Pruning Trees & Small Fruits
By: Dale Mermoud, Master Gardener

Remember the tree limb that knocked off your hat, sunglasses, etc. last year when you mowed the yard? This is a good time to prune that unwanted nuisance, now that we have had several days of cold weather to make trees and plants dormant. There is a misconception that as a tree grows taller the limb will also increase in distance above the ground. The truth is, a limb or branch will remain in the same place and distance above the ground regardless of how tall the tree becomes.

During February to the first half of March is a good time to do those procrastinated or overlooked projects. Also "cabin fever" may make some outside work seem pleasant on a cool winter day and with day length increasing, more time is available for outside work. Pruning can be accomplished in sub-freezing weather as long as good pruning techniques are followed and you're hearty enough to endure the cold.

Tools required are a hand pruner (for limbs the size of your little finger), long handled lopping pruner (for thumb size limbs), fine tooth pruning saw (for limbs up to two inches in diameter), and a coarse tooth saw (for limbs over two inches). Do not use an axe unless you are a George Washington "wanna be" and are going to remove the entire tree. Two other tools that may be helpful to use with large shade and/or fruit trees are a pole tree trimmer and/or an electric pole trimmer.

Keep your tools clean and sharp, remove rust and apply a light coat of oil. Clean tools when finished or when moving to a different species to prune. Wipe the tools with a bleach/water mix (one part bleach, 10 parts water) then dry and re-oil.

The following general rules apply when pruning: 1) remove the limb or branch back to the branch collar (do not leave a long stub), 2) remove tips of branches back to a good bud or the next larger branch, and 3) never remove more than one-third of the total branches. A good way to size up a pruning project is to walk circling the tree looking at the limbs to be pruned, counting them as you walk. Hopefully this will not be greater than 1/3 of the tree's branches, if it is then divide the project into two or more years' pruning.

For large limbs you cannot support while pruning, use the three-cut method. The first cut is on the underside of the limb to be removed about one foot from the existing tree or limb. Make this cut almost one-half the way through. The second cut is made on the upper side of the limb above the underside cut. Cut through until the two meet or the branch breaks free from its own weight. The third cut is made to remove the stub that's left. Make this cut on the outside (away from the remaining tree or branch) of the "collar" that joins the branch to the tree. All deciduous trees have a collar or enlarged ring where the branch attaches to the tree. This collar is the strength that allows the tree to support the limb. Some collars are large and pronounced, others are not as obvious, depending on the species. Use caution when making cuts, specifically the third cut and do not allow the limb or stub to split, splinter, or tear away bark on the part of the tree you are leaving!

Another misconception is the cut area needs to be "painted" with latex paint or sealed with a tar-like wound dressing. These two materials are not necessary as long as good pruning techniques are followed, i.e. clean and sharp tools, and during the dormant season, pruning cuts will heal naturally. An exception might be pruning cuts that have to be made during the growing season because of storm damage. In this case use the above mentioned techniques then "paint" the cut areas with the bleach/water mix described earlier. This may be applied with a paintbrush, sponge or rag.

The following are pruning guides to be used for specific cases; i.e. fruit trees, brambles, and grapes.

In fruit trees, there are two types of pruning; heading cuts and thinning cuts. These cuts may also apply to shade trees. The heading cut is made to cut off the tip of the branch. Thinning cuts remove the entire branch. Both cuts are equally important. The heading cut can re-direct the growth of a limb. Where there are two limbs growing close together, remove one by thinning then use a heading cut to change the growing direction of the remaining limb. Along each branch are buds positioned at different angles. Choose a bud at the desired direction you want the limb to grow then make a heading cut above the desired bud. Next year's growth will go in the direction of the bud left, below the heading cut. Homeowners typically make too many heading cuts and the result is a thick, dense, hedge-like structure. Thinning cuts are harder to make and require you to get inside the canopy, sometimes to the center of the tree but the result is an open canopy that allows air circulation, pest control application, and sun penetration for better fruit development.

For brambles (blackberries, raspberries) remove dead, damaged, or diseased canes. Cut canes back to 28 to 32 inches above the ground. Cut back side limbs and/or branches to four to six inches. In dense plantings, remove all but five or six of the strongest canes from each crown.

Pruning of grapes is one of the most neglected practices of home plantings. While pruning should begin at planting time and continue each year, by the fourth year a grapevine should have two or more branches extending in both directions along each supporting trellis wire. Select one fruiting branch along each wire, prune this branch to leave six to eight fruiting buds depending on space available between plants and attach it securely to the supporting wire or trellis. Remove any suckers or sprouts along the main trunk, or those originating from the base at ground level. The following year's pruning will be maintenance of the original six to eight buds. You can leave these branches in place and remove the previous year's growth making pruning cuts above or outside the buds. Should a branch die or become diseased it can be removed and a previous year's growth can be attached to the support system to take its place.

For more information contact the University of Missouri Extension Center, Courthouse Basement, Carthage, MO 64836, phone (417) 358-2158 or email jasperco@missouri.edu and request these publications: "A Pruning Primer", Missouri Conservation Commission, jg 80; MU Guide 6021, "Home Fruit Production"; MU Guide 6000, "Pruning Raspberries, Blackberries and Gooseberries"; MU Guide 6090, "Grape Training Systems".