Pruning fruit trees has a double objective: structural health y quality fruitingIt is not just about aesthetics or health, but about regulating the balance between vegetative vigor (wood and leaves) and fruit loadA very useful rule of thumb is that around 40 leaves per fruit help achieve optimal size, flavor and color.
It's important to avoid both an overload of small fruits and excessive pruning, which stimulates very vigorous and unfruitful shoots. With well-planned cuts and an understanding of how the fruit tree grows, you can enjoy regular and good-sized harvests.
Why prune fruit trees
- Improves light input and ventilation in the cup, reducing risks of fungi and pests in shaded areas.
- Redistributes the sap and energy to the young and productive parts, raising the fruit size.
- Order the structure: elimination of crossed branches, dry branches, stumps and suckers that entangle the cup.
- Promotes balanced sprouting: by cutting the terminal bud, lateral buds are activated to branch out where appropriate.
When to prune fruit trees
- Winter or winter pruning dormancy: at the end of winter and before budding, the wounds heal better and the tree starts up strongly. In fruit trees with fragile wood or sensitive to large cuts, it can be delay slightly until shortly after flowering if the weather permits.
- Green pruning (summer and early autumn): pinching and thinning Pruning very vigorous shoots to stimulate flower buds and reduce shading. If the tree is too vigorous, intervention in midsummer helps. slow growth.
- Avoid large cuts in late autumn and early winter: wounds are exposed for a long time and there is a greater risk of frost and fungi.
- Respect the bird nesting season: between spring and summer, limit intervention to soft cuts if there are no active nests.
- By species: peach trees and other fast-growing trees can be pruned during the warm season, even during harvest; in cherry trees, pruning is done after fruiting. reduce rubber problems.
Parts of a fruit tree that you should recognize
- Terminal bud: thick and apical, it dominates growth. When suppressed, it activates lateral buds.
- Foliage buds: lateral and flatter; a cut just above induces branches with leaves.
- Flower buds: more bulging; they are the first to swell at the beginning of spring.
- Darts: short, on wood several years old, crowned by flower buds. Don't delete them: support annual production.
- Seasonal scar: ring on the branch that marks the beginning of a new growth period after dormancy.
In addition to their position, buds can be normal (they sprout the following year), dormant (are inhibited) or adventitious (appear on old wood or roots), useful for regenerate unpopulated areas.
How to prune your fruit trees
- Make cuts diagonals (≈45°), clean and close to the chosen bud, without leaving stumps.
- Set up a cup with 5-6 main branches well distributed in height and orientation.
- On very vertical branches, it prefers tilt them with strings or soft weights rather than cutting them, to induce flower buds.
- Seal thick cuts with healing mastic or copper-based products to protect the wound.
Response to pruning: the clearing (removing an entire branch) derives vigor towards the rest of the canopy; beheaded or topping promotes a more mature plant dense and branched. Control the relationship leaf/fruit so as not to lose quality.
Types of fruit tree pruning
- Formation pruning: From planting and for 3-4 years, the tree is guided towards structures such as Glasses, Pyramid, Central axis, Cane o Laces to achieve a cup illuminated and resistantBy species, the following are common: stone (peach, almond, plum) in Vessel or Axis; pome (apple, pear) in ; citrus in .
- Cleaning pruning: annual. Withdraw dry, diseased, suckers and crosses that hinder light and air.
- Fruiting pruning: renews exhausted wood so that young branches receive more sap and bring in the next harvest.
- Rejuvenation/regeneration pruning: in trees that are declining in productivity. Methods:
- Plywood: shortens branches far from the trunk leaving ≈1/3 of their length, in several years.
- Beheaded: cuts off a large part of the crown, ideally in two campaigns to reduce stress.
- Renewal by grafting: place spikes in cuttings of thick branches to change variety or reactivate poor areas.
- Keep in mind the species: in peach tree It is not usually worth regenerating; in cherry and plum thick cuts are risky.
Key vegetative structures and states
- Brindilla: weak branch (15-50 cm) with vegetative buds; if the terminal branch differentiates into a flower, it becomes crowned brindle, very interesting in nugget.
- pacifier: vertical shoot and very vigorous; competes for sap and shade. Controlled by green pruning or tilting.
- Dart: very short, on wood of several years; can evolve into flower bud and hold fruit.
Sap flow theory: with excess sap, the tree produces wood and delays flowering; with well-dosed flow, the wooden bud becomes a dart and then a flower bud; with deficit, the organs become dormant.
Steps to follow when pruning
- Eliminate first the dry, broken or diseased to clean up
- Short hanging branches or poorly oriented, which unbalances the crown.
- Manage the pacifiers: suppresses or tilts; preserves the rounded buds that will give flower.
- Between two parallel branches, leave the better positioned and eliminates friction.
- Make cuts in angle and seal the thick ones with healing.
- Finish with a light blunt to balance the structure.
Recommended tools and best practices
- Bypass scissors: clean cuts in green wood and general maintenance.
- Anvil scissors: greater leverage for dry wood.
- Chainsaw or electric scissors: On farms with many trees, they save time.
- Hygiene: disinfects when changing trees with alcohol; sharpens for clean cuts.
By applying these keys - appropriate timing, bud reading, precise cuts and types of pruning according to age and species - it is easy to maintain balanced trees, with good internal lighting and a leaf/fruit ratio that supports regular harvests and tasty.