Pruning practicalities

Make the most of your fruit trees (and the fruit that they produce) with some sensible summer pruning, says Bob

- Bob Flowerdew

PRUNING is so often seen as a winter task, when often it’s better done around now. You see, winter pruning, when the trees are ‘dormant’, is better for the initial shaping, forming trunks and branches. Pruning is also kinder done in winter when a large amount of timber is to be removed. The drawback is that winter pruning promotes a resurgence of growth, replacing just as much as was removed. This does not help in keeping control of the size, nor does it encourage fruiting – it just encourages more growth. Alternatively, when you prune in summer, you can redirect growth in your favour – for more fruit, not wood.