Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
bushes that are spaced 20 feet or more apart make excellent specimens in
an edible landscape. For fruit production, the bushes are usually grown in
fairly dense hedgerows with the plants spaced 1 to 5 feet apart in rows that
are 10 to 12 feet apart. Plants are spaced very closely together in commercial
orchards to obtain early yields using mechanical harvesting. This close spa-
cing can create crowding and may necessitate thinning out bushes several
years after planting. An in-row spacing of 4 to 5 feet is more common and is
recommended for home and market orchard production.
It's important to prune saskatoons because it rejuvenates the bushes and
helps ensure high and consistent yields and healthy plants (see box on page
starts. For the first 3 years after planting, prune only to remove dead, dam-
aged, or diseased stems. At the same time, remove stems that droop close
to the ground. Cut these off at ground level using sharp pruning shears or
long-handled loppers. Saskatoon stems are normally not headed or thinned.
Instead, remove the stems at ground level.
Depending on the plants' growth, regular pruning begins about 3 to 6
years after planting. Remove one-third to one-fourth of the stems, target-
ing those that are more than about 4 years old and those that show declin-
ing fruit production. Also, remove weak new stems and any stems that lie
close to the ground. The next year, remove one-third to one-fourth of the old-
est stems and repeat this practice yearly. Eventually, you develop a system
where the oldest stems are 3 to 4 years old. For saskatoons, the best fruit
production usually occurs on vigorous 2- to 4-year-old stems.
GOALS OF SASKATOON PRUNING
▪ Replace all of the fruiting wood every 3 to 4 years.
