Pruning Young Trees: Lessons from Nature

A friend dropped in today to talk about how I prune my trees, especially the young ones. On a winter morning, with a warm sun overhead and a cup of hot coffee in hand, it was exactly the kind of conversation I enjoy. I could have gone on for hours.

In a forest, young trees spend years struggling under the shade of taller, older giants. Then one day, an opening appears in the canopy and light finally reaches them. Growth begins in earnest. Lower branches are rubbed off or broken by animals, weak or diseased shoots also disappear with time, and a few strong branches emerge as the main structural supports. A dominant leader often stretches upwards towards the sky, while the side branches spread to capture light and eventually bear fruit. Some other kinds of trees develop several leading shoots and open up in the centre to let light into their inner canopy. Observing such natural patterns is how people eventually developed sensible pruning principles for young fruit trees. Nature has always been the best teacher.

For most fruit trees, the first couple of years are about structure rather than fruit. I want them to resemble a naturally strong tree in a wild forest when they grow up. For apples, I prefer a central leader or a modified central leader, with well-spaced branches radiating all around. A sturdy central trunk with wide and strong limbs placed at different heights makes for a mature tree that allows sunlight to reach all around, and also stands firm against the high speed winds we get here.

For plums and peaches, I prefer the open vase form. Left to themselves, they almost naturally lean in that direction. When planting young trees, I usually make the first heading cut on the main whip at a height somewhere between my knee and waist. That simple measure works well enough for me. From there, I try to develop three to four strong scaffold branches spreading like an inverted pyramid. Initially, I keep four or five promising shoots, and once the tree has grown another year and the strong ones reveal themselves, I retain only the best three or four. Ideally, these branches should be well spaced, opening the centre so light can reach in. I am never in a hurry to harvest fruit in the formative years. Structure first, fruit later.

During these early years, I generally avoid removing more than about 35 percent of the plant material.

As the trees mature, the approach changes slightly. Apples and plums benefit from pruning that encourages spur development, while keeping total removal below about 25 percent of the canopy. Peaches and Nectarines, however, behave differently. They fruit on shoots that grew in the previous season. Once a branch has borne fruit, it will not fruit again. So with these, I remove most of the older spent wood and keep the tree within a manageable height. Peaches and Nectarines tolerate heavy pruning well, sometimes even up to 70-75 percent of the canopy without complaint.

Coming to cherries, apricots, and almonds, those early shaping years are the only crucial time. So, for them I just ensure that the lowest branches are at around a meter height from the ground and that no secondary leaders compete with the main trunk. After that nothing much is required. Once they develop a sound framework, they rarely need much pruning beyond removing the dead, diseased, or deformed branches. And sometimes a little lopping to keep the size manageable.

While enjoying the sunny weather and the biting winter wind, we also spoke about the pruning cuts themselves. A good cut is clean and thoughtful. Heading cuts, which encourage fresh growth from buds below, should be slightly slanted and placed just above a bud, with the slope facing away from it. Sharp bypass secateurs make all the difference.

Three important reminders always stay with me. Pruning should ideally be done in late winter or when the buds are just beginning to swell. It should not be done before or during a wet spell. And tools must always be disinfected before and after working on each tree, even if it is just a single cut on a young plant.

Our discussion remained mostly focused on young trees. By the time the coffee cups were empty and the winter sun had climbed a little higher, it was time for him to leave. We will meet again soon, I am sure, and pick up the conversation where we left off. I always feel happy when people around me show interest in horticulture and want to plant and care for more trees.

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