It is important to differentiate between dead wood and diseased wood. For more information on this visit our pest and disease pages. Reducing the need for sprays in this way is beneficial to orchard wildlife which will in turn contribute to pest management. The best pest and disease prevention is cultivating healthy trees that can fight and recover from infection. The likelihood is that the spores will still be in the area as it is very difficult to prune out all canker from an orchard, but reducing the quantity will help. Wood heavily infected with scab, mildew, canker or silver leaf can be removed to reduce the likelihood of infecting other trees. Pruning overcrowded and badly placed wood means you can develop evenly spaced branches that allow maximum air and light penetration. Sunlight penetration to all branches of a tree encourages large healthy leaves and buds, increasing the fruit quality and allowing it to ripen fully and colour in the sun. Pruning to increase the light and air penetrationĪirflow through the tree helps to remove moisture reducing the chance of fungal infections and other air-borne diseases. Removing damaged and badly placed branches focuses the energy of your tree into producing stronger and better placed branches. Major limb failure can also damage healthy branches. When the bark rubs off it creates an entry point for infection and will weaken the tree mechanically. Removing damaged and badly positioned branchesīadly positioned, touching or crossing branches can be damaged in the wind as they rub against each other. dessert apple trees are more often goblet shaped, and cider apples on trees with a central leader. The shape traditionally depends on factors such as region and fruit type, e.g. Formative pruning also allows you to shape your trees to particular style shapes such as goblet or central leader style. Young trees need to be shaped through formative pruning to develop the strong framework that they need to bear the weight of fruit crops. Old or neglected trees can be rejuvenated through restorative pruning which can increase their vigour and prolong their life. Old trees are fantastic for wildlife, and have significant cultural value so should be maintained in your orchard where possible. Preserving and restoring old trees through pruning If grown without intervention, fruit trees will grow in such a way as to reproduce themselves in as large quantities as possible, but this doesn’t always result in the best shaped tree or the best quality fruit.ĭiscover some of the many reasons you might prune a fruit tree. But why is it that we can’t leave trees to grow as nature intended? Pruning trees allows you to direct the energy of your tree where you want it, whether that is growth or fruit. The successful cultivation of fruit trees requires pruning.
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