I think this needs doing this month & am a bit worried about doing it. Do I take all the side shoots back to 3 leaves & does anything else need doing to them?
Which reminds me I still need to prune my minarettes... :-[
Look forward to seeing them ;).
Pinging.
Pinging again. Sorry but worried about cocking it up & spoiling trees for next year. Do I take the first 3 leave off from each side shoot or do I prune it back to 3 leaves from the main stem?
Deb's been off at her mothers Janet... ping her again she should be about today... :)
Sorry, just catching up! ;D
Don't worry too much for starters, trees are pretty forgiving, and will tolerate any mistakes and still grow for you!
First, don't bother pruning anything that isn't over about 10" long (25cm or so). The shoots will be too soft at the base and may suffer dieback when the frosts hit them.
Next check for any diseased/dead shoots and prune them off completely.
Then look at new shoots coming directly off the main stem of the tree. Cut them back to three leaves/buds above the bottom pair. (The bottom pair of leaves usually have a pair of leaves opposite each other, the leaves further up alternate up the branch)
Then look for any shoots coming off of the branches from the main stem. Cut these back to one leaf/bud above the bottom pair.
These are just guidelines remember...sometimes I leave a few more buds on sidebranches if I see they have produced fruit buds higher up, they are fatter and pointer than the 'growth' buds and will flower and fruit next year so are worth keeping if you see any.
Hope this helps! ;D
Thanks Deb. No need to apologise :). I will measure tomorrow & if they do need pruning would it wait until next month when I have seen yours? Hope all is well with you.