North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

[Michael Dossett <phainopepla@yahoo.com>]

Maybe I'm wrong, but I would suspect that in a hot dry
climate, summer pruning would aleviate stress on the
tree rather than create more.  You're taking away leaf
surface area that is otherwise respirating and causing
water loss in the plant.  If it stimulates new growth
that hasn't hardened off I could see how that might be
less than ideal, but I don't think the tree is going
to put much energy into that if water is an issue.

What do others think?

Michael
Corvallis, OR


--- "William C. Garthright" <billg@inebraska.com>
wrote:

> > I have been trying to transition to do more summer
> thinning -- when the leaves are on I can see better
> where to thin (look for the too-dark interior) and
> also there is less strong a flush of new growth than
> with winter thinning.
> >   
> 
> 
> Good point. But I have a problem (I don't know where
> you live) with 
> summer pruning, because it's so very hot and dry
> here in the summer. I 
> water, but that doesn't entirely make up for the
> climate. And since the 
> trees are so stressed already, I really worry about
> summer pruning. If 
> we have some periods of cool weather, I can do it
> then, but that doesn't 
> happen much.
> 


Michael Dossett
Corvallis, Oregon
www.Mdossettphoto.com
phainopepla@yahoo.com