Now is the time for pruning fruit trees, including apple, pear and quince (fruits with small seeds are called pome fruits) and stone fruit trees such as plum and cherry.
Dan Ziomek at Hadley Garden Center recommends that peach trees not be pruned until after they flower. This is because peach trees produce a lot of fruit on relatively weak branches that are prone to breaking. By waiting until after they flower, you will reduce the number of fruits that set.
Early spring is the best time to prune fruit trees for two reasons. First, by pruning dormant buds, you encourage the remaining buds to grow stronger. Second, you can easily see the tree’s branching structure before it leafs out.
The first step in pruning is to take out any dead, diseased or damaged branches.
Any diseased material should be disposed of properly so that it does not infect other trees. Make sure your cut is clean and flush with the limb from where the branch is cut. Don’t leave stubs, which are easy entry points for disease. You should also cut any “suckers,” shoots that come from the base of the trunk, and “watersprouts,” vertical shoots that grow out of larger branches.
If you’re concerned about diseased materials, clean your pruners with isopropyl alcohol before moving on to the next cut.
Next, thin out branches that are growing in unhelpful directions. This includes branches that point down or toward the center, and branches that cross or rub each other.
When you have competing branches growing from a single crotch, select the healthiest, most robust branch and cut the other. Sometimes this choice is easier said than done. But even if you make a mistake, the surviving branch will grow more vigorously without the competition.
When thinning branches, remember that the strongest branches grow at an approximately 60-degree angle from the trunk (think 10 o’clock and 2 o’clock). A wider angle means the branch is likelier to break under the weight of fruit. A steeper angle means the trees branches are more crowded and more difficult to reach.
The final step is to shape the tree by cutting back some of its new, outermost growth. This process, called “heading off,” helps the tree grow shorter, thicker — and therefore stronger — branches.
When making these cuts, don’t prune flush to the lower branch. Instead, make a diagonal cut ¼ inch above a bud that’s facing in the direction you want a branch to grow. You will want to cut off between 20 and 30 percent of last year’s growth. You can tell the most recent growth because there will be a ring of nubbly bark on the stem where it starts.
Where would we be without the Internet? For information about pruning fruit trees, I consulted the Modern Farmer website, www.modernfarm- er.com. It has an excellent primer on fruit tree pruning complete with helpful diagrams. Local tree nurseries are also good places to seek advice, especially if you take photos and bring them with you.
Most of us can figure out how to prune dead or damaged branches from our shrubs and small ornamental trees. But how do we prune to enhance shapeliness and health?
Berkshire Botanical Garden is holding a hands-on workshop on techniques for pruning shrubs and small ornamental trees Saturday from 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Certified arborist Ron Yaple will conduct the workshop in Sheffield, showing participants how to renovate, rejuvenate and shape woody ornamentals for structure, health and optimal growth. The cost is $25 for members; $30 for nonmembers.
For more information, go to: www.berkshirebotanical.org, phone: 298-3926 or email: info@berkshirebotanical.org.
While we’re on the subject of pruning…let’s tackle the thorny subject of pruning bramble fruits.
Raspberries are among the most rewarding fruits to grow in your garden, and also among the most challenging. There are many types of bramble fruits including summer red, yellow or black raspberries, blackberries and fall-bearing types of all colors. Each has a somewhat unique growth habit and requires special pruning to maximize production and good health. It’s not difficult, but you need to know which canes to save and which to cut.
The University of Massachusetts Stockbridge School of Agriculture and the UMass Center for Agriculture will offer a hands-on workshop for home gardeners and small-scale farmers on the art of pruning raspberries and other brambles April 16. It takes place from 10 a.m. until noon at Red Apple Farms, 455 Highland Ave., Athol. The cost is $25.
For registration information, go to: https://ag.umass.edu-/fruit/mass-aggie-seminars-2016
This time of year our local nurseries and garden centers are filling their shelves with new stock we can use to fill in or stretch our garden beds. There’s so much to choose from that it’s hard to know what to look for.
Horticulturist, nurseryman and garden writer Daniel Hinkley will give a presentation at Tower Hill Botanic Garden in Boylston April 16 from 2 to 3 p.m. on many new and unusual, or simply forgotten, woody and perennial plants suitable for New England landscapes.
Hinkley is best known for establishing Heronswood Nursery in Kingston, Washington and Windcliff, on the Kitsap Peninsular near Indianola. He has long experience collecting, propagating and naming varieties of plants new to the North American nursery trade.
The cost is $30 for members; $45 for nonmembers.
For more information and to register, go to: Towerhillbg.org
Mickey Rathbun can be reached at foxglover8@gmail.com.