Erikht
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Pruning fruit treesWhen would be the best time to do so? My mother has a wildling apple tree in the garden which has provided valuable bulk and taste to jellies, but the thing is clearly out of control. When would be the time for some serious downsizing?
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Tavascarow
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When it's dormant.
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Millymollymandy
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I do mine in January.
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Hairyloon
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I've never been quite sure and I'm supposed to be an expert. Some say spring, some autumn and some winter.
I've heard so many different opinions, I'm not sure that different times suit different species.
My logical thinking is that early spring is probably best: the tree is still dormant, but will soon be waking up to heal itself.
OTOH, you might want to simulate nature and consider when it is most likely to have branches taken off by the wind...
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yummersetter
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the usual advice is after the leaves have fallen, when it's not frosty or raining - do you have any winter days like that?
I tend to do mine in any dry weather around Christmas.
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orangepippin
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| Hairyloon wrote: |
My logical thinking is that early spring is probably best: the tree is still dormant, but will soon be waking up to heal itself. |
It probably does not matter that much, but I use the same logic. Early Feb, a dry mild day with no frost forecast.
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mihto
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Looks like February, then.
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oldish chris
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The pruning regime does tend to be influenced by the size the tree is and the size you want it to be. Pruning in the dormant period (I'm a January hacker) is to encourage growth - you remove a branch you don't want at a point where you'd like a new one. Pruning in the growth period (I do it late June) is to reduce growth, mainly to turn a side shoot into a fruiting spur (rather than letting it grow into yet another branch).
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orangepippin
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That's correct. However whilst winter pruning encourages growth, it does not make the tree "bigger", if you see what I mean. If you were to grow 2 identical trees, winter-pruning one and leaving the other alone, the pruned tree would end up being smaller - or so I've been told.
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Erikht
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The goal is to reduce the size of the thing.
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