pruning & training the orchard

8/9/2019 Pruning & Training the Orchard

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A Pacific Northwest Extension PublicationOregon Washington Idaho

Reprinted November 1997PNW 400

TRAINING & PRUNING

Your Home Orchard
http://eesc.orst.edu/AgComWebFile/EdMat/orderform.htmlhttp://eesc.orst.edu/AgComWebFile/EdMat/orderform.html


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Training and Pruning Your Home OrchardR.L. Stebbins

Basic principlesWhy train fruit trees? Training develops a strong tree

structure that can support heavycrops without breakage.

Training helps to bring a young treeinto production at an early age.

Why prune fruitand nut trees?

Pruning reduces overall tree size. Pruning makes trees easier to spray

and harvest. Pruning young trees can improve

structural strength and inducebranching.

Pruning mature trees can increasetheir production and improve thefruit quality.

Pruning reduces the need to prop upthe fruit-laden branches.

Dont use wounddressings!Theyre not necessarytheres no

clear evidence that they reduce woodrots associated with pruning wounds.Trees protect themselves fromwood-rotting fungi by producing achemical barrier near a properly madepruning wound.

Robert L. Stebbins, Extension horticulture

specialist emeritus, tree fruit and nut crops,Oregon State University. This replaces an

Oregon State University Extension

publication by the same title.

In its fourth winter, this tree has four well-developed leaders (see Open-center

training, page 6).


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Figure 1.When you prune, dont leave a

stuband dont make a wound larger than

necessary, which happens with a flushcut. Cut just outside the tapering portion

of the branch, where its inserted in a larger

branch or the trunk.

Figure 2.In a poorly pruned tree, upper limbs shade out

lower limbs, and a dense thicket of suckers appears in the

top. Cut the drooping terminal portion to a more uprightbranch. Remove some of the suckers, cutting close to the

limb; thin out side shoots on others so that theyll bend

over with the weight of the fruit.

Figure 3.On this well-pruned branch,

thin out more shoots toward the end

(those colored red).


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Prune so that you dont leave a stub(Figure 1), but also so that you dontmake a wound larger than necessary, asoccurs with a flush cut. Cut justoutside the tapering portion of thebranch where its inserted into a largerbranch or the trunk.

Early tree training helps you avoidlarge pruning wounds low in the tree,which might become infected.

General rulesfor training Start following a training system at

planting time. Remove unwanted shoots in summer

when theyre small. Train more by limb positioning than

by pruning.

Figure 4.This tree is too tall. To reduce its height,

cut whole limbs out at the top (those colored red).

Follow the training programconsistently, as frequently asnecessary, so that you completetraining properly as soon as possible.

General rulesfor pruning Prune all fruit and nut trees at

planting time to balance the topswith the roots. Youll need much lesspruning at planting if you plan toirrigate the young tree frequentlyduring its establishment.

Prune young trees very lightly. Prune mature trees more heavily,

especially if theyve shown littlegrowth.

Prune the top portion of the treemore heavily than the lower portion(Figure 2).

Prune when all danger from fall orearly winter freeze has passed, butbefore full bloom in spring. Sweetcherry trees may be pruned inAugust when theres less danger ofbacterial infection.

Thin out more shoots toward the end

of a well-pruned branch in a maturetree. This will increase fruit size andquality on the remaining shoots(Figure 3).

To reduce the height of an exces-sively tall tree, cut whole limbs outof the top, making cuts flush withthe bark of a lower limb. Stubs leftin the top of a tree wont heal(Figure 4).


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Figure 5.To train trees to an open center, youll need four seasons (red indicates

removed or headed shoots).

A: The first winter, choose three or four shoots to form main scaffold branches;

remove or severely head all others. Scaffold branches should be at least 8 inches

apart on the trunk for a strong tree structure.

B: The second winter, choose one or two more.

C:By the third winter, scaffold selection should be

complete.

D:The fourth winter shows a good open center.

Four main scaffold limbs evenly distributedaround the trunk are enough; a fifth limb

crowds.

Limb bendingBending nearly vertical limbs to an

aspect 45 to 60 degrees from verticalusually stimulates fruit productionearlier in the life of the tree. The thickerand more upright a limb is, the morebenefit it will receive from bending.Early production stimulated by bendinghelps to keep a tree small and manage-

able.

