Apple and Pear Pruning
Fruiting trees require specific pruning techniques to make sure the maximum yield can be achieved. In the same way that roses produce flowers only on the horizontal shoots fruiting trees will only fruit on the horizontal shoots too.
Again, like the roses, it is first important to determine the type of form the fruiting tree is growing in. Free standing trees need different pruning methods to trained ones, these can come in espalier, fan or cordon forms.
Free standing apple/pear trees can be treated similarly to a hybrid tea rose with trained forms treated like a rambling or climbing rose.
Overview
3Ds - Start by removing dead, damaged, diseased, crossing or congested stems.
Shorten vertical watershoots by 1/2 - Cut at 45 degrees 5mm above an outwards facing bud.
Goblet shape - Aim to create an open-centred goblet shaped tree.
Create horizontal stems - Fruits appear on or near to horizontal stems only.
Don’t cut fruiting spurs - Fruiting spurs have a fluffier and scalier appearance than the flowering buds (see image), be careful not to remove the fruiting spurs unless necessary.
Prune evenly - stepping away from the tree to get a view of the whole tree regularly.
10 - 20% - Aim to remove 10-20% of the canopy in the winter prune.
Avoid taking very large and very small cuts, as well as the watershoots stems around 1-5cm diameter should usually be the target.
Free standing apple and pear pruning
Apple (Malus) and pear (Pyrus) species require the same pruning techniques at the same time of year.
Pruning should be done in the winter or spring when the tree is bare.
Firstly identify and remove any dead, damaged or diseased wood. Next look to find and stems growing inwards towards the centre of the tree, any crossing or rubbing stems and any areas of congestion, these must all be removed too.
The vertical shoots (known as watershoots) must be cut back to 1/2 of their length, cut above an outward facing bud with a 45 degree cut. Leave horizontal sideshoots unpruned as these will bear the fruiting spurs and eventually fruits (unless causing congestion or crossing).
Start by removing all of the above growth
leaf bud
"The simple rule for pruning fruit trees is to cut back all new growth back by half, to an outward-facing bud, making the cut at a 45-degree angle, and 6mm above the outward-facing bud.”
fruiting spur
Fruiting spurs as the name suggests are the buds that develop into fruit. These should be left alone and retained. See image below (leaf bud on the left vs fruiting spur to the right).
Move around the tree and cut evenly, the winter pruning sets out the coming seasons growth so it important to get a good balance throughout the tree. You should aim to remove 10-20% of the overall canopy in the winter prune.
Very big and very little cuts should be avoided, generally the stems that want cutting will be between 1-5cm in diameter so think twice before making cuts into large limbs especially older ones that are prone to decay. If you are pruning small stems you may find you are better off moving down towards the centre of the tree.
Espalier and fan trained fruiting trees
the basal cluster
The same pruning cut principals as the free standing trees should be applied but it is important to be mindful of the required direction the plant is to be grown in.
Pruning of espaliers and fans is best done in August. Side-shoots growing from the leader must be cut back to 3 leaves (approximately 7.5cm from the basal cluster.)
(Basal cluster “group of tightly packed leaves that often forms near the junction of the new and old growth.”)
espalier training
Espalier is a space-saving way to grow fruiting trees involving training the tree along a wall or fence following lateral wires along a wall (see diagram below).
Fan trained fruiting trees are also a way to get plenty of fruits from a small space but with a more natural form. Rather than training the plant to grow in a network of parallel horizontal stems (espalier) the stems are trained at 45 degrees and are pruned to encourage short vertical stems where fruiting spurs can form.
Cordon forms are found in pots where trees are trained up a bamboo framework. These are uncommon but follow the same principals.
fan training
Winter pruning involves mostly the cutting of the vertical watershoots to just a few centimetres above the horizontal stems. The below photograph shows before and after winter pruning of the upright watershoots.
Before/ after a winter prune
As well as the following cuts shown in the diagram below, it is important to cut back vertical leaders growing up from the junction of the two horizontal sideshoots that extend over the framework set out for the apple to climb.
Cutting back of young shoots to 3-4 buds from the horizontal stem encourages the formation of fruiting spurs.