Spring Pruning Guide: Step-by-Step Instructions

The peach tree is a crop that requires regular crown shaping and pruning. If you neglect this and allow the tree to grow as it pleases, you can forget about good harvests. How to prune a peach tree properly, what tools are needed, and which techniques to use—every gardener should know all this.

Should I prune in spring and when?

Peach trees only rest from pruning in winter. They are pruned in spring and fall. Pruning a peach tree in spring (for beginners, a step-by-step guide with pictures is provided in the appendix) is not a procedure that can be performed every day. To prevent the tree from becoming diseased after spring pruning, choose dry, sunny weather.

In spring, work begins in the winter cold, at the end of February, when the plant is still dormant (its internal juices have not yet begun to move).

To prune correctly, you need to follow certain guidelines. The rules are as follows:

1. You should cut off about ½ or 1/3 of how much the branch has grown.
2. Pruning on first- and second-order branches differs. First-order branches are pruned more severely than second-order branches.
3. The correct work corresponds to the type of crown that the gardener chooses for his plant.
4. As much young growth as possible should be preserved.

Pruning isn't the most pleasant procedure a tree endures in its lifetime. A peach tree should recover as quickly and painlessly as possible after pruning, so don't put it off until warmer weather.

Working with a seedling

Proper pruning is essential to ensure it receives maximum sun and air. Only with a specific shape will the bush and its fruit receive:

• the amount of sunlight required for ripening;
• enough air;
• resistance to fungus and other diseases.

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The optimal pruning shape for a peach tree is a bowl, vase, or improved bowl. Pruning to this shape begins early, when the future tree is no more than 60-70 cm tall. The crown itself will develop when the tree is at least three or four years old.

The formation of the seedling begins on the second or third day after planting:

1. Inspect the seedling and, if it has no side shoots, prune the top. The height of the pruned tree should be between 50 and 70 cm. This encourages branching.
2. A year later, next spring, the plant will have developed lateral shoots. Inspect them and select 3-4 of the strongest, most developed ones. Leave shoots that are located on opposite sides of the trunk at approximately a 60° angle and at the same or approximately the same height. Trim these shoots above the 2-3 buds.
3. Cut all other shoots to the base, to the growth point.
4. Also shorten the central trunk, leaving 30 cm above the skeletal branch.

It's important that the skeletal branches of a young bush don't intersect, but instead point in different directions. If you draw a diagram of the seedling a year later, you'll see the intended shape—a bowl. Subsequent pruning (in the third and fourth years) maintains the desired branch direction.

Trimming

It's believed that the peach tree is forgiving and will produce a harvest even with improper pruning. However, this harvest won't be the one a gardener who has been growing the tree for years can expect. A properly pruned peach tree will produce large, sweet fruits, while a poorly or incorrectly pruned tree will produce small fruits or even go wild.

Here are some things that can weaken a well-established plant:

• damaged shoots (sick or simply old, broken and dried);
• shoots that grow downwards or towards the trunk, inside the crown;
• wen, doubles;
• extra branches that give the crown density.

It happens that inexperienced gardeners leave branches for decoration.

The harvest will be low, and the fruits will be smaller than expected, since the tree will experience a lack of ventilation and will receive less sunlight.

When inspecting a bush before shaping the crown, you need to remember the rule: do not spare extra branches.

What tools are needed?

Before pruning, all tools must be well sharpened and sanitized. Use special disinfectants or rubbing alcohol for sanitizing. Peach trees should be pruned with dry tools.

The set is standard. It includes:

• garden knife;
• saw for garden trees;
• lopper;
• pruning shears;
• putty;
• paint brush.

A tree with untreated cuts can become diseased, stop bearing fruit, or rot. Avoid leaving "shaggy" cuts. To treat them, use copper sulfate (used to treat minor damage) and garden pitch (used for areas where large branches have been removed).

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Varieties

Regular pruning is essential for any fruit-bearing tree. Peach trees require various types of pruning, including:

• household or sanitary;
• restorative;
• detailed;
• forming (contour, molding);
• rejuvenating;
• regulatory;
• differentiating.

Pruning, also known as sanitary pruning, is a regular process that involves removing old or diseased shoots and leaves. It can be done independently or in conjunction with contour and rejuvenating pruning. Most often, sanitary pruning of peach trees is done in the spring (see diagram below) in March. In summer and fall, the tree is covered in leaves, so old, broken, or diseased branches may go unnoticed.

Sanitary rejuvenation scheme:

• remove diseased and broken branches;
• get rid of deformed parts (crooked, rubbing against each other);
• cut off basal shoots and young growth from below the first skeletal branch;
• remove elements growing at a 45 angle⁰, they are weak and usually break under the weight of the fruit;
• remove branches growing straight up or almost vertically;
• thin out, cut off the parts that tend towards the center of the crown, as well as those that are directed towards the ground.

Sometimes vertical branches are left in place. This is done if the peach tree hasn't survived the winter well, has lost some or all of its scaffolding, and needs a new "skeleton."

Differentiating pruning is necessary to stimulate growth in the lower part of the crown. It is performed between the 5th and 8th years of age. The upper part of the crown is thinned out, and the lower parts are shortened.

Formative

Formative pruning, or shaping pruning, is necessary to shape the crown, stimulate growth, and develop the peach tree. It begins in the plant's second year. This type of pruning involves shaping the skeletal, overgrown branches.

