Pruning Dwarf Fruit Trees 
Little pruning is needed except for shape on apples, pears and plums. Regular yearly 
pruning is needed for cherries and peaches. 
Proper Tree Pruning ideal Fruit Pruning 
Trees vary greatly, but are some- 
thing like sketches at right. A 
l-year-old should be cut off as 
soon as planted to make low bushy 
branching. 
Day On arrival of 2-year dwarfs, select 
Trune a few good branches, prune to 
equal lengths and remove all others. 
LEAVE This results in a strong, simple 
zto4,. main frame. 
[ee 
oe) VEAR a 
A 3-year-old should be pruned 
only at tips; except that any extra 
new shoots should be removed to 
eaphtramesneinpia! fruit setting; and _ particularly 
cut the following April. 
Dwarfed Espalier Frui 
Care Needed for Espaliers 
Ten to twelve feet is the maximum height to which true 
dwarf Espaliers will grow. Little pruning is needed— 
beyond keeping the small new spurs from reaching more 
than six inches outside of the main stems. When a spur 
has borne it will continue to bear. Pick the stem with 
the fruit. 
Peaches are an exception: fruit grows only on last sea- 
son’s wood. Keep two spurs coming at every four inch 
interval along the stem. In March, prune one back and 
let the other fruit. Then, when fruited, cut it back and 
from the other by then there should be two new ones 
for the following year‘s crop. 
Watering and fertilizing are unnecessary except in very 
poor soil indeed. Spray for disease as with any fruit 
tree. 
In planting against a wall, place the tree six inches away 
and allow 18 inches root space—requiring a space in all 
two feet out from the wall. 
U-Form Four-Arm an-Shaped 
4 to 6 feet 5-6 ft. (heavy) 6 to 8 feet 
Apples (4 feet wide) (8 feet wide) 
Pears Apples Plums 
Peaches ~ - Pears Peaches 
oes S675 6 ; eS i 
pricats 12 eat pricots The price—espalier growing takes years 
$11.25 each $16.75 each in the nursery to =a th Vetoes an Me 
52 
reasonable when costs are considered. 
Pruning for high fruit yield shown above speaks for 
itself. A is a leaf bud, B a flower 
and C, the terminal of the branch. 
pruning the tree for shape—a simple process of cutting 
away all thickly spaced branches—go further and cut 
off each terminal as shown. Then 
the branches trimming back all shoots that have no 
cut away all 
at branch tips except the single terminal left to be 
(and fruit) bud 
In April, when 
in June go over 
of training 
Prices are 
growth 
