The vast majority of pruning is done in the winter. I feel a big reason for this is the pruner can get a very good view of the subject especially if it is a deciduous tree. It is to be noted that winter pruning invigorates the growth of the plant. This is easy to see why. When a tree has grown all year, there is a lot energy in the leaves that is stored in the roots. When a tree is pruned in the winter there is an important rule that not over a third of the crown be removed. To not do this, the tree once actively growing again will have rank uncontrolled growth.
Summer pruning, usually done towards the end of August, is a very good way to control growth and in the case of fruiting trees will create more fruiting wood. This is especially true with apples and pears. Dwarfing of the subject is caused by just the exact opposite of winter pruning. Top growth is eliminated before the energy can be stored in the roots.
There are several different cuts that the pruner can make. Probably the most common that most people have seen and sadly is also the most replicated would be called the heading cut. It could also be called a butcher cut. There is no other purpose for this cut than to reduce the size of the tree. These trees often look like ‘totem” poles. It always amazes me that by and large most of these trees survive but any branch structure is gone. Branches that develop will only be attached to the tree by the outside layer of cambium. It will take many years for this wood to be able to carry a fruit load let alone ice in winter. I understand why pecan orchards are hacked back like this so that the trees can be shaken to remove the nuts as opposed to having to use cherry pickers. Worker safety would be a concern.
It really is quite easy in the summer or the winter to thin a tree by means of drop crotching. This is where branches are removed to a lower crotch. This can have several benefits; it can open the tree to more light, it lowers the canopies’ height, direct the trees growth, and it also maintains the trees structure / appearance.
When pruning a tree being aware of how the tree grows and in the case of a fruit tree knowing what its fruiting wood looks like. Look at apples and peaches. Apples bloom on the same wood for many years on what are called fruiting spurs. These can be very short and very convoluted branches. To the untrained eye, one might see this as diseased wood and remove them. A very bad move. In the case of peaches, they bloom on what is called red wood. This is last year’s growth and once winter chill hours are met, will bear fruit. A peach tree that is not pruned will continuously produce fruit further from the ground. Heading cuts and thinning the canopy will force branches closer to the ground.
Heading cuts used judiciously can help a tree to develop structure so that it can bear a fruiting load.
Here in west Texas fruit trees that are grown in the open do not produce very often because of our “sine curve” winter weather where we have hot and cold running weather. It really makes a lot of sense to container grow a lot of fruit trees. With proper pruning these trees could be kept small and not outgrow their pots, induced to have a very evenly placed fruit crop on the tree, be moved to shady place in the winter to get chill hours or would be much easier to protect from hail.
With container grown fruit trees the varieties of fruit could be unlimited. For example, there are semi dwarf avocado and mangos on the market. A standard size of either one of these trees can easily be 20 plus feet tall. These semi dwarfs can be kept 10 feet or less. Knowing that both of these trees bloom on one year old wood can help with how to prune them. Both of these trees bloom n the winter and can be pruned after they finish blooming. At this time their height could be controlled and depending how heavy of a fruit load this could also thin the fruit.
Pruning trees is something that I find very rewarding. Whether it is for attractiveness or producing fruit, there really is no reason why they cannot be attractive with or without their” clothes” on.
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