Although pruning is definitely a human invention, and trees can go without it to develop naturally, it presents the advantage of renewing the plant’s vigor and increasing its fruit productivity. Harness your fears and reach for the shears! If you follow these tips, you should quickly get familiar with this winter pruning procedure, and will get better at it as years go by.
“Pome” fruits often also go by the name “pip fruits“. It’s a particular group of trees of the Rosaceae family: Malinae (formerly Pomoidae). They are unique in that the fruits have a small number of pips surrounded by quite a lot of flesh. Apart from apple and pear, other examples include quince and medlar.
Pip fruit trees can be pruned in winter as long as it doesn’t freeze. Stone fruit trees don’t cope very well with winter pruning.
Pruning pip fruit trees increases fruit formation and will let your orchard bear more and more fruit as years go by. You control growth to maximize light and air circulation.
It will help your tree grow well. You can also have a clearer view when shaping these trees into espalier patterns.
In winter, it’s also the time to remove moss, lichen and old bark which are hiding places for all sorts of parasites and diseases. Typically, there are several different winter treatments to do this, with perfectly natural solutions!
Along an apple or pear branch, the short, stout buds are flower buds while the longer, pointy ones will become branches — learning to tell them apart guides every cut. Winter pruning of pip fruit trees (Malinae) renews the plant’s vigour and increases fruit productivity, provided you wait for frost-free weather.
| Job | When it applies | What it achieves |
|---|---|---|
| Prune pip (pome) trees such as apple and pear | In winter, as long as it doesn’t freeze | Renews the plant’s vigour and increases fruit productivity |
| Leave stone fruit trees unpruned | Avoid winter altogether | They don’t cope very well with winter pruning |
| Scrape off moss, lichen and old bark | In winter, alongside pruning | Removes hiding places for parasites and diseases |
| Read the buds before snipping | Just before each cut is made | Flower buds are short and stout, branch buds longer and pointy |
| Shape trees against a wall or wires | In winter, when the framework is visible | Gives a clearer view when working espalier patterns |
Whichever job you tackle, remember that no pruning is ever a bad pruning unless it is too drastic or done at the wrong time.
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Winter pruning is for pip fruit trees, also called pome trees, and it can be carried out for as long as the weather stays frost-free. Stone fruit trees such as peach, nectarine and plum are a different matter, since they don’t cope very well with being pruned in winter. Keep the shears for your apples, pears, quinces and medlars at this time of year.
Pome fruits, often called pip fruits, form a particular group of trees within the Rosaceae family, the Malinae, formerly known as the Pomoidae. What sets them apart is that the fruits have a small number of pips surrounded by quite a lot of flesh. Apple and pear are the best known, but quince and medlar belong to the same group.
Pruning is definitely a human invention and trees can go without it and develop naturally. Its advantage is that it renews the plant’s vigour and increases fruit productivity, letting your orchard bear more and more fruit as years go by. It also lets you control growth to maximise light and air circulation.
Take the time to observe the different types of buds along the branches before you cut. Flower buds are short and stout, whereas branch buds are longer and pointy, and telling them apart guides you to snip at the right spot. Bear in mind too that no pruning is ever a bad pruning, except if it is too drastic or performed at the wrong time.
Take time to observe the different types of buds on pear and apple tree branches. Flower buds are short and stout, branch buds are longer and pointy. This should guide you in snipping branches off at the right spot.
