Orchard Chores: March

This article is a reprinted exerpt from March 15, 2013 written by Dr. Bob Norton, one of the VIFC founders.

Pruning – Every year the question pops up - is it too late to prune my such and such?

Most experienced Club members know the answer, but for those of you who have non member friends and neighbors who might ask this question. Here is a brief summary answer: As trees leaf out in the spring they use the stored carbohydrates in the roots and above ground woody tissues to provide the energy for the spurt of growth.

Therefore, the earlier one prunes in the spring after the rest period is broken, the greater the stimulation of growth at the point of pruning.

Pruning a weak tree, one that made poor new growth last season after it has leafed out can be extremely detrimental, even to the point of killing the tree. Incidentally, deer feeding on new growth of a newly planted  tree puts that tree a year behind if it doesn’t kill it outright.

On the other hand, peach, plum, apricot and overly vigorous apples, pears and cherries may benefit from pruning late in Spring, even after flowering and fruit set. 

As we have demonstrated many times in our workshops, summer pruning is the preferred time to prune excessively vigorous tree, because removal of part of the leaf canopy  can lower the tree canopy height without excessive regrowth at the point of pruning. This refers to watersprouts and excessive new shoot growth common on young peach, plums and other fruit trees,

So, when that neighbor asks that “too late to prune?” question, you say, “THAT depends ( the standard college professor answer).

Then you say, “For a small fee, or a favor, or a beer, I’ll come and look and look at your tree and tell you.”

There is possibly only two months of the year when there isn’t some good reason to prune- October & November followed by September.

Bob Norton