Open-center training (Figure 5).To train trees to an open center, choosethree or four shoots to form mainscaffold branches the first winter.Remove other shoots that might formcompeting limbs. Head them, remov-ing a fourth to a third of their length, iftheyre long and unbranched. When you remove large limbs, first

cut part way on the underside. Dontleave stubs.

To keep a tree small, prune moder-

ately every year and dont applyfertilizer, manure, or compost. (Thisdoesnt apply to dwarf trees.)

Central-leader training (Figure 6).

If a nursery tree has few or nobranches at planting, head it at 24 to 30inches above ground. To train trees to acentral leader, choose a vigorous shoothigh on the tree after planting.

During spring or early summer,remove other shoots near it that,because of their upright aspect andvigor, will compete with the lead shoot(Figure 7). Head this shoot by a thirdeach dormant season, and tie down orremove competing shoots.

CBA

CBA


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Figure 7.The highest portion of a scaffold limb is

called the leader. Thin it to an upright side shoot.

Head that shoot and remove all upright shoots that

might compete. To avoid overgrowth in the tree top,

repeat this process annually.

Before After

Figure 6.To train trees to a central leader, youll need four

seasons (red indicates removed or headed shoots).

A: The first winter after planting, choose a vigorous shoot high

on the tree. Cut off the top in to stimulate branching if its

2 feet long or longer. Head all other vigorous shoots more

severely.

B, C, and D: Repeat the process the following three seasons so

that no side branches become vigorous enough to compete

with the central leader.

D

D


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Spread too-upright limbs each yearas required (Figure 8). Repeat theprocess in the following two seasonsso that no side branches becomevigorous enough to compete with thecentral leader.

Dwarf apple varieties that havewide-angled limbs naturally (such asLiberty, shown in Figure 6) dontrequire heading or spreading if theyresupported. Delicious, Newton, and

other varieties with narrow crotches orupright limbsor bothdo requirespreading. The central leaders of non-supported trees need annual heading todevelop short, stout limbs.

Figure 8.While the tree is young, spread branches that make very narrow angles

with the main trunk. If such limbs are allowed to grow to a productive age, they

usually break out, often splitting the entire tree.


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Thinning out and heading back

(Figure 9). Thinning-out pruningresults in long, flexible limbs that benddown when loaded with fruit. Headingback or stubbing causes limbs tobranch and stiffen. Light headingstimulates branches when you trainyoung trees.

Fruiting habitsFigure 10 shows the difference in

fruiting habit between peach and apple.Peaches bloom only on l-year-oldwood; apples usually bloom on spursor shoots from 2-year-old wood.

Figure 11 shows a mature appletrees fruit spurs, which will bear thefruit crop. Because peach and apricottrees bear only on l-year-old wood,they require more annual pruning torenew fruiting wood than apple andpear trees do. Cherries and prunesrequire relatively little pruning.

Figure 9.Thinning out (left) and heading back or

stubbing (right).

Figure 10.One-year-old wood is wood

that grew during the previous summer:

peach (left), apple (right).

Figure 11.The fruit spurs on a mature apple tree bear the

fruit crop.


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Espalier andpalmette training

Espalier and palmette trainingdevelops trees in two dimensions only.In a home garden, you might use it tosave space and to enhance the estheticappeal of fruit trees. You can do it mostsuccessfully with dwarf apple and pear

trees. Select buds to form the branchesat the proper height and cut off the treejust above them.

By heading the central leader justabove where you want branches,develop one or two higher pairs ofbranches, keeping them shorter andslightly more spreading than the lowerpair. Its best to have at least 18 inchesvertically between branches.

Balance the growth of limbs bybending strong limbs down more orweak limbs up more. Withhold or

apply fertilizer to keep growth withindesired bounds.

ToolsLong-handled pruning shears

(Figure 14, center) are the most usefultool for almost all pruning jobs.

Hand shears (Figure 14, bottom) areuseful for training young trees.

If you need to make large cuts, usea pruning saw (Figure 14, upper left).

Use only a sturdy stepladder. Set it

firmly on the ground to preventaccidents.

Applyingthe basicsApple trees

Fully dwarf trees. You must

support these trees in some way, ortheyll bend to the ground under theweight of their fruit. You could supportthe central trunk against the side ofyour house or a fence with adjustableeye-bolts or turnbuckles and wires.

