Pruning fruit trees

[JOERM]

I don't know if now is the best time to prune fruit trees but I did it anyway. They were just way out of line and I cut them back a LOT. In eastern Washington, Wanatchee, they are the apple capital of the world. I went to corp for meetings last week and saw how they prune their trees so when I got home i pretty much butchered mine. Don't expect to much fruit this year but next year i should have a good yield. Will see.

It's to late to ask for advice now but.....anyone have tips for pruning fruit trees? Is doing it mid-March a bad thing? I have a mess to clean up now that's all I know. Make lots of apple cider in October and we freeze it. Really good stuff. Have an old cider press from great grand pa, it's over 100 years old.

 

[Kelly Green]

Pruning at the wrong time of the year does not damage trees but the best time to prune is during late winter or early spring before growth begins.

This year my peach and nectarine trees were in full bloom in February, a month earlier than normal. This is just March 16 and the nectarine trees are already loaded with tiny fruit.

 

[JOERM]

Are the bees out this time of year in TX? I used to raise Mason Bees to pollinate my trees but this year I have none. they were native in this area but now you have to raise them for some reason they died off. Honey bees are not native here but the cold last so long and the trees blossom out but no bees to do their magic. Mason bees are a cool bug.

 

[KaTz]

dont forget to spray your fruit trees with Volick Oil , it keeps off those nasty pests. its from Ortho - I use it for all my scrubs as well as fruit trees first thing in the spring ... just a tip

 

[Kelly Green]

Are the bees out this time of year in TX?

I've got three hives and the little critters were active in February. Here in Central Texas we had no winter to speak of.

 

[jack the toad]

I try to prune fruit & nut trees (and others) in the winter but an old tree guy said once the best time to prune is when your saw is sharp.
I'm a believer that pruning means less limbs but yields more fruit if done properly.

 

[A10]

I've pruned a few. Take off the verticle new growth (water sprouts, they won't fruit well), cut inward growing or crossing sprouts, tip prune for shape, and prune them down to a height you can manage. There are some good books out there (Rodales is a good one) that show some examples. If you over prune, you might be without fruit for a year but it will come back. Dad had a small orchard in Wenatchee, I learned what I could from him (I'm no expert, believe me!). If you're nervous, you can usually hire it done for a reasonable cost and study what the pro's do.