Most deciduous trees and shrubs are dormant in winter, dropping their leaves, ceasing their growth, and settling down to rest. That makes pruning in winter a very good idea.
But not all types of trees or shrubs should be pruned this time of year- Apple, Pear, Blackcurrant, Gooseberry, and autumn Raspberries are the ones that Turner Groundscare recommends focusing on at this time.
Winter Pruning Tips
If you are wondering how to prune in winter, here are a few important tips. Wait until late winter to prune. Early winter pruning can dry out the tree in freezing weather. Any pruning in winter should also wait for a dry, mild day. Rain or runoff can help to spread waterborne plant diseases and truly cold temperatures during pruning can damage the tree.
Fruit trees (see step by step video guide above)
When pruning apple or pear trees that are in their first and second year, more severe cutting is needed to get them off to the correct start, and any apples they bear should be nipped off as it appears to channel all of their energy into the first few years of crucial growth.
At this stage apple and pear tree pruning needs only require the services of a decent pair of pruning shears, but it won’t be long before you will need to turn to one of our pruning saws for bigger branches.
It’s essential that whatever tool you use is in top condition and sharp: you want your cuts to be as clean as possible –crudely severed branches can attract diseases.
You will simply be removing any branches that are either damaged or cross over with other branches and trimming a few more to maintain a good shape – ideally an open, airy, goblet-shaped tree is your aim.
The key is to cut as little as you can: try avoiding taking off more than 20% of the tree as this will encourage it to throw out even more branches with vigour and will make the tree too dense.
And don’t go cutting away at every branch on the tree – all this will do is send out more new shoots from the ends of those branches and you’ll have fewer sturdy old branches on which the fruit will grow.
Blackcurrant bushes
Blackcurrants and gooseberries can be pruned after they’ve done their work in late autumn, but we always leave it until winter for a great big prune alongside your apple trees. The tart round berries of the blackcurrant grow best on the bushes’ newest branches.
Therefore it’s advisable to cut out all the older branches at the base, focusing growth onto those younger fruit-bearing shoots and the new branches that will spring forth this year.
This should naturally thin out the bushes to a more manageable size and prevent overcrowding, but if it’s still looking a bit dense then there’s no harm in losing a few more branches.
Gooseberry bushes
Gooseberries aren’t quite as fussy as blackcurrants about what branches they appear on, although any growth over three years old will be running out of steam so it’s best to remove these oldies.
Once this wood is gone the next task is to thin out any overcrowded areas to allow new shoots room to grow. This is a good opportunity to cut out any straggly growth that makes the bushes look untidy or provide a thorny hazard for arms and sleeves while picking.
Raspberry canes
Our final winter fruit pruning task is also the easiest- Raspberries which simply need hacking back to ground level. New fruit bearing canes will start their ascent in spring time.
The time to cut back summer fruiting raspberries is autumn. For these plants you’ll need to remove the canes that bore fruit the season just gone, leaving the newer shoots to grow strong.
Once pruning is complete it’s important to clean up your tools and give them a light wipe over with oil if it’s going to be a while before you next use them.
YOUR EFFORTS WILL CERTAINLY ‘BARE FRUIT’ IF YOU FOLLOW TURNERGROUNDSCARE’S WINTER PRUNING GUIDE!