How not to prune a fruit tree

Trees

The purpose of pruning fruit trees and bushes is to extend the fruiting period, stimulate bud formation, and improve the plant's aesthetic appearance. It is recommended to perform this agronomic practice at least once a year. Effectiveness depends on proper implementation of the processes. Mistakes reduce frost resistance, shorten the growing season, and can even kill the plant.

What is pruning and what are the mistakes when doing it?

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Despite the benefits of this agricultural practice, it causes stress to the plant. Pruning accelerates metabolic processes, including sap flow and growth. Dormant buds quickly awaken, basal shoots appear, and strong lateral shoots emerge. Pruning can be sanitary, improving the health of the shoots; maintenance, rejuvenating; or decorative, shaping the desired shape. Pruning is also classified by season: fall, spring, and summer.

Attention!

First, dry shoots are removed, then broken ones, and only then do formative and healing measures begin.

The main mistakes of an inexperienced gardener:

Using blunt instruments results in uneven cuts and burrs, increasing the risk of rot.
Only damaged shoots—broken or cracked ones—are removed. This method is only effective on freshly broken shoots. If the wound has been damaged for some time, pathogenic fungi have likely entered. To eliminate the source of the disease, cut down to the growth plate, then saw off the stump with a fine-toothed saw.
Incorrect pruning direction. To prevent infection, the cut must be directed away from the trunk and toward the branch.
Bark tears are left behind. This defect occurs when large branches are improperly removed. To avoid this mistake, first cut off all side shoots or even saw off the part you intended to remove anyway. This reduces the overall weight. Now you can hold the planned shoot in your hand and handle the cultivation yourself. Then, retreat to the point where you planned to make the cut, saw halfway down from below, and then make an oblique cut from above, away from the trunk. In this case, a "natural" break is achieved, and all that remains is to saw off the stump "to the ring."
Don't thin the crown. If you don't remove "extra" branches, they will become intertwined and rub against each other. This damages the bark, increasing the risk of pest infestation and mold growth. It's recommended to remove vertical shoots and suckers growing toward the trunk.
The most common mistake is pruning toward a bud. The correct angle is 30-45°. To do this, place one blade 2 mm below the bud, and the other the same distance above. Cut from the opposite bud. Don't leave a stub, otherwise the branch will dry out.
Prune only the side branches. It's best to leave 2-3 main shoots, removing any excess. If you prune only the outer branches, it's impossible to ensure adequate light and air flow into the crown or inside the bush. Fruiting will not resume.
Competing branches are left behind. This causes competition for nutrients, weakening the plant, and reducing yield. Weak growth should be removed by pruning branches by one-third. Leave the growing trunks, which can withstand abundant fruiting.
Ignore branches without flowering buds. This causes sap redistribution and reduces yield. "Blind" shoots should be removed down to the lower ovary.
After the summer season ends, don't leave any rotten parts of the tree in the hopes of "curing" them next year. At any sign of fungal disease—regardless of the species—prune back to healthy wood.

Pruning times

The timing of pruning excess branches and parts depends on the local climate. In warmer regions, pruning begins in late February or early March, before the sap begins to flow and the buds have begun to swell. In colder regions, you need to wait until the frosts have passed. If you rush, even garden pitch won't save the plant. The cut edges will die after exposure to cold, and then rot. Therefore, you should wait until nighttime temperatures are above freezing.