If you use individual posts, makesure they extend at least 6 feet abovethe ground, and drive or sink them atleast 2 feet into the ground. Woodentree stakes should be 2 inches or morein diameter.

You can grow dwarf apple trees on

a post-and-wire trellis in a hedgerow.Posts may extend from 6 to 10 feetabove the ground. Treated posts arebest, but sound, untreated 4 x 4 cedarposts may be satisfactory. Use galva-nized wire, 12-gauge or heavier. Thelowest wire should be about 4 feetabove the ground, with higher wires at2-foot intervals.

Anchor the end posts againstanother post driven several feet into

As these buds growand beforetheyve produced enough wood tobecome stifffasten the shoots thatgrow from them to training wires orsticks with masking tape or othersuitable material.

Develop the lowest branches first,angling them at about 30 degrees at thestart. Widen this to 4550 degreeswhen theyre as long as you want them

(Figures 12 and 13).

Figure 12.Espalier training.

Figure 13.Palmette t raining.


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undisturbed soil at an opposing angle.Tie the main trunk to these wires, usinga loop big enough to allow the trunk togrow without being girdled. If youattach the trunk to the trellis wire with5/8-inch box staples, it will graft to thewire and not girdle.

Train fully-dwarf apple trees to acentral leader (Figure 6). If you trainthem to a central leader, and supportthem from a post or trellis, theyllmake highly productive 6-, 8-, or10-foot trees.

If you dont train them in thismanner, the weight of the fruit willbend them down so that they makebushlike trees only 4 or 5 feet tall.

In the spring following planting,when shoots are 3 to 4 inches long,select the uppermost vigorous shootand remove other shoots near it. Returnseveral times in summer and removeany shoots that, because of theirupright aspect and vigor, will competewith the lead shoot.

Head this shoot by a third in thedormant season, and tie down orremove competing shoots. Repeat theprocess in the following two seasonsso that no side branches becomevigorous enough to compete with thecentral leader.

Keep three to five branches 18 to30 inches above ground to form a basicset of permanent branches. If theyreupright, tie or weight them down to anearly horizontal aspect. Try fillingsandwich bags with soil, sand, or

gravel and draping them over limbs asweights; use staples to keep them inplace during high winds. Positionhigher limbs to below horizontal toreduce their vigor relative to thepermanent basic set.

Semidwarf trees. You can trainthese trees to a central leader ordevelop them with three or four leadbranches. Central leader is best forweak-growing varieties on poor soil.

Train vigorous varieties with multipleleaders (when trained to centralleaders, they may become too tall). In awindy site, use a sturdy stake forsupport in the first 10 years.

Head nursery trees the same as forcentral leaders, but develop three orfour shoots instead of one. Whentheyre 4 to 6 inches long, spread theseshoots using cocktail-style toothpicks

or spring-type clothespins.In the following years, spread or tie

out the lead limbs to an overall aspectabout 30 degrees from vertical. Youcould weight the side limbs that arisefrom these or spread them to horizontalto stimulate early production. As thetree begins to bear fruit, limbs mayrequire propping or tying to preventbreakage.

Spur-type trees (Figure 15)

form many small spurs on younggrowth rather than the usual longshoots and leaf budsthis is how theygot their name.

Each spur bears a flower cluster.The leaves are close together, the tree

Figure 14.Pruning saw (upper left), long-handled pruning shears (center), hand

shears (bottom).

Figure 15.On this central leader of a

2-year-old spur-type Delicious apple

strain, notice the numerous short spurs

with blossom clusters. Extensive fruit

thinning would be required to allow this

tree to grow and ripen the remaining

fruit.


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branches are less frequent, and the treegrows slowly. Because these trees aresmaller than the standard strains of thesame variety, and fruit at a young age,they make ideal home-orchard trees.

If you grow them on vigorousrootstocks, spur-type trees may notrequire artificial support until they arein production.

Spur-type trees are available on

both vigorous and dwarfing rootstocks.Because they branch sparsely, leavemore branches in a spur-type than in atree of standard growth habit. To trainthem to a central leader, space thelower set of limbs several inches apartvertically on the leader, and reducetheir number to four or five (Figure 6).

Standard trees (full size on

seedling roots). Cut back trees at 24 to30 inches from the ground at plantingtime. Train them on nondwarfing rootsto the modified central leader system:Leave the central leader in place untilfruiting begins, then gradually removeit.

