Name: Jim Northeast Pennsylvania (Zone 6b) Gardens feed my body, soul & spirit
Growing up, we had 3 apple trees in our backyard. We never pruned them and two of them were Giants, a Jonathan and a Macintosh. (I don't remember the variety of the third and smallest which my father let me cut down with my new saw.) I used to love climbing these trees and eating apples. Many a "war battle" or "spaceship adventure" was imagined and played out up in those trees. (Geez, kids miss out on so much, today.)
Now, I have 2 apple trees along with other fruit trees including peach, pear, cherry, plum, and some others. However, instead of letting them grow, grow, grow, I want to prune them for maximum production.
Talk about intimidating! I did some minor pruning last winter, but I know I have to get serious and do some major pruning while they are still young so I can shape, train, and yield the most from them. (Intimidating because there are no "do-overs" once a cut is made.)
So, I want to make a few recommendations if you have young fruit trees, too.
The first are two books:
The Fruit Gardener's Bible
Lewis Hill and Leonard Perry
How to Prune Fruit Trees
R. Sanford Martin
Both seem like excellent resources, but so far, I have only skimmed them. I will spend much more time reading and studying them this winter.
The next one is a video from the University of YouTube. I have watched a lot of pruning videos, but this one, a new one, is by far the best I have ever seen. Not only does the author illustrate different cuts (with their terminology), he explains how to choose the type of cut, what it will do and result in, and shows real examples.
The Gardening Channel With James Prigioni This Technique of Pruning Trees Will Change Your Life
