Pruning is a vital gardening job, but it needs to be carried out at the right time for it to benefit plants.
Most plants go dormant during the winter. This is the time of year when they’ve halted active growth and have gone to sleep for the cold weather.
Because of this dormancy, late winter can be a fantastic time to adjust the shapes of many plants – particularly trees and shrubs.
William Mitchell of Sutton Manor Nursery has shared a range of gardening jobs to carry out this month – and one of which is to prune.
More specifically, he urged gardeners to prune their apple and pear trees this month.
He said: “The pruning of both apple and pear trees is best done over the colder winter months.
“Traditionally it is done between November and March, meaning that January is the perfect time to start the pruning process of your fruit trees.”
Pruning in the winter has a huge amount of benefits. One of them is the fact that it “encourages extremely strong spring growth”.
What’s more, the slow down in leaves dropping also allows you to see more of the shape and structure of your tree.
How to prune apple trees
Start by removing dead, diseased or weak growth and any branches that are crossing. On spur-bearing trees, reduce the length of main branches by about a third.
Cut to a good, outward-facing bud, making a slanted cut-down away from the bud to prevent rain from pooling on it.
Keep checking the tree’s overall shape before you make any more cuts. Side shoots, known as laterals, should be left over winter to produce fruit buds.
Do remove any growth heading towards the tree’s centre, reducing air and light.
On well-established trees, thin out any congested fruit spurs. Start with those on the underside of branches as fruit there will struggle to ripen. Shorten others to leave the strongest, allowing space for developing fruit.
On tip-bearing trees, stop branches getting too long by cutting back some of the older stems to a younger shoot.
How to prune pear trees
Begin by removing any weak, dead, dying or diseased wood. Next, reduce the length of the main branches by about a third. Cut them back to a good, outward-facing bud, making a slanted cut-down away from the bud to prevent rain from pooling on it.
The side shoots, known as laterals, should be left over winter unless they are crossing another branch, which can lead to rubbing and disease.
Take out any growth that is heading towards the tree’s centre as it will reduce light and air, resulting in poor fruit ripening and a greater risk of disease.
If the fruit-producing spurs are too crowded, remove some. Start with those on the underside of branches as fruit there will struggle to ripen. Shorten others to leave the strongest with plenty of space for developing fruit.
Some varieties of pear trees fruit at the ends of shoots, known as tip-bearing. To reduce crowding, these should have some of the older branches cut back every year to a strong shoot.
