A Pacific Northwest Extension PublicationOregon • Washington • Idaho

Reprinted November 1997PNW 400

TRAINING & PRUNINGYour Home Orchard

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Training and Pruning Your Home OrchardR.L. Stebbins

Basic principlesWhy train fruit trees?• Training develops a strong tree

structure that can support heavycrops without breakage.

• Training helps to bring a young treeinto production at an early age.

Why prune fruitand nut trees?• Pruning reduces overall tree size.• Pruning makes trees easier to spray

and harvest.• Pruning young trees can improve

structural strength and inducebranching.

• Pruning mature trees can increasetheir production and improve thefruit quality.

• Pruning reduces the need to prop upthe fruit-laden branches.

Don’t use wounddressings!

They’re not necessary—there’s noclear evidence that they reduce woodrots associated with pruning wounds.Trees protect themselves fromwood-rotting fungi by producing achemical barrier near a properly madepruning wound.

Robert L. Stebbins, Extension horticulturespecialist emeritus, tree fruit and nut crops,Oregon State University. This replaces anOregon State University Extensionpublication by the same title.

In its fourth winter, this tree has four well-developed leaders (see “Open-centertraining,” page 6).

Figure 1.—When you prune, don’t leave astub—and don’t make a wound larger thannecessary, which happens with a “flushcut.” Cut just outside the tapering portionof the branch, where it’s inserted in a largerbranch or the trunk.

Figure 2.—In a poorly pruned tlower limbs, and a dense thickettop. Cut the drooping terminal branch. Remove some of the “sulimb; thin out side shoots on othover with the weight of the fruit

ree, upper limbs shade out of “suckers” appears in theportion to a more uprightckers,” cutting close to theers so that they’ll bend

.

Figure 3.—On this well-pruned branch,thin out more shoots toward the end(those colored red).

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Prune so that you don’t leave a stub(Figure 1), but also so that you don’tmake a wound larger than necessary, occurs with a “flush cut.” Cut justoutside the tapering portion of thebranch where it’s inserted into a largerbranch or the trunk.

Early tree training helps you avoidlarge pruning wounds low in the tree,which might become infected.

General rulesfor training• Start following a training system at

planting time.• Remove unwanted shoots in summe

when they’re small.• Train more by limb positioning than

by pruning.

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• Follow the training programconsistently, as frequently asnecessary, so that you completetraining properly as soon as possible

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General rulesfor pruning• Prune all fruit and nut trees at

planting time to balance the topswith the roots. You’ll need much lesspruning at planting if you plan toirrigate the young tree frequentlyduring its establishment.Prune young trees very lightly.Prune mature trees more heavily,especially if they’ve shown littlegrowth.

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• Prune the top portion of the treemore heavily than the lower portion(Figure 2).

• Prune when all danger from fall orearly winter freeze has passed, butbefore full bloom in spring. Sweetcherry trees may be pruned inAugust when there’s less danger ofbacterial infection.

• Thin out more shoots toward the endof a well-pruned branch in a maturetree. This will increase fruit size andquality on the remaining shoots(Figure 3).

• To reduce the height of an exces-sively tall tree, cut whole limbs outof the top, making cuts flush withthe bark of a lower limb. Stubs leftin the top of a tree won’t heal(Figure 4).

Figure 4.—This tree is too tall. To reduce its height,cut whole limbs out at the top (those colored red).

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Limb bendingBending nearly vertical limbs to an

aspect 45 to 60 degrees from verticalusually stimulates fruit productionearlier in the life of the tree. The thickerand more upright a limb is, the morebenefit it will receive from bending.Early production stimulated by bendinghelps to keep a tree small and manageable.

Open-center training (Figure 5).To train trees to an open center, choosthree or four shoots to form mainscaffold branches the first winter.Remove other shoots that might formcompeting limbs. Head them, remov-ing a fourth to a third of their length, ifthey’re long and unbranched.• When you remove large limbs, first

cut part way on the underside. Don’tleave stubs.

• To keep a tree small, prune moder-ately every year and don’t applyfertilizer, manure, or compost. (Thisdoesn’t apply to “dwarf” trees.)

Central-leader training (Figure 6).If a nursery tree has few or nobranches at planting, head it at 24 to 3inches above ground. To train trees to central leader, choose a vigorous shoohigh on the tree after planting.

During spring or early summer,remove other shoots near it that,because of their upright aspect andvigor, will compete with the lead shoot(Figure 7). Head this shoot by a thirdeach dormant season, and tie down orremove competing shoots.

