The Biggest Mistake Gardeners Make When Pruning Open Center Fruit Trees

There are four common fruit tree pruning forms. One of the most popular is an open center. This form allows for fruit trees to remain short, but increases the surface area of the tree so that it can capture more light and produce more fruit. Open center trees are described as "bowl shaped", which allows the light into the center of the tree. This bowl shape description often causes gardeners to make a big mistake.

Open Center Peach Tree

When structurally pruning fruit trees, you will slowly raise the canopy to a desired height. Once you have achieved the height of the lowest branches, you will want to remove the leader. This will open the center of your tree and establish good secondary branches.

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Cutting The Leader Will Open the Center of a Tree

As your open center tree matures, you will find that new branches will grow up through the center of the tree, and branches will start to grow toward the middle. Most pruning tutorials will instruct gardeners to remove all of the water sprouts and branches growing towards the middle. While this is a generally accepted practice, it's important to not over do it.

Water Sprouts Growing Towards the Middle

When open center fruit trees have been over pruned, large mature branches are exposed to sun scald. As scalded bark peels away from the sap wood, it is no longer protecting your trees from wood boring insects and other diseases.

Exposed Wood is Susceptible to Wood Boring Insects

Spurs growing towards the middle of your tree should be left alone. Spurs are slow growing branches and will not cross other branches. Spurs will shade the mature branches that support them and still be able to capture sunlight and produce fruit.

Sun Scald on a Peach Tree

Water Sprouts are fast growing branches, and could become a problem in the future if left to grow in towards the middle of your tree, but stone fruit will produce on those new branches and tipping them instead of completely removing them will also allow those branches to shade mature wood, capture sun light, and produce fruit.

So, "open center" does not mean you should clear out all branches back to the main structure! It means to open the center, but allow fruiting wood to shade mature wood and capture the light that enters the center of the tree. By avoiding this mistake you will have a healthier, more productive fruit tree.

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