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Help pruning fruit trees

robbusrobbus Posts: 3
in Fruit & veg
Hi. I am very new to fruit and I haven't a good eye. I have a few fruit trees non of which look like the prunning diagrams in the books. I have no info  on virierty .Any help would be appreciated. First pic is a apple. Second is a plum. The third is a pear which 2 branches broke off the year before and most of the branches seem to hang down

Posts

  • RubytooRubytoo Posts: 1,630
    edited December 2018
    Sorry I can't help with pruning, but it looks like in your first picture the tree trunk is being supported by a Y shaped stick?
    Sorry if it is not so or observed wrongly by me. But it won't be good for the trunk to be rubbed by a forked stick. Even if protected with something (black bits) it might wedge and rub.
    And the white cable ties?
    Sorry just asking so others who will help may comment in case they do not see them.

    Welcome to the forum and good luck with your fruit trees :)
    Love your stone wall too behind the weeping pear.
  • robbusrobbus Posts: 3
    Yes it is supported at the mo. The apple tree was starting to lean very badley, I think because of the shade corsed by fig tree. Which will be pruned quite hard this year to let light into the apple tree. I don't like to use supports as I feel that they do Moore harm than good. But in this case just wontid to stop the tree reaching for the light untill I could correct that problem. White cable ties were allso trying to stop branch reaching for the light.
  • Market BoyMarket Boy Posts: 101
    Hi  I am far from an expert on this topic but this is what I do.
    Apples and Pears I will prune back just to keep a shape and to stop them
    getting too big. Keeping an eye out for a Fruiting Spur and not cutting beyond that.
    Plums are a different story all together. in 6 years I have only produced 1 Plum that was of any size. I have been told on this forum that plums grow on LAST YEARS growth.
    So this year I will prune back all of the stems to within 2 buds of last years growth. Track back along the stem and you will sear where last years growth stopped and this years growth began and you should be OK. But you are not meant to do this until the spring as the tree can get Silver Leaf.
    I hope this is of interest maybe we can compare Plums in the Summer !!!!!  
  • steephillsteephill Posts: 2,841
    That prop will only damage the apple tree and will not provide support. It should really have been staked when planted but you might get away with putting in a stake now at a 45 degree angle with the point going into the ground about 18 inches away from the stem. Take off the tiewraps, again these will only cause damage.

    It is hard to tell from the photo exactly but the branch which crosses the tree going left starting from the centre pair of tiewraps should be pruned out. You want to promote an open goblet shape for the tree. Is that a mummified fruit in the top right branch? If so remove it to stop it becoming a source of fungal infections.

    The plum should be left until late Spring/early Summer when you can shorten the thin branches by a third at least. Also remove any crossing stems and aim to keep the centre clear.

    I would shorten the vertical stems on the pear by two thirds and again remove any crossing branches. Tidy up any broken branches with a clean pruning cut. The pear and apple can be pruned now.
  • robbusrobbus Posts: 3
    Thanks for all input. We are cumming up for some frost so once that has gone will stake apple tree if it needs it when I remove my poor fixes and will attempt prunning. Thanks again
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