Its desirable to have only four mainscaffold limbs, equally spaced aroundthe trunk and vertically spaced severalinches apart. Develop the main scaffoldlimbs to an overall aspect just a fewdegrees above horizontal. Make surethat all secondary branches also have agradual upward aspect (Figure 5).

The branches of a mature nondwarfapple tree may spread over an area

40 feet in diameter and reach a heightof 30 or 40 feet. Regular pruning, andtying down of upright limbs in the top,are required to maintain a height of12 to 15 feet. Prune to make the lowestlimbs the most vigorous and produc-tive in the tree (Figure 16).

Shorten, thin out, and bend downthe upper limbs to accomplish this. Byremoving risers that go straight up andhangers that grow straight down fromthe permanent limbs, open a verticalspace of about 3 feet between the

lowest limbs and those above, so thatlight can penetrate.

If a tree hasnt been pruned forseveral years, it will have a densethicket of upright shoots in the top andmany weak, pendulant spur systemsfurther down. Prune it back into shapegradually over several years, ratherthan trying to do the whole job in1 year (Figure 2).

After you identify the main scaffoldbranches, saw out any excess largebranches. Cut ladder bays so that youcan place your ladder in the treescenter. Climb as high on your ladder inthe trees center as you intend to pick,and cut the main scaffold limbs downto a height that you can reach.

Remove limbs that lap over or hangdown into other limbs. Thin out theupright shoots, leaving some of thesmaller ones. Cut back weak pendulant

limbs. Gradually invigorate the spursystems by cutting back some andremoving others. For better sunlightdistribution, the center of the treeshould be fairly free of limbs.

Dont head shootsremove thementirely or let them bear fruit and relyon the weight of the fruit to bring themdown. Thin off shoots on the inside ofupright branches so that the fruit willpull them to the outside.

Figure 16.(Above)This old seedling-rooted apple tree is maintained at a height of

about 12 feet by extending the branches horizontally, rather than vertically. (Below)

This enlarged view shows how the slightly upward aspect of the entire main limb

and the terminal part of the side limbs maintain a good balance between shoot

growth and fruiting. Pruning consists of many small thinning cuts.


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Pear treesHead trees at about 24 inches at

planting. If the top is branched, retainsome branches as leaders. Train peartrees to three or four leaders. Selectthese leaders early in the first summerand spread them. Do little or no pruningexcept to head and spread the leadersannually until the tree starts to bear.

Dont head side branchesheadingwould maintain their upright position.Spread or weight all vigorous shootsexcept the lead shoots.

Open ladder bays between scaffoldlimbs, and regularly reduce tree heightto one you can reach from your ladder.Shorten or remove upper limbs so theydont shade the lower limbs. Thin outthe branches of the mature trees and dothe heaviest pruning in the tops.

Remove the long shoots in thecenter and top, but leave some short

shoots and most spurs. Removehorizontal branches in the tree top sothat they wont produce suckers.

Cut back the slow-growing spursystems to about half their length toinvigorate them, or remove them andreplace with new shoots. On Anjou andComice varieties, cut back most of thespur systems and some shoots toincrease the size of the fruit.

Sweet cherry trees

At planting, head nursery trees at aheight desired for scaffold branches.Cutting a foot or two above ground levelwill produce a shorter tree. Train sweetcherry trees to the open-center system(Figure 5) with many scaffold branches.The vertical limbs of young sweet cherrytrees often will grow 6 to 8 feet withoutbranching.

If a young tree is growing veryrapidly, cut off a foot or more of newgrowth after about 3 feet of growth hasbeen made in the summer. This willcause branching. You can hastenproduction by tying down or weightinglimbs to horizontal.

To promote branching on trees notpruned in summer, head every shoot toabout 2 feet in length in the winter.After 5 to 6 years, stop heading andthin out crowded branches.

Bacterial canker, a common diseaseof cherry trees, frequently causesgumming and dead areas or cankers

on limbsor the death of the entire tree.If a gummy dead area encircles most ofa limb, you must cut off the limb.

To avoid bacterial infection, whichmight enter pruning wounds, pruningmay be done in August. You usually canavoid death from bacterial canker bybudding or grafting the variety about afoot out on the limbs of a mazzardseedling tree.

