright stems that appear after major pruning. Most of the time it’s best to remove them; however, on sparsely-branched fruit trees, a few can be left in place to help the tree rebuild its reserves. Make sure to thin them out and only keep those growing away from the trunk and permanent branches.

Shaping Fruit Trees

There are a few different ways to shape a fruit tree’s canopy, which will affect how to prune your tree.

Upright central leader: The tree has one upright-growing leader (trunk) with scaffolding branches to the sides. It has a sturdy, pyramidal shape; however, it can be harder to harvest fruit from tall trees with an upright central leader. Recommended for pear and persimmon trees, as well as dwarf and semi-dwarf apple trees.

Modified central leader: This is a hybrid form (shown above) between an upright central leader and an open center form. The central leader’s top has been removed, but scaffolding branches remain. This form features a sturdy trunk and strong branches but makes larger trees easier to harvest. It is good for standard apple trees as well as apricot, cherry, fig, nectarine, olive, peach, pear, persimmon, plum, pluot, and pomegranate trees.

Open center form: There is no central leader; instead, the tree has an open, vase-like form. This type of pruning works for almond, apricot, cherry, fig, nectarine, peach, pear, persimmon, plum, and pomegranate trees.

Renovating an Old Fruit Tree

It’s not uncommon to inherit one or more overgrown, neglected fruit trees when moving to a new property. First, decide whether the tree is worth the effort. Is it a special cultivar with exceptional fruit flavor? And is it structurally sound or full of rot, insects, or disease? If the trunk and parts of large limbs are hollow, the tree may not be salvageable. In those cases, it’s best to remove and replace the tree.

When renovating an overgrown fruit tree that’s worth saving, the basic premise is simple: open up the canopy to allow in light and encourage fruit production. Start by removing any broken branches, along with dead or diseased wood. Then look for branches that are growing inward, upward, or into each other. Also prune off low-hanging branches and weak, spindly growth. Most renovation pruning calls for removing the entire branch rather than clipping off a portion because the latter encourages vigorous new growth that crowds the canopy, looks unsightly, and reduces flowering and fruiting.

Extensive pruning is best done over a period of two to three years to lessen shock to the tree, with no more than one-third of the canopy removed at one time. Water sprouts will develop after pruning and should be removed when they are 10-12 inches long and tender enough to pull off by hand.