First things first...WHY do we need to prune?
As with many living things a bit of Tender Loving Care (TLC) will bring out the best of any relationship and as you are going to be nurturing your tree for many years to come TLC should be top of your list. Pruning helps to keep your tree in top condition and looks because you will need to remove any parts of the fruit tree that are dead.

What!!............. Dead????....

When frost gets at the branches it kills the ends of the branch for a few inches, this is called "die back", one major cause of this is cutting the branch at the wrong angle...or squashing the cut.......huh?....I can hear you say!

I'll say it again.....it's worth repeating....one major cause of this is cutting the branch at the wrong angle....or squashing the cut.....read on..

Rain water can collect at the branch end and if there is a frost...well, as we know, water expands when it freezes and this has the effect of destroying the tip of the cut therefore creating die-back....don't worry, there will be plenty more branches for you to kill...oops..I mean, hone your technique on and the more you do it the easier it will get....and of course, like all living things, they are susceptible to colds and flu...in our case diseases, pests and careless handling....like someone kicking a ball near the tree and snapping a branch off. As well, you must make sure that the pruning cut is a sharp one. Think of it like cutting a piece of paper. You either cut it with a sharp knife or you tear it! If you tear your tree with blunt secateurs you are in effect squashing the branch. Not good!

Pruning also encourages greater fruit production (yields to those of us in the know). When starting a pruning regime you will optimize the growing potential of your tree. This means pruning any branches that obstruct the light getting to the fruits, also cutting out any that rub close to the fruits. Did you know that if you have too many fruits on the tree you can cause problems such as stunted growth and bruised fruit? Stunted growth because the fruits are competing with each other and if you have a cluster of fruits together they rub against each other. This causes distress to the tree.

And of course you use pruning to create the shape of your tree. Will it be an upright cordon?, or maybe you want it at a 45 degree angle?, or growing as a cup shape to be viewed from all angles? Then again, maybe the espalier shape is more your style?

So as you can see, pruning isn't just a case of cutting off branches any old way. You need to know the basics before you even begin to attempt it, and you need to have an image of what you want your tree to look like....And that's the difference between pruning and training. You prune to keep your tree healthy, but you train to get the shape you want.

Before we go any further lets look at the tools of the trade.......

To begin with you need a good pair of secateurs.....pruning scissors to the uninitiated!!

I would suggest that you buy a decent pair. You will want to use them for many years to come so you may as well get the best you can afford. You can of course buy a cheap pair but you will find that they lose their edge quite easily and will be a false economy in the long run. As I said...you don't want to crush the branch when you should be cutting.

On this page you will find a link to Amazon.com, so if you buy the pair of secateurs that I recommend through the link I will get paid a small fee for your custom.....what the heck...you dont have to...but will need a pair somewhere down the line!!

Lets look at a pruning cut and discuss what you should be aiming for......

1) The first stem has been cut too close to the bud. Should the stem suffer dieback, you will lose this bud.

2) Here, the pruning cut is the wrong angle. Any rain could cause rot to the bud.

3) This picture shows the pruning cut to be too far away from the bud. The tree doesn't know what it wants to do.....keep growing or grow fruit?

4) Just right!!...the pruning cut is at the right angle and just above the bud...perfect!

So far, so good, now we know how to cut, next, we need to know where to cut. This means knowing the difference between pruning and training!!

Tell you what though.....dont I use the exclamation mark a lot!!!!!!

Knowing how to prune properly is the key to getting the most out of your fruit tree. I can't emphasize this enough. Should you make a wrong cut it isn't the end of the world! Your tree will keep growing and you can correct your mistakes, it just means that you will have to wait until next year to shape/train your tree from the new growth to the way you want it.

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