The quiet days between Christmas and New Year are a fine time to get out and prune the apple and pear trees. They are fully dormant, the leaves are gone so you can see the shape, and a sharp cut now sets up a better crop next autumn.
Why prune in winter
Winter pruning of apples and pears, while they sleep, encourages vigorous new growth in spring. The aim is an open, goblet shape that lets light and air into the centre, which means riper fruit and less disease.
The three cuts to start with
Begin every job by taking out the obvious problems before you shape anything.
- Dead, diseased and damaged wood, cut back to healthy growth.
- Crossing branches that rub and let in disease.
- Strong shoots growing straight up into the centre.
Then shape gently
Once the clutter is gone, stand back and look. Shorten the main leaders by about a third to an outward-facing bud, and thin overcrowded spurs. Never take more than a quarter of the canopy in one winter, or the tree responds with a thicket of watershoots.
A note of caution
This advice is for apples and pears. Plums, cherries and other stone fruit must not be pruned in winter, as the cuts let in silver leaf disease; leave those for midsummer. Make clean cuts with sharp, clean tools, and the tree heals quickly.