A high amount of fruit is ensured by the need for lots of foliage.To maintain easy tree access, balance, and enough sun exposure, your tree may need some minimalPruning.Pruning may be necessary if your tree needs re-shaping.Pruning in the spring and summer will prevent the spread of the disease.Your tree can thrive and produce fruit for many years with proper care.
Step 1: For branches less than 1 inch in diameter, use hand pruners.
Smaller tools can handle smaller growths.If you want to let the sun shine through, you can remove smaller branches from the tree.Specialty hand pruners that have rounded tips can be used to keep the fruit from being damaged.
Step 2: If you want to cut branches thicker than 1 inch, choose loppers.
The base of the tree is a good place to remove large branches.Make sure your loppers are sharp before you start using them.Keep major cuts clean and in line with the trunk's natural shape.
Step 3: You can protect your skin with gloves, casual clothes, and a sun hat or visor.
You don't want to get dirty if you put on some comfortable, casual clothes.You can keep the sun off your face and neck with a wide-brimmed hat.You could wear a long-sleeved T-shirt, some old jeans, sneakers, and a wide-brimmed straw hat.
Step 4: It is easier to get to the tree if you have a ladder with you.
If you need the extra stabilization, use a tall, secure ladder with a firm base and have someone hold it while you work.Newly planted trees with shallow root systems need a ladder to balance out the growth at the top of the tree.
Step 5: Before you begin, gather your tools.
If you want to cut down on trips back and forth from your garage, tool shed, and tree, you should pull out all the supplies you need first.You will need a bottle of lysol spray, hand pruners, and loppers.
Step 6: It's a good idea to spray your tools with a Disinfectant.
Pruning tools can carry pests and diseases between trees, so it is important to clean them.Before moving on to the next tree, you should fill a spray bottle with a disinfectant spray, like rubbing alcohol or bleach, and keep it with you.
Step 7: Don't Prune too much in the spring or early summer.
If you cut back during the fall or winter you could expose the tree to cold temperatures and frost.The best times are the first few weeks of spring or summer.Pruning back branches in the spring will promote regrowth.Pruning in the summer makes the tree grow bigger and taller.
Step 8: The bottom branches don't get enough sunlight.
The canopies of the trees tend to be thick and lush.Pruning back a few of the topmost branches will create little windows in the canopy.As this could expose the tree's major branches to heavy sunlight, be careful not to create too many open areas in the canopy.The best shape for sun exposure is a conical or pyramidal tree.
Step 9: If the tree becomes too wide, you should re-shape it.
If the tree's branches are blocking you from irrigating or mowing the area, re-shaping is necessary.Pruning 1 major branch per year is the only way to focus on smaller branches.The best amount of sun exposure is provided by a symmetrical conical shape.If re-shaping is done, it will likely cause fruit yield to drop in that year.Remember to be very careful with this kind ofPruning.Pruning too much can stunt the tree's fruit growth.
Step 10: Balance and symmetry are what you want when you're trimming.
To keep track of how many branches you remove from each side, mirror your cuts on the other side of the tree.To balance the tree's weight, it is important to make identical cuts to both sides.It's possible to stunt fruit growth on one side of the tree by trimming branches on the other side.The tree will be more susceptible to wind and weather when the fruit is young.
Step 11: Control the tree's height by removing branches at the top.
Use your loppers to trim back the top slowly, removing only 1 major branch per summer, starting with the tallest.This is important for trees that don't have a strong root system to support extra height.A good deal of the roots will be removed when a tree is purchased from a nursery.The process may take 3-4 years to complete, but the slow and steady approach will help reduce stress on the tree.
Step 12: Remove dead branches from their base.
If you want to cut away dead branches above the trunk or branch collar, use your loppers.The tree's nutrition will be directed to the healthy limbs.It is tempting to cut away dead wood at any time of the year, but remember that frost damage can make a branch look dead.Wait for the new growth to start before determining whether or not the branch needs to be trimmed.
Step 13: After a heavyPruning, don't fertilize the tree.
If the tree has been pecked more than usual, skip the fertilization.Addingfertilizer can lead to dangerously high amount of leaf growth.
Step 14: If the tree needs rejuvenation, cut it back to the main trunk.
This form of pruning is used in orchards to promote new growth in later years.If you want to cut all of the branches back to the main trunk, use your loppers to clip them at the raised ring or the branch collar.If you live in a sunny area, you should paint a thin layer of white latex paint with water over the cuts to protect them from sun exposure.After rejuvenationPruning, it takes 3 years to grow and produce fruit again.It is not a good idea for beginners to do this type ofPruning.Unless you have a lot of experience with trees, you should have your rejuvenation done by a professional service.
Step 15: The need for majorPruning is reduced by using preventive Pruning.
In areas where you don't want new branches, use your hand to cut the growing tips.Thinning cuts are a better way to keep the growth in check since they tend to lower the fruit yield and make the tree grow back faster.Light preventivePruning can be performed any time of the year.
Step 16: Water shoots should be removed to prevent imbalances.
Water shoots should be trimmed away from the tree's base before it flowers in the spring.Pruning the leafy shoots helps keep the tree's growth in check, rather than wild and untamed.
Step 17: Cut away the branch at the base of the limb to fix it.
If your branches have been damaged by a strong wind or fruit, you should remove them completely.Cut away any small broken branches with your loppers or hand pruners.The rest of the tree will be helped by this.
Step 18: Thinner cuts can be used to control wild growth.
Smaller branches should be cut back to their main branches in areas of the tree that grow quickly.Theinning cuts will help keep the tree in check and prevent wild growth in the future.
Step 19: Minor issues should not become major problems.
It is easier to cut wild branches that are starting to form, such as at the top or low to the ground on the sides, if you spot them early.Pruning can be more difficult if the tree is waiting until they have grown.There are horizontal branches forming close to the ground.If you want to get to the base of the tree, you have to cut these branches back.