I've just done this to a couple of young bush open centre apple trees that only had scaffolding branches on two sides. So hopefully this hard prune will reset the tree & encourage a more balanced goblet shaped scaffolding to build from.
I have a bare root that is 2-yr old. Is it too late? Can I still lop off its whole top off, down to knee length, when I plant it this weekend? Can hard pruning be done - only to young bare roots?
@@wemuk5170 Im not sure, it depends on how strong its root system is, if not that well developed it may not have the energy to sustain new growth, plus heal the wounds & fight off any potential infection. Also it should only be done while the tree is in a dormant state otherwise it will encourage fruiting buds. A 2 year old tree should be ok.
Disagree. You had some nice starter scaffolds there. Cutting them off at the trunk was pointless. Now you have a tree where all the new scaffs are branching off at the same height on the central leader - undesirable. Better to have 3 to 5 scaffs branching from different heights. You could have still pruned the existing scaffs off to an outward facing bud and had good growth.
He pruned it so the fruit is more accesible to ground level which makes it easier to pick fruit at a lower level than in a high canopy, smart gardening
I just planted 2 plum & 2 cherry trees 1 week ago. They are 6 foot and have strong leaves already. They need to be shaped / trimmed - pruned. I'm getting conflicting reports on waiting till next year to do this vs doing it immediately
I purchased a bare root Bartlett pear from an online nursery. There are five vertical leaders coming off the graft to the sides. In other words, no central leader. Should I prune off four of the smallest and leave one big sucker and the central leader?
Your right, it can be a bit scary but after about the fifth time it became like second nature. I'm glad to hear you've ordered some bareroot trees. All the best with your design!
Hi Dan, I have a bare root opal plum tree that’s 2 years old which I’m planting out this weekend. Can I hard prune my bare root, to a knee length stick like you did, if it’s already 2yr old bare root, at 4 ft tall? I’d greatly appreciate your advice. Thanks! 🙏😊
I live in Canada, in Zone 4b. The ground hasn't frozen yet so I'm planning on planting some bare root fruit trees since the nursery only ships them when they're dormant. Can I still prune them like this even though I'm planting them in the fall?
I've just done this to a couple of young bush open centre apple trees that only had scaffolding branches on two sides. So hopefully this hard prune will reset the tree & encourage a more balanced goblet shaped scaffolding to build from.
I have a bare root that is 2-yr old. Is it too late? Can I still lop off its whole top off, down to knee length, when I plant it this weekend? Can hard pruning be done - only to young bare roots?
@@wemuk5170 Im not sure, it depends on how strong its root system is, if not that well developed it may not have the energy to sustain new growth, plus heal the wounds & fight off any potential infection. Also it should only be done while the tree is in a dormant state otherwise it will encourage fruiting buds. A 2 year old tree should be ok.
Great video, very informative, Thanks for sharing👍
Interesting useful information. Thank you for sharing
Amazing!
Disagree. You had some nice starter scaffolds there. Cutting them off at the trunk was pointless.
Now you have a tree where all the new scaffs are branching off at the same height on the central leader - undesirable. Better to have 3 to 5 scaffs branching from different heights. You could have still pruned the existing scaffs off to an outward facing bud and had good growth.
Jeff Bourke - I wondered why he pruned it! It looked just fine initially... thank you :P
He pruned it so the fruit is more accesible to ground level which makes it easier to pick fruit at a lower level than in a high canopy, smart gardening
Hi I know you have peters honey fig tree I just got my last year looking forward to eating some honey figs thanks 🙏 for sharing a beautiful video 👏👏👏
I just planted 2 plum & 2 cherry trees 1 week ago. They are 6 foot and have strong leaves already. They need to be shaped / trimmed - pruned. I'm getting conflicting reports on waiting till next year to do this vs doing it immediately
Did you ever make a video on pruning jujubes?
I purchased a bare root Bartlett pear from an online nursery. There are five vertical leaders coming off the graft to the sides. In other words, no central leader. Should I prune off four of the smallest and leave one big sucker and the central leader?
Wow, scary! But the results are convincing. I've just ordered some bare-root trees, so I'll risk this approach. Perhaps try rooting the cut-offs.
Your right, it can be a bit scary but after about the fifth time it became like second nature. I'm glad to hear you've ordered some bareroot trees. All the best with your design!
Hi Dan, I have a bare root opal plum tree that’s 2 years old which I’m planting out this weekend. Can I hard prune my bare root, to a knee length stick like you did, if it’s already 2yr old bare root, at 4 ft tall? I’d greatly appreciate your advice. Thanks! 🙏😊
I live in Canada, in Zone 4b. The ground hasn't frozen yet so I'm planning on planting some bare root fruit trees since the nursery only ships them when they're dormant. Can I still prune them like this even though I'm planting them in the fall?
Is it OK to cut down tree like that if the tree is a semi dwarf tree?
Cool :-)
TY
Do you also prune newly purchased already potted trees as well, Dan?
Generally speaking, no. The only trees I've purchased potted where citrus, fig & avocado trees all of which I would not recommend this method.