Topic: Is it safe to prune fruit trees now?

[Svengali]

I planted five fruit trees this spring, and they are now about eight feet high, with long, leafy branches. (I stripped all the embryo fruit off about three weeks ago)
Problem is that we are in a very windy area, and in yesterday's gales, a piece of branch about 18" long was ripped off.
The Victoria plum looks most at risk, but several of the trees look to be in danger of loosing branches in the gales.
Would I do well to shorten them, or have I left it too late for this year?
JeremyB

[jennym]

Well, you need to think why you're pruning them.
Look at what shape the tree is and have a picture in your mind's eye as to what you want.
Apples, pears etc - prune for form and branch growth in dormant period, i.e. Winter. For helping fruiting spurs develop, prune late July early August, the two techniques are different, in winter you can cut out whole branches, and if you just cut a branch back to a bud, that makes the bud grow vegetatively, i.e. long and branch-like in the next season. In summer, you are pruning to stimulate fruiting buds, so you don't cut so much, you really cut shoots that develop along a branch back a little only. these trees are ususally the ones that can be trained into shapes, cordons, espaliers, etc
Plums, peaches and other stone fruit you prune for all reasons in late summer, because they can get attacked by fungus if you prune in winter when the wounds don't heal so quickly. Peaches and some cherries can be trained to fans against walls etc, but plums do best grown as a bush form in my opinion.
Saying all that, if you have a branch ripped off, you need to neaten the wound by cutting it cleanly, it should heal off nicely in this weather even if its a big wound.

[tim]

Wow - what a dissertation, Jenny!!  May I add a thought or two?

1. We don't know what trees - or what style - apart from the plum. And plums I prefer to leave alone. Except to rescue.

2. Apples? Glad you reminded me Sven - our minarette type things are due for a severe hacking back right now! The shoot shown will come back to 3 leaves above the basal cluster. To a bud pointing the way I want the new growth to grow.

3. For these, I go by the method shown. If yours are bush type, see http://www.bbc.co.uk/gardening/basics/techniques/pruning_pruneappletrees.shtml#pruning_a_bush_tree.

[Tee Gee]

Not much to add to what the others have said other than to say you can look at my methods here;

http://www.thegardenersalmanac.co.uk/Data/Plums%20and%20Damsons.htm

http://www.thegardenersalmanac.co.uk/Data/Apples.htm

http://www.thegardenersalmanac.co.uk/Data/Pears.htm

[Svengali]

Extremely helpful information - many thanks. My trees are:
Lord Derby - cooking apple
Katy - eating apple
Victoria - plum
Conference - pear
Stella - cherry.

All of the branches are reaching skywards except Victoria, whose 5' long, very whippy branches are almost touching the ground. In a high wind they toss around frantically, and it was to protect from wind damage that I thought cutting them back might be a good idea.
I am going to study the links - but I am rather wary of pruning! I pruned back my dogwood in Spring - and all the red-bark varieties died. I cut back a buddleia - and that refuses to grow another inch. Now when my OH sees me pick up secateurs, she tries to lock me indoors!
JeremyB

[saddad]

Thanks for the reminder, the vine definitely needs a haircut and the plums and gages will be needing their summer pruning soon!
 ::)

[jennym]

Why don't you try festooning the plum, you can do that now. Here's a sketch:

[Robert_Brenchley]

That's an idea; I have a Cambridge Gage which keeps reaching for the sky; I pruned it heavily earlier and it hasn't made a lot of difference. It needs cutting back, but now I've got rid of a mass of wild raspberries around it, I can easily weigh down the branches at the same time.