frequently performed to achieve the above goak 

 are listed below. 



1. Eliminate branches that are crossing. 

 These branches shade fruit and result in 

 low quality and poor coloring. 



2. Remove large branches in the tops of trees. 

 A conical tree allows the most efficient 

 interception of light. A program of limb 

 rotation in the upper 1/3 of a tree should 

 be conducted to assure that no large limbs 

 will develop that might shade fruit or 

 prevent the development of scaffold limbs 

 below. It is critical that these Umbs be 

 eliminated if summer pruning is to be 

 effective. They cannot be removed during 

 the summer and if present even severe 

 summer pruning will not be sufficient to 

 overcome the shading. 



3. Eliminate large upright branches. 

 Extremely strong branches that compete 

 with the central leader will cause problems 

 until they are removed. They prevent the 

 development of good scaffold branches and 

 they frequently cause too much shading. 



4. Remove branches growing toward the center 

 of the tree. Branches growing toward the 

 center of the tree will increase shading in 

 an area prone to low light. 



5. Remove branches with narrow crotch angles. 

 Branches with narrow crotch angles are 

 weak and frequently break under a fruit 

 load or during ice or snow storms. It is 

 important to remove branches with poor 

 crop potential to allow the growth of better 

 limbs with greater potential. 



6. Remove weak wood. Fruit that develop on 

 weak branches are characteristically small 



and have poor quality. When fruit on 

 these branches begin to grow the branches 

 bend down and shade other fruiting 

 branches below. 



7. Lower tree height. When trees get too 

 tall they become difficult to harvest and 

 spray, and the upper portions can shade 

 productive branches below. Trees on M.7 

 can be lowered to 10 to 14 feet without 

 appreciable loss of yield if they have been 

 trained to a central leader. 



Don't try to do it all at once . If a tree 

 has not been pruned or only has been pruned 

 lightly for several years, extensive pruning may 

 be necessary. However, growers should not make 

 all of the cuts in one year if extensive wood 

 removal is necessary. Tree renovation should be 

 distributed over at least 2 years. If too much 

 wood is removed in one year poor fruit set and 

 excessive vegetative regrowth may occur. It is 

 important to make sure that there is adequate 

 fruit set so that the crop can help control 

 regrowth. 



The recommended pruning approach . We 

 feel that the pruning approach most useful in 

 Massachusetts will involve a combination of 

 dormant and summer pruning. It is essential to 

 establish the tree shape and make major cuts 

 during the dormant season. Large cuts made 

 during July and August likely will result in 

 extensive fruit bruising caused by falling 

 branches. Pruning during the summer should 

 emphasize the reduction of shading by removal 

 of young, nonfruitful wood. Summer pruning is 

 not an expense that is added directly to your 

 dormant pruning costs. At the Horticultural 

 Research Center dormant pruning of trees that 

 were previously summer pruned required 40% less 

 time than trees that were not summer pruned. 

 Prepare your trees now for summer pruning. 



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