There are several ways to shape the crown for which pruning is done:

1. Bushy.
2. In the shape of a bowl.
3. Improved cup-shaped.
4. Vase.

After formative treatment, the crop devotes its energy to developing and thickening young shoots. The crown shape allows the plant to receive even more sunlight and air, which affects the size and flavor of the fruit.

Restorative

This type of pruning is only used on trees that have not survived the winter well. When removing dead, frost-damaged branches, it's important to significantly shorten shoots that have been damaged but not yet dead. A tree freed from dead parts will redistribute sap flow and more quickly restore the living, shortened branches.

Regulatory

Regulatory pruning is done after harvesting or at any other time, excluding the winter period.

What you need to do during this type of work:

• cut off the old "rings";
• trim the length of young branches;
• cut off branches that extend beyond the shape of the crown.

Regulatory pruning affects the duration of fruit formation. After pruning, the fruit formation period is reduced.

Rejuvenating

A tree lives from 8 to 20 years. Grafted trees live shorter than seedlings, but with proper care, they can extend their lifespan and fruiting intensity.

Pruning is used to rejuvenate an old plant and prolong fruiting. If you notice that your peach tree's growth has stopped at less than 25 cm (usually by the eighth year) and the yield has declined, it's time to rejuvenate it.

The first stage of rejuvenation or peach pruning diagram after 7 years of life:

1. Remove all branches above the 2nd and 3rd order branches.
2. Treat the cut areas.
3. Remove drying branches from the crown.
4. Remove old branches near young shoots.
5. Feed.
6. Water.

The second stage involves removing wood from trees with vegetation after 15 years. This includes not only removing branches but also pruning back to 4-5 year-old wood.

Schemes for beginners

Spring is the best time to shape the crown of a one-year-old or older peach tree. All varieties are divided into two large groups, one of which is based on the tree's age. Experienced gardeners claim that any beginner can handle pruning (see video for beginners below), because peach trees are forgiving and bear fruit, even if they were crude. The tree's age allows for the opportunity to learn from past experience and correct any mistakes.

The first work is done when planting a seedling. This is the very beginning of the formation of the future crown, so it is recommended to already determine the pattern that will be followed throughout the plant's life.

1 year

By the first year, the peach tree should have strengthened and produced good growth. A minimum of 30 cm of branch length is considered average growth.

The goal of pruning a one-year-old peach tree is to ensure the tree grows into a mature and, therefore, fruitful tree. To achieve this, unnecessary branches are removed from the young plant, leaving those that will form the skeleton, and the remaining branches are shortened to two-thirds of their original length.

2 years

The second year repeats the previous formative pruning: measure the growth, remove 10 to 15 cm of the resulting length, shorten the branches that form the skeleton, and shorten them as well. The peach tree may not produce branches extending from the trunk, so only its future crown is shaped.

3rd year

By its third year, the peach tree already resembles a young tree with numerous side shoots, but these should still not be allowed to grow. If the goal is to shape the crown into a bowl rather than a bush, the following pattern is recommended for the third year:

1. Inspect the crop and remove the weakest branches.
2. Cut off frost-damaged branches.
3. Trim off any young growth that is crowding the bowl.
4. Young branches that have grown more than 0.5 meters should be pruned.
5. Shorten the main trunk by 30-50 cm from the second tier

4th year

The fourth stage is considered the final stage of peach tree formation if the three-tier method is chosen. As in the previous year, shoots need to be pruned and side branches removed. With the three-tier method, two strong shoots are left, and the top is pruned to a ring.

It is important to follow the correct principle:

1. The longest branches are the first tier.
2. The shorter branches are the second tier.
3. The shortest branches should remain on the third tier.

Mature peach

A peach tree that's five years old is already considered mature. From the age of seven or eight, rejuvenation can be performed, which prolongs the life of older plants. On average, a grafted peach tree grown from a seedling bears fruit for no more than 10 years, while seedlings live and produce fruit for longer, up to 20 years.

An old peach tree that has stopped producing fruit can be revived, but its age must be taken into account. Rejuvenation treatments may not be effective.

Young bush

A young tree that does not require rejuvenation procedures should be pruned regularly, using the methods of previous years:

• remove the tops;
• shorten the central trunk;
• get rid of branches growing inside the cup-shaped crown;
• cut off branches that cannot support the weight of the fruit.

A tree that is looked after produces a good harvest, and the fruits themselves are large and sweet.

Aftercare

A tree is a living organism, so pruning is a surgical procedure that requires time to recover. To ensure the operation and recovery go smoothly, follow these guidelines:

1. Pruning should be carried out only with sharp, disinfected tools.
2. Do not leave the edges “shaggy”, but process them immediately.
3. Immediately burn everything that remains after any work.
4. After spring activities, lay mulch around the trunk.

Special ones include garden pitch, RanNet paste, and improvised means such as regular brilliant green, drying oil, copper sulfate, linseed oil, and a mixture of iodine and rubbing alcohol (in a 1:1 ratio).

Tips from experienced gardeners

Gardeners who have been growing peach trees for years call them delicate plants. Consequently, they require a special approach. Here's what experienced gardeners recommend:

1. It's best to start pruning your peach tree for the winter in November, so it can enter the winter stronger and develop a stronger immune system before the frost sets in.
2. If possible, regularly inspect your trees during the winter. Any frost-damaged branches noticed early should be removed immediately to prevent the disease from spreading to other branches and the trunk in the spring.

Care for the plant should begin immediately after planting. The peach tree and its future harvest are formed in the first four years of its life. During this time, the correct crown can be achieved, which determines the taste and size of the fruit.