
HENRY LEUTHARDT NURSERY 29 
Pruning Dwarf Fruit Trees 
AFTER PRUNING—The great majority of people do not 
take proper care of their trees after planting. This is a great 
mistake. If a tree doés not receive the right kind of ‘care, and 
enough of it when young, it will never attain to a healthy old 
age. Very much has been said about pruning by various author- 
ities. Judging from ‘these and our own experience and obser- 
vations, we would say: Looking at the health and vigor of a 
tree, the best time to prune is just before sap begins to run, 
early in the spring. 
Summer pruning is done to check rank growth and promote 
fruitfulness. This should be done very cautiously, if at all, as 
too much pruning will harm the tree. When we are in a hurry 
to have a tree bear, we pinch off the bud on the end of the 
limbs a little in summer. Do not fear to prune the tree when 
it is young—that is, when it is not growing—and keep pruning 
as long as it lives. eer 
PRUNING APPLES—Dwarf Apples need little pruning. It 
will suffice to clip the longest branches back two or three buds. 
Also when there is an oversized branch or bruised branch which 
gives the tree a one-sided appearance, cut them back to the size 
of the other branches. . 
PRUNING PEARS, PLUMS, APRICOTS—These varieties 
should also have the sides .of their crown reduced about one- 
fourth of their length. “Some.of: these branches are stronger than 
others and the general rule is to reduce these overgrown branches 
to the length of the average remaining branches. A good guide 
is to give the tree a pleasant. even and somewhat pyramidal form. 
PRUNING CHERRIES—Of all fruit trees, cherries have the 
greatest amount of vitality when transplanted. Often up to 50% 
of all unpruned cherry trees are killed. The pruning of the 
cherries reduces this great loss considerably. One year old cher- 
ries should be reduced to one-third of their size. Two and three 
yeat old trees should have all the side branches of their crown 
reduced to about one-third of their size. 
PRUNING NUTS, QUINCES—These varieties require no 
pruning at time of their planting. 
PRUNING—PEACHES AND NECTARINES 
There is a general opinion among the public that the peach 
tree is very short lived and therefore, not worthwhile planting. 
This is decidedly wrong. The peach and nectarine trees are 
some of the most rapid growing trees and reach their ultimate 
height within 4-5 years. 
Now, since peaches or nectarines grow young wood and fruit 
only on wood that has been g.own the previous year, the tree 
dies or withers away in such a short time if not pruned. 
It is absolutely essential to prune the trees severely every 
spring in order to obtain the necessary young wood and fruit. If 
this pruning is applied correctly, a peach tree can live from 18 
to 30 years and produce a full crop of large fine fruit every year. 
Such a pruning is neither complicated nor difficult to apply on 
dwarf peach or nectarine trees. 
The first step which is most important, must be applied to all 
peach and nectarine fruit trees, regardless if they are dwarf or 
not, at tme of planting. A one year old tree must be pruned 
back radically to about 15 to 24 inches above the graft. 
On two or three year old trees, no branches should remain 
that are higher than 2 or 3 feet from the ground. Young side 
branches that have been grown the previous year, should be te- 
duced back to one or two buds. ; 
A peach or nectarine tree, pruned in:this manner, will develop 
for this coming spring, from twice to three times and even more 
the amount of wood that has been cut away. It is on this young 
wood only that you will grow your fruit, buds for the following 
season. 
