shape, yield high quality fruit, Improperly trained fruit trees generally have very upright increase the longevity of the branch angles, which result in serious limb breakage under a tree, and prevent disease heavy fruit load. This significantly reduces the productivity of the tree and may greatly reduce tree life. Another goal of annual training and pruning is to remove dead, diseased, or The teacher will ask students broken limbs. to draw a healthy fruit tree in their notes and label the most Proper tree training also opens up the tree canopy to maximize important parts. light penetration. For most deciduous tree fruit, flower buds for the current season's crop are formed the previous summer. Students will draw trees with large trunks, leaves, branches, Light penetration is essential for flower bud development and and fruit, providing the optimal fruit set, flavor, and quality. Although a mature tree instructor with a chance to may be growing in full sun, a very dense canopy may not allow discuss the importance of enough light to reach 12 to 18 inches inside the canopy. maintaining strong branches Opening the tree canopy also permits adequate air movement through pruning, increasing through the tree, which promotes rapid drying to minimize photosynthesis through disease infection and allows thorough pesticide penetration. pruning, and to remove small branches which could break Additionally, a wellshaped fruit tree is aesthetically pleasing, and damage the tree. whether in a landscaped yard, garden, or commercial orchard. (Q) How would pruning young trees differ from pruning old 1. Goals and Timing trees? There are two goals when pruning an apple tree: Initially on young trees to encourage a strong, solid Students will be asked to read framework through the Apple “Pruning document and answer Trees” On mature trees to maintain shape and encourage fruit the questions. production The best time to prune apple trees is in late winter or very early spring before any new growth starts. The only growth you ever want to prune or remove during the summer months, when the tree is actively growing, is a sucker. On young and old trees, remove all suckers that grow up from the rootstock. The best time to do this is during the summer when suckers are least likely to resprout. You can either prune them off, or you can use Sucker Stopper which is a chemical to discourage any suckers from re-growing Objective #3 to “What Prune”
shape, yield high quality fruit, increase the longevity of the tree, and prevent disease The teacher will ask students to draw a healthy fruit tree in their notes and label the most important parts. Students will draw trees with large trunks, leaves, branches, and fruit, providing the instructor with a chance to discuss the importance of maintaining strong branches through pruning, increasing photosynthesis through pruning, and to remove small branches which could break and damage the tree. (Q) How would pruning young trees differ from pruning old trees? Students will be asked to read through the “Pruning Apple Trees” document and answer the questions. Improperly trained fruit trees generally have very upright branch angles, which result in serious limb breakage under a heavy fruit load. This significantly reduces the productivity of the tree and may greatly reduce tree life. Another goal of annual training and pruning is to remove dead, diseased, or broken limbs. Proper tree training also opens up the tree canopy to maximize light penetration. For most deciduous tree fruit, flower buds for the current season's crop are formed the previous summer. Light penetration is essential for flower bud development and optimal fruit set, flavor, and quality. Although a mature tree may be growing in full sun, a very dense canopy may not allow enough light to reach 12 to 18 inches inside the canopy. Opening the tree canopy also permits adequate air movement through the tree, which promotes rapid drying to minimize disease infection and allows thorough pesticide penetration. Additionally, a wellshaped fruit tree is aesthetically pleasing, whether in a landscaped yard, garden, or commercial orchard. 1. Goals and Timing There are two goals when pruning an apple tree: Initially on young trees to encourage a strong, solid framework On mature trees to maintain shape and encourage fruit production The best time to prune apple trees is in late winter or very early spring before any new growth starts. The only growth you ever want to prune or remove during the summer months, when the tree is actively growing, is a sucker. On young and old trees, remove all suckers that grow up from the rootstock. The best time to do this is during the summer when suckers are least likely to resprout. You can either prune them off, or you can use Sucker Stopper which is a chemical to discourage any suckers from re-growing Objective #3 “What to Prune”