Deciduous fruit trees all benefit from annual pruning. Dormant pruning or pruning during the non-growing season is necessary to invigorate and promote new growth, maintain fruiting wood, distribute fruiting wood throughout the tree, maintain tree shape, and increase tree longevity. The non-growing season is one of the best times to prune fruit trees because the tree is able to heal faster and is less susceptible to diseases.  Below are general guidelines to help in the pruning process.

  • Central Leader Pruning – Central leader is used often for apples, pears and Asian pears.  Trees are shaped with lower branches wider than upper branches which allow sunlight to hit fruiting branches from the sides.
    • Head back the central leader just above the point where a new set of lateral branches is desired. 
    • Lateral branches should be angled at least 60 degrees from vertical with the central branch. 
    • Head back any strong growing lateral branches to even out the growth pattern on the overall tree and to induce secondary lateral branching.    
    • To keep the desired form, head back upper lateral branches to maintain growth that is shorter than branches that are lower on the tree.
    • Thin out branches from the center of the canopy to help increase light penetration to fruit bearing sections of lower branches and to minimize excessive competition between branches.

Central Leader Pruning

  • Open Center Pruning – .   Open center is used primarily on apricots, cherry, nectarine, peach, pear and plum trees. 
    • Remove all central branches that arise within one foot of the trunk. 
    • Thin out secondary branches growing from the laterals so as leave an even distribution over the length of the branch. 
    • Most vigorous upright growth from the previous year should be removed.  The strongest of these branches can be left for fruit bearing purposes and should be headed back to an outward laterally growing branch. 
    • Head back each main lateral once it has reached its desired height or spread.  This cut is generally made on one year old wood and in years following renewal cuts are made in the same vicinity as the original. 

Open Center Pruning BeforeOpen Center Pruning After

  • When thinning, make cuts close to and parallel to the supporting limb.
  • Remove branches that bend to the ground or head them back to more upward growing laterals.
  • Remove branches that are rubbing, crossing one another, have poor crotch angles or are growing in an undesirable direction.
  • Remove all dead or diseased branches that can weaken the tree.
  • Make sure pruning shears and loppers are properly sharpened and in good working condition

Thinning: Removing an entire stem or branch by taking it back to its point of origin or to where it meets another branch. 

Heading Back: Removing part of a branch by cutting it back to a bud, a twig, or a branch below the tip.

Three-Point Cut:

  1. Cut 1/3 of branch from the bottom.
  2. Cut from top of branch to remove weight.
  3. Finish cut at collar of tree after flare from parent tree.

Three-Point Cut Pruning

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