Tree trimming removes branches that distract from the health and appearance of a tree. It’s crucial for fruit trees, as it helps you increase the fruit quality and quantity. If you want to maximize your harvest this year, consider the following tips for properly pruning your orchard.
Timing Is Everything
It’s best to trim your fruit trees during their dormant season before the new growth starts. This is typically in the late winter or early spring. Avoid all trimming and pruning in the late summer or early fall. The cut wounds won’t have time to heal before winter arrives. Those open wounds will be vulnerable to disease, rot, and dampness. As a result, you won’t get the fruit production you’re looking for.
Expert Tree Trimming Techniques
When it comes to trimming your fruit trees, a good place to start is by removing branches that cause crowding, cross over each other, or grow inward. It’s important to remove branches that are dying or have signs of damage or disease, too. The goal is to open up the canopy. Most fruit will be on the outer branches. Pruning the top and interior of the tree will expose more branches, resulting in more fruit.
When removing a branch, it’s crucial to make a clean cut just past the branch collar. This is the swollen area where the branch meets the main trunk of the tree. It’s also important to avoid topping, which is cutting the main trunk. This will damage the tree and encourage excessive new growth. New growth won’t produce fruit.
Special Considerations
The age of your fruit tree is another factor to consider. With a young tree, you need to focus on a strong central leader with solid main branches. Remove all weak or competing shoots.
You can rejuvenate a mature tree by trimming back older branches. This may decrease the amount of fruit you get, but the fruit it does produce will be larger and sweeter.
Professional Tree Trimming Services
Properly trimming your trees allows them to focus their energy on bearing large amounts of high-quality fruit. For the best results, hire professionals to do the job. They have the knowledge and expertise necessary when it comes to effectively pruning fruit trees, and they have the right tools for the job.
Call our team at Everhart Tree Service in Kansas City, MO now to learn more about our tree trimming and pruning services.
