Top Tips For Trimming Fruit Trees

Fruit trees do best when they are trimmed regularly. They tend to produce fruit more evenly and better fend off infectious diseases when they've received adequate pruning. In most cases, it is best to hire a tree trimming professional to come trim your fruit trees. However, if there are no professional trimmers in your area or your budget prevents you from hiring one, then you can manage this task on your own. You will, however, want to follow the fruit tree trimming tips below.

Clean and sanitize your shears

This is a good idea before pruning any tree, but especially when pruning fruit trees since they are so susceptible to fungal diseases. Clean your shears with bleach or rubbing alcohol to kill any fungal spores so you don't introduce an infection to the wounds you make as you trim.

If you're pruning more than one fruit tree, re-sanitize your shears between trees. And if you prune away any branches that look diseased, re-sanitize your shears after cutting those branches.

Remove downward-angled branches first

Ideally, tree branches should emerge from the tree trunk at a slightly upward angle. This way, they will be able to support the weight of the fruit without snapping. If you see any branches that are attached at a downward slope, trim those ones away. Otherwise, they may break on their own under the weight of the fruit. 

Leave a little nub

It can be tempting to cut the branch flush with the trunk as this looks the tidiest. But actually, tree branches have a bundle of vascular tissue in this area where they attach to the trunk. You don't want to cut through that bundle of tissue as doing so will cause the tree to lose more sap. Fruit trees need that sap to grow and nourish their fruit. So, leave a little nub behind each time you trim a branch.

Remove branches that cross one another

Branches that cross one another can be problematic for fruit trees. If the top branch gets weighed down with fruit, it may press on and damage the branch below it. So, when you find two crossed branches, trim away the smaller or less healthy of the two.

With the tips above, you can do a better job of trimming your fruit trees. If you do this about once a year, you should notice that your fruit production increases over time. Good luck!

Reach out to a company like Git-R-Down Tree Service LLC to learn more.

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