How to Prune Dormant Fruit Trees

Growing your own fruit trees allows you to control all the steps of handling your favorite fruits. From planting to harvest, you have the choice in factors, such as chemical usage and harvesting methods. Pruning fruit trees during the dormant season provides many benefits to the health of the tree and your harvest.

When to perform pruning:

• Perform dormant pruning of fruit trees during late winter. This reduces the chance of damage to the tree, due to cold temperatures. Pruning can also be performed in early spring, if the tree has not begun to bud.


• Prune on the driest days available. Moisture encourages fungal growth, by pruning on dry days you can avoid potential damage to the tree.

Pruning Dormant Fruit Trees:

• Cut the head of the tree about 24 to 30 inches above the top row of lateral branches. This will limit vertical tree growth, allowing easy access to future harvests, as well as create a uniform branch distribution as the tree ages. For mature fruit trees, cut the head of the tree to preference with a maximum height of roughly 10 feet.


• Remove any branches that meet with the trunk at an angle less than 60 degrees or greater than 45 degrees. This will help to encourage fruit growth, while limiting the formation of vertical watersprouts.


• Remove any branches directly across from one another on your main leading branches. This will help to provide sufficient air movement and light penetration in the tree as it matures.


• Space the remaining branches uniformly around the leading branch. This will prevent crowding and allow easier pruning in the future.


• Remove any dead, damaged or diseased areas of the tree. 


• Remove any branches that drop below a horizontal orientation.


• Remove any rotten or dried fruit and their shoots. This reduces the chances of insect infestation or disease for the next season.

Tips for Quick Tree Healing:

• Prune directly in front of the branch collar. The branch collar can be identified by finding the raised section connecting the trunk to the branch. Cutting at this point will allow the tree to heal quicker and reduce the chance of insect or parasite infestation.


• Cut at a slight angle when pruning a branch that would leave a horizontal flat stub. This reduces the chances of moisture build up or parasite infestation.


• Cut with a tool that provides a clean cut with minimal effort. This results in a neater appearance and quicker healing time for the tree.