March is a good time to prune Fruit trees. Once they are planted and pruned, prune the fruit trees each additional year. Prune only when the trees are dormant. On newly planted trees, prune lightly for the next 10 years.
Regular pruning each year will help avoid major pruning later. With pruning each year, fruit production increases, and helps avoid disease problems.
Also with regular pruning each year, the sunlight gets through the trees. This leads to less disease issues and much more increase in fruit. Remove any diseased, damaged, or dead limbs.
For diseased wood with fireblight, cut 8 – 10 inches below the diseased branch, sterilize pruners between each cut with 10% bleach solution. for black knots, cut below each infected branch at least 4 – 6 inches. You can also use 91% alcohol between each cut, this will sterilize your pruners to avoid reinfection.
Remember when pruning, different types of fruit trees, like apples and pears, are pruned to have a central leader. Remember to create layers of branches, or Tiers.
As for cherries, plums and peach trees, prune to have the center of the tree open. There should be no main branch in the center of the tree.
Choose more disease resistant trees to plant. While trees are still dormant, spray with lime sulphur spray to control both disease and overwintering insects.
Begin fruit tree sprays once leaves unfold and temperatures are above 55° F. usually spraying every 10 – 14 days up until a week or two before harvest.