Figure 5.—To train trees to an open center, you’ll need four seasons (red indicatesremoved or headed shoots).: The first winter, choose three or four shoots to form main scaffold branches;

remove or severely head all others. Scaffold branches should be at least 8 inchesapart on the trunk for a strong tree structure.

: The second winter, choose one or two more.: By the third winter, scaffold selection should be

complete.: The fourth winter shows a good open center.Four main scaffold limbs evenly distributedaround the trunk are enough; a fifth limbcrowds.

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Figure 7.—The called the “leaderHead that shoot might compete. Trepeat this proce

Before

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Figure 6.—To train trees to a central leader, you’ll need fourseasons (red indicates removed or headed shoots).A: The first winter after planting, choose a vigorous shoot high

on the tree. Cut off the top in to stimulate branching if it’s2 feet long or longer. Head all other vigorous shoots moreseverely.

B, C, and D: Repeat the process the following three seasons sothat no side branches become vigorous enough to competewith the central leader.

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highest portion of a scaffold limb is.” Thin it to an upright side shoot.and remove all upright shoots thato avoid overgrowth in the tree top,

ss annually.

After

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Spread too-upright limbs each yearas required (Figure 8). Repeat theprocess in the following two seasonsso that no side branches becomevigorous enough to compete with thecentral leader.

Dwarf apple varieties that havewide-angled limbs naturally (such asLiberty, shown in Figure 6) don’trequire heading or spreading if they’resupported. Delicious, Newton, andother varieties with narrow crotches orupright limbs—or both—do requirespreading. The central leaders of non-supported trees need annual heading tdevelop short, stout limbs.

oFigure 8.—While the tree is young, spread branches that make very narrow angleswith the main trunk. If such limbs are allowed to grow to a productive age, theyusually break out, often splitting the entire tree.

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Thinning out and heading back(Figure 9). Thinning-out pruningresults in long, flexible limbs that benddown when loaded with fruit. Headingback or “stubbing’’ causes limbs tobranch and stiffen. Light headingstimulates branches when you trainyoung trees.

Figure 9.—Thinning out (left) and heading back or“stubbing” (right).

Figure 10.—One-ythat grew during thpeach (left), apple (

Fruiting habitsFigure 10 shows the difference in

fruiting habit between peach and apple.Peaches bloom only on l-year-oldwood; apples usually bloom on spursor shoots from 2-year-old wood.

Figure 11 shows a mature appletree’s fruit spurs, which will bear thefruit crop. Because peach and apricottrees bear only on l-year-old wood,they require more annual pruning torenew fruiting wood than apple andpear trees do. Cherries and prunesrequire relatively little pruning.

ear-old wood is woode previous summer:right).

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Figure 11.—The fruit spurs on a mature apple tree bear thefruit crop.

Espalier andpalmette training

Espalier and palmette trainingdevelops trees in two dimensions only.In a home garden, you might use it tosave space and to enhance the esthetappeal of fruit trees. You can do it mossuccessfully with dwarf apple and peartrees. Select buds to form the brancheat the proper height and cut off the treejust above them.

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As these buds grow—and beforethey’ve produced enough wood tobecome stiff—fasten the shoots thatgrow from them to training wires orsticks with masking tape or othersuitable material.

Develop the lowest branches first,angling them at about 30 degrees at thstart. Widen this to 45–50 degreeswhen they’re as long as you want them(Figures 12 and 13).

Figure 12.—Espalier training.

Figure 13.—Palmette training.

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By heading the central leader justabove where you want branches,develop one or two higher pairs ofbranches, keeping them shorter andslightly more spreading than the lowerpair. It’s best to have at least 18 inchesvertically between branches.

Balance the growth of limbs bybending strong limbs down more orweak limbs up more. Withhold orapply fertilizer to keep growth withindesired bounds.

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ToolsLong-handled pruning shears

(Figure 14, center) are the most usefultool for almost all pruning jobs.

Hand shears (Figure 14, bottom) areuseful for training young trees.

If you need to make large cuts, usea pruning saw (Figure 14, upper left).

Use only a sturdy stepladder. Set itfirmly on the ground to preventaccidents.

Applyingthe basicsApple trees

Fully dwarf trees. You mustsupport these trees in some way, orthey’ll bend to the ground under theweight of their fruit. You could supportthe central trunk against the side ofyour house or a fence with adjustableeye-bolts or turnbuckles and wires.

