SUMMER PRUNING

Press, Volume XCIX, Issue 29383, 9 December 1960, Page 13

SUMMER PRUNING

Routine Job In Fruit Garden

One of the routine jobs in the fruit garden at this time of the year is summer pruning. Its importance is often greatly overestimated, however, and there is frequently confusion in the mind of the home gardener about what is entailed. Summer pruning is simply a method for reducing the vigour of the tree, if this is necessary, by reducing the'number of actively growing shoots. Summer pruning is not intended for shaping a tree—this is one of the .functions of. winter pruning. If the number of actively growing shoots which* a tree bears is reduced before they can manufacture much food in the summer, then the amount of food which is stored by the tree over winter is reduced, and so the tree' does not grow so actively in the following season. The time for summer pruning is between December and the beginning of .March. It is ideally carried out as soon as the growth for the year has slowed down or stopped, but' before the leaves have had a chance to manufacture much food. Shoots to be pruned should be reasonably firm, not just soft, succulent tips. Side branches only are pruned, not the leading shoots. Side branches are cut back to Six or eight leaves in length.. If you are growing apples on' the espalier system, then rather more severe summer pruning may be required, cutting back to two or three inches. In a rather wet season, such as this one has been, it is quite often better to delay your summer pruning, or the effect of cutting back when there is still plenty of moisture in the ground will be to produce what is termed “second growth.” This is a new flush of growth from the tips of the pruned shoots. Quite obviously this is not wanted, sir-e these new growths will replace that which you have pruned away, and carry on manufacturing food. If you live in an area with a normally high rainfall then summer pruning is not easy to carry out satisfactorily for this very reason.

Summer pruning may also be carried out for another reason besides that of reducing the vigour of growth—to expose frvjt to the sun to get a better colour If you are keen on showing, then this may be worth while, but not otherwise.