Summer Fruit Tree Pruning

A seasonal orchard care offering from EarthDance Orchard Specialist Steven Franz

It’s hot. It’s humid. And it’s finally time. I’ve been impatiently waiting for summer pruning to begin since early May. I’m trying to stay on the north side of the trees while I do the work, taking out the very shade I’m trying to work under as I remove watersprouts and crossed branches. It’s easier to work from the inside out, but some trees have grown so many watersprouts that I have to work my way in. But thanks to the hard work that’s gone into restoring this orchard over the last few years, it doesn’t take long to get to the center. From here, I can see more and relax, knowing it’s not as thick as it looks from the outside. Changing perspective has a way of humbling me often. 

Summer pruning is an orchardist’s way of creating space. With so much spring and early summer growth, the sun can’t reach much of the fruit, which relies on that touch to ripen; vitamin D isn’t only for humans. The wind struggles to push its way through lush foliage that needs that same air we do. Not oxygen, but a little draftyness–there are “sinister” forces lurking in the trees, and they thrive on wet leaves and moist branch crotches, where the precious fruit sometimes touches. Pathogens in our humid environment can ruin harvests, or worse – kill trees. These bacteria and fungi are part of our world and can’t be avoided, so at this organic farm, we prune to encourage evaporation via more light and air, instead of spraying fungicides.

After winter pruning (this year, we dormant season/winter pruned in late February and early March), you could enjoy a celebratory cold beverage, having done the good work of combating the invisible would-be ruiners of the harvest. Or you could go a step further and think about where you want to be next year and beyond. Summertime is when pruning slows growth. We’ve witnessed some strong growth in response to a hard dormant pruning. The excess growth is in the form of “watersprouts”, which usually grow vertically from dormant buds under the bark. They aren’t fruitful in the short term, and should be removed unless they can serve to replace older branches. And in the work of restoring a mostly un-attended 10 year old orchard, big cuts have been made in the past 3 years.

If you can’t find time for summer pruning, you can find yourself on the all-I-do-is-cut-watersprouts hamster wheel each dormant season. If you can “calm” the trees down by reducing growth at this time of year, you’re helping your future self and the trees. By pruning in summer, you’ll have lessened the work in the upcoming dormant season by hopefully removing the watersprouts so that you can focus on the healthy framework and well placed fruiting wood to hang fruit. That looks different for different species. At EarthDance, we’ve got a mixture of trees; peaches fruit on one-year-old wood and pears are born on two plus year old spurs, so I’m being mindful of what I’m removing by encouraging fruit to grow on branches that will see sun and the bright faces of those touring our farm. You get extra stars for seeing years into the future; as trees age and seasons pass, you will need to remove the larger diameter scaffolds—those main structural limbs—to make room for fresh structural and fruiting wood. One way to accomplish this is by taking a watersprout near the juncture of the old branch and training it in the direction of the branch you want to replace. I’ll focus more on what it means to train and why it’s an important skill to learn alongside pruning in the future, so stay tuned!

Like all things in life, (especially farming!) timing is paramount. Summer pruning for peaches can come a bit earlier than for pears and apples, who are susceptible to the bacteria known as fire blight. Once daily mean temperatures hit 75º we have moved out of its peak infection window. Summer fungal diseases are reduced by this management as well, so it is worth the effort for us in hoping to produce organic fruit.

Avoid rain, fog, or sprinkler irrigation the day of and immediately after pruning—moisture opens the door for infection. Sunburn is also a consideration for some trees, on the hottest and sunniest of days. Plan around the forecast and always prune with sanitized, sharp tools. At EarthDance, we’ve lost trees to systemic fire blight, so we disinfect blades with 91% isopropyl alcohol between every tree. Diseased material should be removed and destroyed—bagged in the trash or burned.

This work helps me look more closely at my own over-growth. I see a need for cleaning up the messiness that comes with being too busy. I’m reminded to take care of myself by letting cool breezes ease my exhaustion. Remembering the gift of light that the sun freely shares and how I can share my own light. Trees are giving: shelter, fruit, oxygen, shade, habitat…the list is exhaustive and the relationships they maintain are vast –above and below ground. They remind me that I’m a part of my environment – and that growth takes time. Summer pruning doesn’t get the attention dormant pruning does, but I believe – in our region – it’s a foundational yearly practice. One that nods to M. Fukuoka’s declaration that farming’s ultimate goal is the cultivation of humans, not just crops.

Orchard Specialist Steven Franz apprenticed at EarthDance Organic Farm School in 2015. A practitioner of holistic orcharding, he emphasises the importance of ecologies for health in communities. These writings are meant to share the magic of our world through a lens of curiosity and awe.