If you use individual posts, makesure they extend at least 6 feet abovethe ground, and drive or sink them atleast 2 feet into the ground. Woodentree stakes should be 2 inches or morein diameter.

You can grow dwarf apple trees ona post-and-wire trellis in a hedgerow.Posts may extend from 6 to 10 feetabove the ground. Treated posts arebest, but sound, untreated 4 x 4 cedarposts may be satisfactory. Use galva-nized wire, 12-gauge or heavier. Thelowest wire should be about 4 feetabove the ground, with higher wires at2-foot intervals.

Anchor the end posts againstanother post driven several feet into

Train vigorous varieties with mleaders (when trained to centrleaders, they may become toowindy site, use a sturdy stakesupport in the first 10 years.

Head nursery trees the samcentral leaders, but develop thfour shoots instead of one. Whthey’re 4 to 6 inches long, sprshoots using cocktail-style tooor spring-type clothespins.

In the following years, spreout the lead limbs to an overaabout 30 degrees from verticacould weight the side limbs thfrom these or spread them to to stimulate early production. Atree begins to bear fruit, limbsrequire propping or tying to prbreakage.

“Spur-type” trees (Figure 15form many small spurs on yougrowth rather than the usual loshoots and leaf buds—this is got their name.

Each spur bears a flower cThe leaves are close together

Figure 14.—Pruning saw (upper left), long-handled pruning shears (center), handshears (bottom).

undisturbed soil at an opposing angle.Tie the main trunk to these wires, usinga loop big enough to allow the trunk togrow without being girdled. If youattach the trunk to the trellis wire with5/8-inch box staples, it will graft to thewire and not girdle.

Train fully-dwarf apple trees to acentral leader (Figure 6). If you trainthem to a central leader, and supportthem from a post or trellis, they’llmake highly productive 6-, 8-, or10-foot trees.

If you don’t train them in thismanner, the weight of the fruit willbend them down so that they makebushlike trees only 4 or 5 feet tall.

In the spring following planting,when shoots are 3 to 4 inches long,select the uppermost vigorous shootand remove other shoots near it. Returseveral times in summer and removeany shoots that, because of theirupright aspect and vigor, will competewith the lead shoot.

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Head this shoot by a third in thedormant season, and tie down orremove competing shoots. Repeat theprocess in the following two seasonsso that no side branches becomevigorous enough to compete with thecentral leader.

Keep three to five branches 18 to30 inches above ground to form a basiset of permanent branches. If they’reupright, tie or weight them down to anearly horizontal aspect. Try fillingsandwich bags with soil, sand, orgravel and draping them over limbs asweights; use staples to keep them inplace during high winds. Positionhigher limbs to below horizontal toreduce their vigor relative to thepermanent basic set.

Semidwarf trees. You can trainthese trees to a central leader ordevelop them with three or four leadbranches. Central leader is best forweak-growing varieties on poor soil.

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Figure 15.—On this central leader of a2-year-old spur-type Delicious applestrain, notice the numerous short spurswith blossom clusters. Extensive fruitthinning would be required to allow thistree to grow and ripen the remainingfruit.

branches are less frequent, and the tregrows slowly. Because these trees aresmaller than the standard strains of thesame variety, and fruit at a young age,they make ideal home-orchard trees.

If you grow them on vigorousrootstocks, spur-type trees may notrequire artificial support until they arein production.

Spur-type trees are available onboth vigorous and dwarfing rootstocks.Because they branch sparsely, leavemore branches in a spur-type than in atree of standard growth habit. To trainthem to a central leader, space thelower set of limbs several inches apartvertically on the leader, and reducetheir number to four or five (Figure 6).

Standard trees (full size onseedling roots). Cut back trees at 24 to30 inches from the ground at plantingtime. Train them on nondwarfing rootsto the modified central leader system:Leave the central leader in place untilfruiting begins, then gradually removeit.

It’s desirable to have only four mainscaffold limbs, equally spaced aroundthe trunk and vertically spaced severalinches apart. Develop the main scaffoldlimbs to an overall aspect just a fewdegrees above horizontal. Make surethat all secondary branches also have gradual upward aspect (Figure 5).

The branches of a mature nondwarfapple tree may spread over an area40 feet in diameter and reach a heightof 30 or 40 feet. Regular pruning, andtying down of upright limbs in the top,are required to maintain a height of12 to 15 feet. Prune to make the loweslimbs the most vigorous and produc-tive in the tree (Figure 16).

