Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
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Provide good air movement through the canopy
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Control fruit load
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Invigorate older plants
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Remove old or poorly located branches
Dormant pruning is carried out in late fall, winter, or early spring, when all
plant growth has stopped. This makes up most of the pruning in orchards.
Dormant pruning invigorates and stimulates new growth at and slightly be-
low the cuts. When no leaves are present, it is easy to see where cuts must
be made and to make them. It is easier to prune at this time when there are
few other orchard tasks. On the downside, dormant pruning in larger orchar-
ds sometimes means working in cold, wet conditions. Dormant pruning can
stimulate too much growth, and pruning in fall or winter can create open
wounds that are exposed to pathogens for extended periods of time.
Summer pruning can be carried out at any time during the growing sea-
son and includes everything from rubbing off new shoots with your fingers
to cutting deeply into 2-year-old or older wood. The plant's response depends
on the timing and the amount and age of the wood that is removed. Summer
pruning usually has more of a dwarfing effect than dormant pruning. Prun-
ing before the terminal bud sets or before active growth ceases can stimulate
new growth, while summer pruning after active growth stops causes little
growth. Cutting into 2-year-old or older wood produces less growth than cut-
ting into current-season or 1-year-old wood.
During the late 1900s, when large fruit trees were still common in orch-
ards, summer pruning was sometimes used to open up apple tree canopies
and to allow more light to reach the fruit and color them up. During July and
August, workers would cut back into 2-year-old wood. The work was difficult
and extremely labor intensive. With today's smaller trees and open training
systems, this practice has largely fallen out of favor. Summer pruning re-
mains important, however, especially for removing unwanted shoots before
they are more than a few inches long.
