How to Prune Fruit Trees in 9 Simple Lessons
Pruning fruit trees is both an art and a science and can be scary for new and expert gardeners alike. It's hard to know if the consequences of your pruning cuts will improve or damage your tree for life.
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| Pruning is a Combination of Art and Science |
After obtaining my Bachelor of Science in Horticulture I started a part time fruit tree pruning business to earn a little extra money in the off season. 12 years later, I'm now prune trees full time and work on thousands of fruit trees every spring. From large neglected peach trees, diseased plums, and healthy apple orchards, I rarely see something that I haven't dealt with before. From January to the end of April i visit hundreds of regular clients and in just four months my fruit tree pruning business generates over $50,000 in revenue. It's not uncommon for some of my pruning clients to report back to me that they were able to harvest 100 pounds of fruit from a single tree!
Over the years I have been able to successfully train employees and present fruit tree pruning education to one-on-one clients and large groups in nursery settings. I have condensed this information and collected hundreds of photo examples so that I can share this information in a very digestible way.
The information found in this course is no secret if you know where to find it, but you also need to know how to recognize the truth from the noise the internet provides so freely. The problem with free information is that it is either low quality or tied to some form of advertising, affiliate link, or expensive up sales. If you ask specific questions in a forum or Facebook Group you will find that everyone has a contradicting opinion and you might leave more confused than when you started.
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This course will include the following 9 Lessons:
- Fruit Tree Biology
- Fruit Tree Anatomy
- Fruit Tree Pruning Tools
- Starting your Orchard
- Basic Pruning Techniques
- Structural Pruning
- Maintenance Pruning
- Corrective Pruning
- Advanced Pruning Techniques
We are so excited that you have decided to take this course and we look forward to getting your feed back. If you have any questions regarding this pruning course, please email me at russ@simplytreesut.com
I have a few older trees, and a few younger trees. My older trees seem like they grow too much, should I be doing a summer pruning to slow the growth?
ReplyDeleteThe younger ones need to grow more, so I think annual pruning may be good enough. Do you find yourself pruning trees differently based on the age of the tree?
Absolutely! Older trees have large branches removed periodically to "reset" parts of the tree. Young trees need regular pruning, and can receive a light tipping in the early summmer to stimulate a fuller canopy.
DeleteI am thinking of adding a stepover apple as an edge to my garden. Can you make a post about stepovers? Should I use a ultradwarf variety? or just prune a seedling like crazy. Do you know anyone that sells them? or will I need to make my own?
ReplyDeleteI'm no a fan of dwarf trees because they grow too slowly. Diseases can spread faster than the tree can grow. I like to have lots of new growth to work with and just prune aggressively.
DeleteVery helpful very knowledgeable of how to from clip to finishing.
ReplyDeleteGlad it was helpful!
DeleteMy subject of interest is all about mangoes. Please advise how can I benefit from this forum.
ReplyDeleteI'm sure there are some similarities, but unfortunately I don't have a lot of experience with growing mangoes.
DeleteExcellent content!
ReplyDeleteSome fruits grow on older wood, some on newer wood, could you provide some information for novice growers so as to not cut off all the fruiting buds?
Apples and pears grow on spurs. Peaches grow on last year's new growth. Apricots, cherries, and plums grow on new wood, but also have spurs.
ReplyDelete