Guest Blog: A Beginner's Guides to Summer Pruning... by a Beginner!
Let us introduce you to our new Community Engagement Coordinator for Kansas City Community Gardens, a Giving Grove affiliate. Mary Jane has a passion for urban farming and agriculture, but fruit tree maintenance is new to her. After attending several Giving Grove summer pruning workshops, she is ready to give you a fresh take on this essential backyard orcharding task.
New to the Giving Grove, my previous experience with pruning fruit trees was novice at best. So when we say this is a beginner’s guide, we mean it! Written by a beginner for beginners, here are some helpful tips to become a pruning pro.
A tree is like a teenager, it needs training and discipline. Pruning your trees can feel like a daunting task, but it is necessary to keep the trees healthy and productive. Pruning is an art and a science, and it takes practice to get comfortable making the cut. Treat the tree as if you’re having a conversation. Ask your tree where you want it to grow, and what can stay, and what can go.
Please note that this is a guide to pruning in the summer season July through Early September. Summer pruning prioritizes managing new growth, while dormant season pruning will require separate guidance on improving the overall tree structure.
What You will Need:
Confidence!
By-Pass Hand Pruners (Felco #2)
Limb Spreaders
70% Isopropyl Alcohol & Cloth
Dry weather - Do not prune when you expect rain!
Helpful to Have:
Pruning Saw (Corona, Silky)
Pole Pruner (Jameson, Corona)
Loppers (Corona)
Gloves & Safety Glasses
Tripod Orchard Ladder
Remember to spray your pruners with at least 70% Isopropyl Alcohol between pruning each tree. This will disinfect your pruners and prevent the spread of disease. Also refrain from pruning stone fruit in the summer. This will lead to greater pest and disease damage to stone fruit varieties. Avoid pruning on a wet day to prevent water pooling into the pruning cuts, which could cause disease as well.
As you prune, gather your cuttings to one pile for removal from the orchard. As you go from tree to tree, take the chance to pull any weeds from the base of the tree, scout for insects or disease, and pick up any fallen fruit.
Where to Start:
Start by looking for the 3 D's of Pruning: Dead, Diseased, and Damaged limbs. You will also want to cut back or remove any crossing or rubbing limbs. You should be removing 5-10% of the tree. Gather your cuttings for one tree in a single pile in order to give you a visual of how much you have removed.
There are essentially two places to make a pruning cut, at a bud or the branch collar. When pruning at a bud, follow the Directional Pruning Method, or cutting just above an "outside bud" (or a bud facing away from the tree structure) will guide the new growth in the direction of that bud. To do this, prune ¼ inch above the bud at a 45 degree angle to encourage outward growth. If the angle of the cut is too dramatic, the cut will potentially create a weakened structure for the new growth. Prune thoughtfully, making sure the cut does not go below the bud.
The branch collar is the joint where a branch meets the trunk or a parent limb. When a cut is made at the branch collar, the tree will produce a protective tissue that will heal and close the pruning wound. Be very cautious not to cut too deeply within the branch collar, rather prune just above it. This will keep the collar intact and allow the tree to properly callous over.
Watersprouts & Rootstock Suckers:
After you have pruned out any dead, diseased, or damaged limbs, take a step back to notice any vertical growth pointing straight up. These whippy, usually bright green limbs are called watersprouts. Watersprouts are new growth that is often a reaction from dormant season pruning. To manage this new growth, watersprouts can be...
1) Pruned back to the branch
2) Pruned to a couple buds above the branch
3) Pruned to remove 2/3 of the growth above an outward facing bud
4) Limbspread to grow outward or laterally to produce fruit
Next, take a look at the base of the tree. Often you will see shoots sprouting below the graft of the tree. These are called Rootstock Suckers. These suckers will do just that - suck nutrients from the tree and compete for space and nourishment. They are also prone to disease, so you will want to prune your rootstock suckers to the soil line as soon as you notice them throughout any time of the year.
Blackberries:
Blackberry canes produce fruit in alternate years by first year growth (primocane) and second year growth (floricane). The canes that produced fruit this past season are pruned to the crown (or the base of the plant) while the new canes should be tied to the trellis line and tipped. This year’s new canes will produce fruit next year, so it is necessary to prune back the fruited canes to make room for the second year growth to produce fruit for the following season.
You can identify fruited or old canes by the evidence of dried fruit stem ends, a dark green or brown stem, or a blackened dead cane. Trace these fruited canes to the base of the bed and use loppers or a hand pruner to cut the cane to the ground. Use this opportunity to pull any weeds and clean the bed as you go.
The trellising system is designed to guide the grower on which canes will produce fruit from year to year. This will allow for easier access to harvesting and simpler pruning in the coming season. Once all the old canes are pruned to the plant crown, tie all the new canes to one side of the trellis with tie tape. The opposite side will be used next year for new vegetative growth. Prune or "tip" the new canes a few inches above the tie tape to encourage lateral branching.
Do not let weeds take over the bramble bed. If it is not a blackberry, pull it or dig it out! Common invaders including trees and vines will often take over and compromise the bed altogether.
Happy Pruning!
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Mary Jane Meirose is the Giving Grove Community Engagement Coordinator for the Kansas City Community Gardens.