5 Pruning Mistakes to AVOID at ALL COSTS!

We've been growing fruit trees here in Arizona for over 15 years. With all of those years of experience we've learned a thing or two about pruning and have made some VERY costly mistakes. Today we're sharing with you 5 things you want to avoid at all costs when pruning your fruit trees!

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[jeffmeyers]

A common mistake rarely mentioned is wrongly positioning your pruners. You want the thin blade to be on the side of the branch you are keeping. Yes, this applies to bypass pruners. The other side compresses the cambium layer, restricting the flow of water and nutrients. The result can be risk of infection, impaired healing, and reduced growth.

[darylpas]

I always like watching your pruning videos. It helps me brush up on my skills.

[AbidAli-bvgl]

Great teacher and excellent video. I Gave you Thums Up, always

[tonisee]

Nice overview!
I have read and heard from veteran apple growers and agronomes in my country that summer pruning is a serious thing and will prevent massive sucker growth that always happens when tree is pruned during dormancy in the winter or early spring. In my cool and wet temperate climate, summer pruning is usually done after midsummer eve, end of June or in July.

I can't tell if I have learned something from pruning cherries or plumbs (except: remove only dead wood 😀 ), but especially with them I have noticed that extruding leftover branches past collar will dry up and new bark never grows over them. And those cuts will run gum for a while (or even a lot). The same actually applies to appletrees too (except gum flow 🙂). Previous owner of my very old apple trees did cuts ca 5-10 mm or even more above the collar and I'd say that most of them had serious issues with healing, they typically just dry up and the bark never grows over those "warts". In several years, those dried up inclusions just rot away and create a hole in the branch. I'm doing pruning cuts just above the collar (~1mm, 2 mm max?) and cuts of smaller branches (maybe those which have thickness of a pencil?) heal fully usually in 2 seasons/years. Some growers even suggest to tickle the collar just a bit, they claim that doing that encourages more rapid growth of new bark.

For large cuts, I cover fresh pruning surfaces with a sticky substance which prevents fungi etc finding their way to cut places and starting their lives there. That substance also is somewhat waterproof and contains hormones(?) that speed up bark growth. I use that thing for all cuts larger than about a centimeter and renew the coating once in a year when it should be needed. I can't confirm that this hormone thing does wonders... but that definitely doesn't hurt trees.

There is actually something you did not mention - hygiene of the cutting gear. That's especially important if some trees have any diseases (ours in community garden have and it's difficult to keep some of them away), e.g. bacterial canker and need cuts to stop spreading of that. When pruner or saw is not cleaned up and disinfected before starting to prune next tree, it is quite probable that next tree will get those diseases, too. I use regularly very strong spirit to clean pruners between moving between two trees or two grape vines. If there are any visible signs of bacterial or fungal diseases, I'm using stuff that kills those. Keep trees with disease issues last.

[mesutozsen]

Eline Emeğine Sağlık Bu Güzel Vlog ve Video İçin Kolay Gelsin Hayırlı İşler Bol Bereketli Kazançların Olsun 👍👍👍👍

[kevincharles]

Not pruning the proper branches (a poor plan/design by me)
I did this with trying to form scaffolds, and allowed two branches to grow that were too close to one another. Years later, I lost the branch because the crotch angle between the two was too narrow, caused a crack and the wind broke it. I eventually I lost the tree (similar to your Pakistan). This was in my pre-EON days ... I know better now. :)
Also, pruning with the wrong tools: not using a by-pass pruner. I 'smashed' a lot of branches until I got the right tool (many years back)

[mm_fp]

Question. We lost a newly planted Pluot last year. Yesterday we went to replant a new one in the same location and found 3 HUGE grubs about a foot down in the hole we dug. Did those kill the previous tree? And if so, do we need to do anything to treat the soil around the tree? Or any information would be helpful so we dont lose this next tree. 🙏🏽

[pumelo]

Always prune close to branch ring, the fact that an apricot or peach tree gets a fungal or mold disease is not due to a bad pruning, but to the introduction of the disease and poor treatment of larger wounds and poor spraying. The cut must be fast and clean, the wound must be cleaned and treated. Find out what a "branch ring" is and where the cut should be made.
There are differences in some stone fruits and pome fruits. New branch shoots also break out in late summer when they are not yet mature.
Young and also older Apricots are pruned twice a year, we will support the formation of fruit-bearing growth already in the lower part of the crown and we will slow down the lush extension growth of the main branches.We call this cut the " Schitt cut". Because next year the flowers will be at the ends of the branches and "shave off" we need fruiting buds along the entire length of the branch, not just at the end
Many of your mistakes are quasi-mistakes and the opposite is true
Any real gardener in my country from Europe would be "tapping" their forehead and an old experienced gardener would slap you across the fingers😁

[sharonbee]

Downward or under branch spurs count as a no cut because there new growth

[krissycus]

I totally cut off the pruning spurs last year on many of my trees. Big no no! I also have pruned too late, avoided making that initial pruning cut (to the whip) to keep the tree manageable b/c it seemed like I should keep it tall since I paid for it! so many mistakes.

[tigerguitara]

Our trees were ravaged by cattle last fall and have yet to fully recover growth. We probably should’ve pruned right after but have waited til now 🤷‍♀️

[mohamadjalali]

I have a one-year-old cherry tree with two scaffold branches forming a V-shape at a 70-degree angle, spaced about 3 cm apart on the trunk. I’m concerned about potential splitting in the future. Should I remove one branch or use a spacer to widen the angle? I appreciate your support

[Norbingel]

I live in the tropics (Philippines). I don't know when dormant season is. I would've said summer just because it's dry but you also said not summer

[flash_flood_area]

I have a pruning question, not a pruning story. When should I prune a Meyer Lemon tree in Tucson? I think mine is about 4 years old, and it produced tons of fruit in 2024. I have never pruned it until now. The reason I want to prune is because it doesn't have much of a trunk; and the branches start only a about 6" from the ground. The entire tree is about 4.5 ft tall, and equally wide. Some of its fruit was set so low that a few lemons were even touching the ground. I've harvested about half the fruit by now, Feb 1, 2025. I just want to remove a few of the very lowest branches. Should I harvest all of the remaining fruit before I do that? Previously, I have let some of the ripe fruit stay on the tree until April; but it seems like the pruning should happen before the tree starts putting out new spring leaves.

[brainhunter]

Have you ever tried pruning a peach tree as a central leader? I have a tree that’s in a narrow spot with a city owned tree just to the north . I’m wondering if I let it grow tall and narrow how it will work? Line one set of two branches going to the sides at 2-3 feet. Another set of 2-3 branches going to the side around 6-7 feet. I’m perfectly happy going on a ladder to get higher . Almost thinking a tall version of espalier tree for apples. Still get light. I won’t look super symmetrical but that’s probably okay.

[MakalNut]

I've cut some wild white mulberries with popcorn disease (~15-20 feet) to the ground mid summer and have multiple 10 foot sprouts from a single trunk by winter. I wonder if it's the weather or just the pakistan that couldn't stand the prune.

[clytriftg]

What about pruning apricots and cherry trees in the winter? Everything I’ve seen says this a major No No. I ignorantly winter pruned my apricot tree the first year of its life and I think that caused bad gummosis. It still had a pretty good first harvest and seems to be thriving despite all of the gummosis. Not sure if it’s doomed or not?

[JS-pxet]

I think I have done all but that 30% rule. Hence, no fruit on my trees.

[ziggy]

I accidentally cut most of my fruiting spurs :((, only my second time pruning. so disappointed

[buck-johnson]

Is this the area for comments? I have a comment.