IN THE ORCHARD
From page 39
grow, which should generally
be outwards.
Different varieties of fruit trees
have different requirements.
To prune, it is also important
to know how a tree fruits. For
example peaches fruit only on
shoots from last year's growth
on both laterals and fruiting
shoots, while in plums fruit is
borne on laterals or spurs that
are two years or older. On
young trees the spurs look
more like a group of short
laterals and on older trees like
multiple buds.
K Peach trees
Pruning methods for peaches
and nectarines are very much
the same. Pruning a peach
tree opens up the tree and
allows sunlight to shine on
the fruit. This is important for
healthy fruit production. Also,
if you're going to spray your
trees for diseases or pests, an
open tree helps with equal
coverage.
Peach twigs can be killed in
one growing season by too
much shading. If there's too
much shade, eventually no
fruiting wood will be present
in the lower part of the tree.
Imagine what your hand looks
like when holding a giant
peach. When pruning peach
trees, the shape of your hand
is very similar to the shape of
the pruned peach tree. The
centre is open with about five
main branches angling
upward at 45 degrees. Each
one of these main branches
holds another hand. This
second hand is what carries
and bears fruit.
You want to keep your tree
short, so stand on the ground
and crop the branches as high
as you can reach with the
clippers. If you have a tall
limb where the only new
growth is high above your
head, cut off the limb. 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. It's a lot
easier to prune, pick
and care for a low
growing peach tree
than a tall one.
Choose four to six
branches that come
off the trunk. If there
are branches growing
What a pruned fruit tree should look like:
Above: side view. Below: viewed from
up the centre of the
above.
tree, prune these out.
Looking at an aerial
view of the tree, the
area where the fruit
and leaves grow looks
more like a doughnut
than a ball.
Now you're going to
trim up the remaining
limbs, starting with any
branches that are
growing horizontal and
downward. These have a
branches back by approxitendency to break and
mately one third; the cut
crack when the fruit gets
should be made just above
heavy.
the dormant shoot. In its
In any one pruning you
second season, cut back new
should aim to remove about
growth halfway on the five to
two-thirds of the previous
nine chosen lateral branches.
season's growth.
Continued on page 42
K Plum and Apricot trees
The trick with plum and
apricot trees is to shape them
from when they are planted.
When you first plant a plum
tree, it is important to direct
its growth and create a vase
shape, keeping the centre
open to let in the light. Prune
the tree to five to nine wellspaced lateral branches away
from the tree's centre.
Branches coming off the side
of the shoot are known as
laterals and should be left as
they produce the spurs for
fruit. This will help to establish
a solid foundation for future
growth.
Cut each of the main
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