Skip to Content.
Sympa Menu

homestead - Re: [Homestead] Pruning fruit trees

homestead AT lists.ibiblio.org

Subject: Homestead mailing list

List archive

Chronological Thread  
  • From: Gene GeRue <genegerue AT ruralize.com>
  • To: homestead AT lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: Re: [Homestead] Pruning fruit trees
  • Date: Tue, 22 Feb 2005 12:41:14 -0700


The $64 question is....is it too late to prune?

The $0 answer is...no. Fruit trees can be pruned any time, not just during dormancy. Once buds begin to open, the trees will react differently than at dormancy, often producing more new growth because the sap is flowing and all that energy is seeking some place to go.

I just checked Gene Logsdon's ORGANIC ORCHARDING. Boy, do I love having my books back on shelves! After he gives the varying orchardist's opinions, he ends with, "Or you can, without too much fear, follow the old orchardists' wry advice: Prune when your pruning knife is sharp."

My personal experience is that modern trees are so vigorous in growth, and likely I feed and water them too much, that pruning needs to be done on a year-round basis or they become unmanageable. Ever notice how a tree loads itself with way too much fruit? Prune a bunch of it off. That brings up another issue: you do need to know which plants, not just trees, fruit on new wood or old wood.






Archive powered by MHonArc 2.6.24.

Top of Page