03/09/2026
We are holding an FREE in-person Apple and Fruit Tree Pruning Class on March 21st 9:00am-11:00am in Biddeford Maine.
For those who can’t attend…
Simple how to Prune Guide 🍎🌳✂️
1.) prune in late winter or early spring before the leaves fully open.
2.) get your tools together. You only need hand pruners, loppers and gloves if you so choose.
(maybe a hand saw if the tree has been neglected a while)
3.) Take a look.
Before you start to cut walk around the tree and look for crowded spot. Think, places where limbs are crossed, rubbing, and anything broken or damaged. Then look for where there won’t be enough sunlight. Is any branch going to be completely shaded?
4.) Remove the junk.
Start with what stuck out obviously. Cut and dead, broken, or diseased branches.
5.) Shoots
Next remove the water sprouts the vertical think limbs and any suckers that are coming out from base or lower trunk. Cut close to the source.
6.) Remove Crossing and inward branches that will be rubbing or that are growing inward. These trees need lots of airflow and sunlight to keep fruit healthy.
7.) Shape
We are looking for relatively uniform shape, think like a wine glass. The tree should have a full canopy but have space to breath. Limbs need to be kept a bit shorter so they will not break when they are loaded with fruit.
8.) Proper cuts
When removing tips, look for the bud that will be closest to the cut. Which direction will it grow? And be sure to leave atleast 1/4 inch of stem past so if you accidentally crush the stem the buds will be less likely to be damaged. On larger limbs be sure to cut outside the branch collar.
9.) 20% Rule
We like to take no more than 20% of the buds in a single pruning. This ensures that the tree won’t be too shocked by the trimming and will have enough buds to grow without making too much epicormic branching.
10.) as you trim walk around the tree to keep the right shape and to make sure you don’t have too heavy a hand when it is not called for. Look for light and space but keeping the right shelving branches.