Shorten, thin out, and bend downthe upper limbs to accomplish this. Byremoving risers that go straight up andhangers that grow straight down fromthe permanent limbs, open a verticalspace of about 3 feet between thelowest limbs and those above, so thatlight can penetrate.

If a tree hasn’t been pruned forseveral years, it will have a densethicket of upright shoots in the top andmany weak, pendulant spur systemsfurther down. Prune it back into shapegradually over several years, ratherthan trying to do the whole job in1 year (Figure 2).

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tigure 16.—(Above) This old seedling-rooted apple tree is maintained at a height ofbout 12 feet by extending the branches horizontally, rather than vertically. (Below)his enlarged view shows how the slightly upward aspect of the entire main limb

nd the terminal part of the side limbs maintain a good balance between shootrowth and fruiting. Pruning consists of many small thinning cuts.

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After you identify the main scaffoldranches, saw out any excess largeranches. Cut ladder bays so that youan place your ladder in the tree’senter. Climb as high on your ladder inhe tree’s center as you intend to pick,nd cut the main scaffold limbs down

o a height that you can reach.Remove limbs that lap over or hang

own into other limbs. Thin out theupright shoots, leaving some of thesmaller ones. Cut back weak pendulan

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limbs. Gradually invigorate the spursystems by cutting back some andremoving others. For better sunlightdistribution, the center of the treeshould be fairly free of limbs.

Don’t head shoots—remove thementirely or let them bear fruit and relyon the weight of the fruit to bring themdown. Thin off shoots on the inside ofupright branches so that the fruit willpull them to the outside.

Pear treesHead trees at about 24 inches at

planting. If the top is branched, retainsome branches as leaders. Train peartrees to three or four leaders. Selectthese leaders early in the first summerand spread them. Do little or no pruningexcept to head and spread the leadersannually until the tree starts to bear.

Don’t head side branches—headingwould maintain their upright position.Spread or weight all vigorous shootsexcept the lead shoots.

Open ladder bays between scaffoldlimbs, and regularly reduce tree heightto one you can reach from your ladder.Shorten or remove upper limbs so theydon’t shade the lower limbs. Thin outthe branches of the mature trees and dthe heaviest pruning in the tops.

Remove the long shoots in thecenter and top, but leave some shortshoots and most spurs. Removehorizontal branches in the tree top sothat they won’t produce suckers.

Cut back the slow-growing spursystems to about half their length toinvigorate them, or remove them andreplace with new shoots. On Anjou andComice varieties, cut back most of thespur systems and some shoots toincrease the size of the fruit.

Sweet cherry treesAt planting, head nursery trees at a

height desired for scaffold branches.Cutting a foot or two above ground levelwill produce a shorter tree. Train sweetcherry trees to the open-center system(Figure 5) with many scaffold branches.The vertical limbs of young sweet cherrytrees often will grow 6 to 8 feet withoutbranching.

If a young tree is growing veryrapidly, cut off a foot or more of newgrowth after about 3 feet of growth hasbeen made in the summer. This willcause branching. You can hastenproduction by tying down or weightinglimbs to horizontal.

To promote branching on trees notpruned in summer, head every shoot toabout 2 feet in length in the winter.After 5 to 6 years, stop heading andthin out crowded branches.

Bacterial canker, a common diseaseof cherry trees, frequently causesgumming and dead areas or “cankers”

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on limbs—or the death of the entire tree.If a gummy dead area encircles most oa limb, you must cut off the limb.

To avoid bacterial infection, whichmight enter pruning wounds, pruningmay be done in August. You usually canavoid death from bacterial canker bybudding or grafting the variety about afoot out on the limbs of a mazzardseedling tree.

Mature trees require little pruningexcept as needed to reduce the treeheight. Birds usually eat the top cherriesIf you lower the trees too much, thebirds may eat the cherries you want. Ifloss of fruit to birds is excessive, youmay want to net the lower limbs.

To make netting easier, removelimbs to create a space of about 3 feetabove the lowest set of branches.Before installing netting, tie severalnearby limbs together so that you canprotect more fruit with the sameamount of netting. Remember to untiethem later!

Sour cherry treesSince sour cherry wood is quite

brittle, give special attention todeveloping wide-angled crotches inyoung trees. Either select wide-angledshoots to form limbs, or spread theshoots to widen the angles. Three maincaffold limbs are enough for a sourherry tree.

