Van der Merwe is the gar of the South African prune industry at the start of the new millenium. When should you prune your fruit trees in Southern Africa: It is important to prune deciduous trees (peaches, nectarines, apples and pears etc.) Keeping peach trees dry under cover or under plastic sheeting can help prevent peach leaf curl. If there are branches growing up the centre of the tree, prune these out. It is important to control production as allowing these trees to bea… Landscape trees require proper pruning and care to maintain their structural integrity and good looks. Maintenance: Water them thoroughly every three weeks during dry weather in summer. It’s a lot easier to prune, pick and care for a low growing peach tree than a tall one. The high, upward-pointing, fruit-bearing leaders at the top of the tree – which we had unwisely failed to cut back – could only be picked by my tall husband on a ladder at a stretch. The fruit should pull away easily from the tree. Uses. If the tree you bought has a stem thicker than 2cm it may have a harder time pushing out buds if you cut it down too low, so in this case make the first dormant hard header cut where the ‘caliper’ (width of the stem) is thumb-sized. Try to keep the tree reasonably open and airy. As for evergreen trees, it would be best if they were not pruned. Of course, unlike your hand, the branches are evenly spaced around the tree. Planting and Harvesting Calendar < Back to All Plants. This will reduce the risk of cold temperature injury to these trees. You can use this method for trees that produce pome fruits (e.g. With all these clean-up cuts, it’s important to prune the branches back flush to the larger limb they’re growing from – don’t leave little stubs. Growers with only a few trees can wait until ‘pink bud’ to prune. SP307-K Pruning Neglected Fruit Trees David W. Lockwood, Professor Plant Sciences 6. Springtime pruning is also easier since without foliage, the shape of the tree is easier to view. Summer prune fruit trees Photo: Justin Russell There’s a widespread myth in gardening circles that the time to prune fruit trees is winter. Ralph Waldo Emerson once said “The earth laughs in flowers”. Pick peaches when the colour has fully developed and the flesh gives slightly when squeezed. Aftercare By keeping the tree low year after year, you’ll encourage the tree to send out side branches instead of tall branches that reach to the sky. So, let’s take a stroll through this garden together and maybe – just maybe – we’ll forget to sweat the small stuff and come out smiling at the end of our journey. Unlike the previous steps, these cuts will be made part way into each branch, and where you make the cut is also important. Pruning citrus can be beneficial for fruit production when it is done in such a way as to allow more light and air to penetrate the canopy of the tree. These trees bear fruit on spurs which are small shoots on the older wood; so do not prune away the old wood. Watch RHS advice on how to prune peach and nectarine trees for optimum fruit and how to look after trees This pruning cut is critical because it will create a low scaffold of branches and keep the canopy of the mature tree within reach. Peach twigs can be killed in one growing season by too much shading. If you’re pruning a variety of plants, disinfect your tools with vinegar to prevent the risk of cross-infection. The resulting open-centred tree will be shorter, stronger, easier to care for, and most fruitful. Troubleshooting. Where limbs grow parallel to or cross other limbs within 24 to 30 inches, one of the limbs should be removed to eliminate shading and bruising of limbs and fruit. In areas where night frost is still very prevalent, pruning should be delayed until early August and even late August in the eastern Free State. Don’t remove too many flower buds or the current season’s crop will suffer. Select only the strongest shoots to keep and which will produce fruit next season (one year old shoots), each new shoot should be about 20cm apart. Preventive sprays … As a measure of disease prevention, dip the blades of your pruning shears in a solution of isopropyl alcohol for 30 seconds to disinfect them before moving on to prune another tree. Choose 3-5 upward growing branches on the outside of the tree and remove any others that are similar in size. If Apricot and Plum trees have been correctly shaped when young only light pruning is necessary, as heavy pruning may result in rampant growth at the expense of fruiting. For, and website in this video, I show you the of! You can use this method for trees that produce stone fruits ( e.g will create a low growing peach.... The sun to shine on the vigour of the tree needs to be set before starting its growth spurt while. 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