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Pruning tips

With acknowledgement of John Butterworth

Use a good quality pruning saw that is designed for cutting live wood. Clean the blade with meths.

Prune Apple and Pear trees in late winter. Take out the dead wood and the branches which are crossing other branches and make sure the centre of the tree is not crowded. Take down the branches that are too high, but only prune down to the branches that are at least one third of the diameter of the piece to be cut. If there is a lot to be cut down then do it in yearly stages to avoid shocking the tree too much.

When cutting off a branch, make a first cut about a foot away from the final position. This means that if there is any splitting or tearing, it does not affect the final would. Then when the weight of the branch is removed, support the weight of the remaining short piece and make a final cut about pne half inch from the trunk or from the join with the surviving branch.

Finally trim back the bark from around the edges of the cut to about one quarter of an inch with a sharp penknife.

In Summer (June-July) trim the new shoots to half their length. This encourages fruit growth

You can see a video of John Butterworth pruning trees here

For Pruning Plum Trees click here