Advice
RHS Help & Advice
Apple and pear tree renovation
Images: Tim Sandall
Excessive pruning of fruit trees will over-stimulate them, causing vigorous, unfruitful growth. However, with revised pruning, the regeneration of such trees can be accomplished
Remove or renovate?
Decide first if the tree is worth keeping. Even if not required for its crop, a fruit tree, once renovated, can be an attractive feature. Alternatively, a new tree on dwarfing rootstock will be easier to manage and more productive.
Renovation is carried out between November and February for fruit such as apples and pears. Stone fruits, including cherries and plums, should be pruned in spring as leaves are opening, or immediately after cropping. Assess if the work is manageable for you. If in doubt, employ a suitably qualified tree surgeon.
Pruning to regenerate
A common mistake is to cut back too heavily in any one year (left). It is best to stage pruning over several years as hard pruning results in strong new growth at the expense of cropping the following season (right). Remove no more than a quarter of the crown in any year.
First, cut out dead, diseased or damaged growth. Then assess the overall shape of the tree and remove badly placed and crossing branches. Remove any low branches. Tall ones in the centre of the tree should also be removed or cut back to a well-placed horizontally-growing side branch.
Cut branches to just above the point of origin of the limb, leaving a stub not less than one-third of the diameter of the branch removed. Older, heavier growth is best removed section by section. Always undercut limbs first then complete the cut from above to prevent tearing.
On larger trees look for branches growing too closely together. Remove or shorten so stems are at least 60cm apart if growing next to each other, or 90cm apart when one branch grows above the other. After pruning, in spring, feed the tree well, mulching the ground with well-rotted garden compost to encourage good growth and fruiting.
Overpruned trees
Heavy lopping of a tree may result in the production of ‘water shoots’ (left). If you inherit an overpruned tree, it will take several seasons to get it back in shape. In the first year cut away half of the young upright shoots (right). Remove any shoots growing directly from the trunk and lower portions of main branches. Tip-prune the longest remaining shoots to induce branching.
In the second year remove half the growth retained in the previous year, leaving well-spaced young stems. Prune these to encourage further outward-facing growth. If the tree is still overcrowded, remove larger sections of wood to open up the centre of the crown.
In year three, continue to correct and balance new growth. Fruit buds should have started to form, so start routine pruning of shortening growth to form spurs.
Tony Dickerson