Pruning and Training - Growing Organic Orchard Fruits - page 662

trees. If shoots exceed those lengths, you may need to prune less, spread the
branches more, and/or reduce the amount of nitrogen fertilizer you use. If
shoot growth falls below these levels, prune more heavily and have your fo-
liage tested to determine nitrogen status.
A modified central leader system and the pruning practices that work for
apples also work well for upright European plum varieties such as 'Stanley'
( figure 12.9 ➔ ). With upright varieties, pay careful attention when remov-
ing unwanted new shoots that form narrow branch angles. Select new shoots
that point outward. Use branch spreaders, when necessary, to ensure suit-
able branch angles. European plums that have been trained early and well to
a modified central leader design require relatively little pruning throughout
their lives.
TRAINING BUSH CHERRIES AND PLUMS
Bush cherries and plums are typically planted about 5 feet apart in
rows that are 10 to 12 feet apart, depending on the mature size of the
bushes. These crops are usually grown as freestanding bushes. The
training and pruning techniques described for saskatoons generally
produce satisfactory results (see page 445 ➔ ). The goal is to maintain
productive, open canopies and to occasionally renew the canes.
European and Japanese plums adapt well to open centers ( figure 12.10 ➔ ).
For most European varieties, follow the recommendations for open center
apples and pears described at the beginning of this chapter.
Japanese and European French plum varieties are trained more like
peaches. When training new trees, select three to five laterals for your scaf-
fold, with the branches starting about 18 to 36 inches above the ground and
equally spaced around the trunk. The system is very similar to that described