In the first and second summers,emove excess shoots so that all theew growth takes place on the perma-ent scaffold limbs. Only occasional

hinning-out is needed in mature trees.

each treesCut off peach trees about 12 to

0 inches above ground level atlanting. Train trees to the open-centerystem (Figure 5). Develop no morehan three or four main scaffold limbs.elect the scaffolds that make the widesngles at the point of attachment with

he trunk, and not all from one height.each limbs with poor crotches splitut more frequently than limbs ofany other fruit trees.Remove the excess scaffold limbs

n the spring of the second year andgain in the third year if necessary.ead the scaffold limbs in the first and

second dormant seasons to cause

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branching until there are 6 to 8 second-ary scaffold branches and 12 to 16tertiary branches.

Peach trees bear only on l-year-oldshoots. Enough pruning is requiredevery year to stimulate new shoot growthfor the following year’s crop. Peachtrees branch readily and have too manyweak shoots unless they’re prunedproperly.

Thin out the shoots, leaving shootsof moderate vigor; remove weak orvery strong shoots entirely.

Prune hardest in the tops and nearthe ends of the major limbs. Cut thetop limbs back to side shoots to stiffenthem and reduce tree height. Peachtrees crop more consistently and havelarger fruits if they’re pruned heavily.Commonly, up to 50 percent of all theprevious season’s growth is removedannually.

Prune and plum treesTrain them to the open-center

system (Figure 5), with three or fourmain scaffold limbs. Prune very lightlyfor the first 5 years. Head only thoselimbs that will be permanent scaffolds.

Japanese varieties (such as Shiro,Redheart, and Burbank) have manylong, thin shoots, so heading is farmore important in them than it is inmost European varieties.

Weighting or bending limbs stimu-lates early production. Remove theexcess scaffold limbs and do little else.

In mature trees, thin out the topsevery few years and remove the deadlimbs as they appear. Most plums andprunes have ample bloom every year;therefore, only enough pruning isrequired to control height and spread,to keep the trees fairly vigorous, and toprevent limb breakage.

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Walnut treesCut off a newly planted walnut tree

4 or 5 feet above the ground. Unlessyou do this, the tree won’t grow muchfor several seasons. The lowest limbsof a walnut tree have a habit ofdrooping, so they should originatefairly high on the trunk.

Select three to five main scaffoldbranches in the first and secondgrowing seasons and remove theexcess branches at that time. After the

scaffold branches have developed, nofurther pruning is required.

Although pruning doesn’t hurtwalnut trees, they’re so large that it’sdifficult to prune the tops wherepruning would do the most good.Pruning will invigorate most old, weakwalnut trees.

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Filbert treesIn nature, filberts grow as bushes,

but you can force them to grow in asingle trunk by annually removing thesprouts that arise at ground level. Trainthem with three or four scaffolds,similarly to peaches (page 13).

To be most productive, a filbert treeshould make 6 to 8 inches of newterminal shoot growth, on shoots atshoulder height, every year. Frequentpruning helps to maintain this growth.

Prune filbert trees like peaches, butless severely. Filbert wood is espe-cially susceptible to wood-rottingfungi, so it’s important to make cuts atthe branch collar with limbs or trunk.

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pricot treesApricot trees usually develop

umerous branches in the nursery.ome of these may be selected forcaffold branches at planting time. Cuthese branches back a few inches andemove other branches. Cut back long

shoots 1 year after planting to induceranching. Train the tree similarly toeaches (page 13).

Pruning bearing apricot trees isostly a process of thinning out thexcess wood, and heading to shorten

ong shoots. After a side shoot hasroduced for 3 or 4 years, remove itnd let a new shoot grow in its place.

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Pacific Northwest Extension publications are jointly produced by the three PacificNorthwest states—Oregon, Washington, and Idaho. Similar crops, climate, and topocreate a natural geographic unit that crosses state lines. Since 1949 the PNW progrpublished more than 450 titles. Joint writing, editing, and production have preventedduplication of effort, broadened the availability of faculty specialists, and substantiallreduced the costs for participating states.

Published and distributed in furtherance of the Acts of Congress of May 8 and June 1914, by the Oregon State University Extension Service, Washington State UniversiCooperative Extension, the University of Idaho Cooperative Extension System, and U.S. Department of Agriculture cooperating.

The three participating Extension Services offer educational programs, activities, anmaterials—without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national origage, marital status, disability, and disabled veteran or Vietnam-era veteran status—asrequired by Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title IX of the Education Amend-ments of 1972, and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. The Oregon StateUniversity Extension Service, Washington State University Cooperative Extension, athe University of Idaho Cooperative Extension System are Equal Opportunity EmploPublished April 1992, reprinted November 1997. $1.00