Pruning Apple and Pear Trees in the Winter

Apple and pear trees must be pruned every winter to control their size and get delicious, easy-to-harvest fruits. They are a beautiful addition to any yard or garden. Not only do they give a fantastic harvest of apples and pears, but they also give lovely blossoms in spring. The pruning of trees is done to promote the growth of new, healthy shoots as a replacement for old ones. Maintaining an open crown with evenly spaced branches will help trees stay healthy and produce high-quality fruit.

If you have an apple or pear tree in the garden but need help pruning it or are scared to prune it, this guide is for you. Instead of panicking that you will harm your fruit tree by over-pruning, follow our easy pruning guide and enjoy productive, well-shaped trees.

When to Prune Apple and Pear Trees

Apple and pear trees should be pruned between November and early March when they are dominant right after leaves fall during dry, cold weather. Pears should be pruned more lightly than apples because they usually grow from older wood. However, some apple trees, like fans, stepovers, and cordons, need pruning in summer.

Why Prune Apple and Pear Trees in Winter

Pruning in winter encourages strong spring growth and maintains an open-centered crown with evenly spaced branches extending from the trunk. It will allow sunlight to reach all parts of trees and ensure optimal air circulation through the canopy, resulting in better quality fruits and fewer problems. Moreover, the leafless tree in winter allows you to better view the tree's shape and structure. Pruning apple and pear trees in winter will enable you to remove any weak, broken, or cankered growth. If the tree is older, winter pruning will promote strong, healthy regrowth.

Tips for Winter Pruning Apple and Pear Trees

Whether new to fruit pruning or increasing your knowledge, follow these expert pruning tips for optimal results.

How Much to Remove?

Remove 10 to 20% of the overall canopy in one winter. Pruning too much will produce vigorous, upright growth. Prune all trees evenly and keep checking your pruning pile. If the pile looks extra big, stop pruning. Avoid over-pruning tip-bearers and partial tip-bearers; this could remove potentially fruiting wood.

Avoid Extra Big Pruning Cuts

Refrain from pruning large limbs as they could decay. Generally, avoid cutting branches larger than 4-5 inches in diameter. If you want to prune that branch, see it away from the tree to check if there's a narrower section where it forks. Cut the branch from there, and don't leave a stub behind. A fully pruned fruit tree might only need 10 to 20 pruning cuts.

Know Your Goals

You should know what you're trying to achieve with pruning in terms of shape, health, growth, size, and fruit production. Aim to remove some old wood to encourage new. Focus on creating an open center, thinning the canopy, and removing branches growing in the tree's center or downward.

Use the Same Pruning Method for All Cultivars

Apple and pear varieties can be divided into three categories depending on where the fruit bud forms and the fruit is produced: spur-bearing, tip-bearing, and partial tip-bearing trees.

Look at where flowers appear along the stems of trees to determine whether your tree is a tip-bearing or spur-bearing cultivar. The fruit on most of apple and pear trees grows on short woody shoots called spurs. A few apple tree varieties are tip-bearers, meaning their fruit develops from the tips of 2 to 3 old shoots. Sometimes, fruit on apple trees grows from both tips and spurs.

Don't Rush

Pruning is a gradual process that takes time. Make each cut carefully with consideration. Rushing the pruning will result in irregular cuts and poor branch selection. Assess your tree's overall structure. A well-pruned apple and pear tree should have a canopy that allows light to penetrate all branches.

Tools You'll Need for Pruning Fruit Trees

Choosing the right tools is essential for pruning. You will need the following garden tools to prune apple and pear trees. Make sure your pruning shears, saws, and loppers are sharp, dry, and clean to prevent the spread of disease between trees.

• Pruning Shears for cutting smaller branches and bushes.
• Pruning Saw for pruning thick branches at height.
• Long-handled Loppers for trimming hard-to-reach branches easily or reaching hard-to-reach areas.
• Garden Gloves and eye protection to prevent injuries from branches and sawdust

How to Prune Apple and Pear Trees in Winter

Here's a step-by-step method for pruning apple and pear trees in winter.

Step 1: Remove Dead and Diseased Shoots

Remove dead, damaged, and diseased branches. If the wood shows any signs of disease, cut it off. Cut into healthy wood or remove the branch to prevent the disease from spreading.

Step 2: Remove Crossing Branches

If two shoots are crossing, they will rub together and provide an access point for disease. Remove crossing branches that are rubbing against each other. In addition to providing entry points for diseases, they will make it difficult for air to circulate and make harvesting challenging. When the branches are loaded with fruits and leaves, try to picture how they will look and if they will rub against a branch below. If two branches will likely cross in the future, prune off one branch now, as it's easier to make cuts when they're still small.

Step 3: Remove Downward Growing and Badly Spaced Branches

Look for branches growing downward low on the tree and receive little light or cause an obstruction. When pruning, make sure the light and air can reach all parts of the trees. Prune downward-growing branches to the main trunk or an upward-growing branch. If you have multiple branches growing closer together, remove them to improve spacing.

Step 4: Shorten the Previous Year's Shoot

Identify the shoots from the previous year by following the tips to spot the growing point. Shorten this growth by a quarter to one-third and cut these shoots just above the outward-facing bud. This pruning will promote branching and the production of fruiting spurs. Remember your aim to give mature trees an open structure for optimal air circulation.

Step 5: Cut Vigorous Shoots

Prune out strong shoots growing towards the tree's center. Cut the shoot between half and two-thirds of its length. Cut just above the bud or the one pointing away from the center so that the new shoot grows outward. Next, check fruit spurs and prune out vigorous shoot growth from them. Cut the shoots from the growth point. On older trees, remove crowded fruit spurs so the fruits have enough space to develop without any damage.

For Spur-bearing Fruit Trees: Remove or thin spurs that have gotten overcrowded on older mature trees. Spurs are short, pointy shoots containing fruit buds. Space spurs 4-6 inches (10-15 cm) apart along the branches.

For Tip-bearing or Partial Tip-bearing Fruit Trees: Reduce the length of long, older fruited branches by removing up to a quarter to a strong, younger side branch closer to the trunk. The popular tip-bearers or partial tip-bearer trees include Discovery, Cornish Gilliflower, Blenheim Orange, and Worcester.

For Larger, Mature Trees: Prune large branches by up to one-third of older trees to reduce overcrowding and excess height. Prune to an upward and outward-facing side branch that is at least one-third of the diameter of the pruned branch.

Don't prune young lateral side shoots so they can form fruit buds in the next year. Remove them only if they are overly crowded (closer than 4-6 inches at the base) or crossing each other.

The Bottom Line

Apple and pear trees benefit from winter pruning as pruning at this time of the year helps trees maintain their shape, reduce their size, and prevent diseases. It removes crowded, weak, and undesired growth and improves the vigor of your tree in the upcoming growing season. We hope this easy-to-follow pruning guide has helped you learn how to prune your trees properly in winter for a sweet and tasty harvest.

When you're in doubt, prune slowly. You can prune fruit trees and shape them over multiple years. Thinning out crowded branches will help the plant focus its energy on producing fewer high-quality fruits. Most importantly, it will improve air circulation through the tree's center to help prevent pest and disease problems. So, put on your gloves and grab your pruning chainsaw to get a fruit tree in the shape you want, which is also best for your climate.