Mature trees require little pruningexcept as needed to reduce the treeheight. Birds usually eat the top cherries.If you lower the trees too much, thebirds may eat the cherries you want. Ifloss of fruit to birds is excessive, youmay want to net the lower limbs.

To make netting easier, removelimbs to create a space of about 3 feetabove the lowest set of branches.Before installing netting, tie severalnearby limbs together so that you canprotect more fruit with the same

amount of netting. Remember to untiethem later!

Sour cherry treesSince sour cherry wood is quite

brittle, give special attention todeveloping wide-angled crotches inyoung trees. Either select wide-angledshoots to form limbs, or spread theshoots to widen the angles. Three mainscaffold limbs are enough for a sourcherry tree.

In the first and second summers,remove excess shoots so that all thenew growth takes place on the perma-nent scaffold limbs. Only occasionalthinning-out is needed in mature trees.

Peach treesCut off peach trees about 12 to

20 inches above ground level atplanting. Train trees to the open-centersystem (Figure 5). Develop no morethan three or four main scaffold limbs.

Select the scaffolds that make the widestangles at the point of attachment withthe trunk, and not all from one height.Peach limbs with poor crotches splitout more frequently than limbs ofmany other fruit trees.

Remove the excess scaffold limbsin the spring of the second year andagain in the third year if necessary.Head the scaffold limbs in the first andsecond dormant seasons to cause

branching until there are 6 to 8 second-ary scaffold branches and 12 to 16tertiary branches.

Peach trees bear only on l-year-oldshoots. Enough pruning is requiredevery year to stimulate new shoot growthfor the following years crop. Peachtrees branch readily and have too manyweak shoots unless theyre prunedproperly.

Thin out the shoots, leaving shootsof moderate vigor; remove weak orvery strong shoots entirely.

Prune hardest in the tops and nearthe ends of the major limbs. Cut thetop limbs back to side shoots to stiffenthem and reduce tree height. Peachtrees crop more consistently and havelarger fruits if theyre pruned heavily.Commonly, up to 50 percent of all theprevious seasons growth is removedannually.

Prune and plum treesTrain them to the open-center

system (Figure 5), with three or fourmain scaffold limbs. Prune very lightlyfor the first 5 years. Head only thoselimbs that will be permanent scaffolds.

Japanese varieties (such as Shiro,Redheart, and Burbank) have manylong, thin shoots, so heading is farmore important in them than it is inmost European varieties.

Weighting or bending limbs stimu-

lates early production. Remove theexcess scaffold limbs and do little else.

In mature trees, thin out the topsevery few years and remove the deadlimbs as they appear. Most plums andprunes have ample bloom every year;therefore, only enough pruning isrequired to control height and spread,to keep the trees fairly vigorous, and toprevent limb breakage.

Walnut trees

Cut off a newly planted walnut tree4 or 5 feet above the ground. Unlessyou do this, the tree wont grow muchfor several seasons. The lowest limbsof a walnut tree have a habit ofdrooping, so they should originatefairly high on the trunk.

Select three to five main scaffoldbranches in the first and secondgrowing seasons and remove theexcess branches at that time. After the


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scaffold branches have developed, nofurther pruning is required.

Although pruning doesnt hurtwalnut trees, theyre so large that itsdifficult to prune the tops wherepruning would do the most good.Pruning will invigorate most old, weakwalnut trees.

Filbert treesIn nature, filberts grow as bushes,

but you can force them to grow in asingle trunk by annually removing thesprouts that arise at ground level. Trainthem with three or four scaffolds,similarly to peaches (page 13).

To be most productive, a filbert treeshould make 6 to 8 inches of newterminal shoot growth, on shoots atshoulder height, every year. Frequentpruning helps to maintain this growth.

Prune filbert trees like peaches, but

less severely. Filbert wood is espe-cially susceptible to wood-rottingfungi, so its important to make cuts atthe branch collar with limbs or trunk.

Apricot treesApricot trees usually develop

numerous branches in the nursery.Some of these may be selected forscaffold branches at planting time. Cutthese branches back a few inches andremove other branches. Cut back longshoots 1 year after planting to inducebranching. Train the tree similarly to

peaches (page 13).Pruning bearing apricot trees is

mostly a process of thinning out theexcess wood, and heading to shortenlong shoots. After a side shoot hasproduced for 3 or 4 years, remove itand let a new shoot grow in its place.


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pruning & training the orchard

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