A Guide to Pruning Fruit Trees

By Lewis Hill
Published on January 1, 1987
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Older trees are best trimmed with a long-handled pruning saw.
Older trees are best trimmed with a long-handled pruning saw.
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Thin branches so that sunlight and air can easily reash all parts of the tree.
Thin branches so that sunlight and air can easily reash all parts of the tree.
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Figure 2: central leader.
Figure 2: central leader.
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Figure 3: modified leader.
Figure 3: modified leader.
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Figure 1: a grafted fruit tree.
Figure 1: a grafted fruit tree.
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Make small cuts, beginning from the outside, to avoid splitting limbs.
Make small cuts, beginning from the outside, to avoid splitting limbs.
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Figure 4: open center
Figure 4: open center
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Figure 7: thinning fruit.
Figure 7: thinning fruit.
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Figure 6: All areas of a pruned tree receive light.
Figure 6: All areas of a pruned tree receive light.
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Figure 5: The interior of an unpruned tree gets almost no light.
Figure 5: The interior of an unpruned tree gets almost no light.
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Figure 9: prune crossed branches.
Figure 9: prune crossed branches.
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Figure 8: pruning a heavy limb.
Figure 8: pruning a heavy limb.
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Pruning sanitation: first-year tree before pruning.
Pruning sanitation: first-year tree before pruning.
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Figure 10: water sprouts and root suckers.
Figure 10: water sprouts and root suckers.
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Pruning sanitation: first-year tree after pruning.
Pruning sanitation: first-year tree after pruning.
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Pruning sanitation: third-year tree after pruning.
Pruning sanitation: third-year tree after pruning.
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Pruning sanitation: second-year tree after pruning.
Pruning sanitation: second-year tree after pruning.
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Pruning sanitation: second-year tree before pruning.
Pruning sanitation: second-year tree before pruning.
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Pruning sanitation: third-year tree before pruning.
Pruning sanitation: third-year tree before pruning.

A Guide to Pruning Fruit Trees

Gardeners expect surprisingly modest yields from their
orchards. I have a friend who always has a superb vegetable
garden, a wonderful Led of roses, and the best strawberry
patch in town. Each tomato is a jewel. Every stalk of corn
produces two large ears, and every flower in his perennial

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