finally someone that shows the practical part of it all. this is first time it doesn't seem overwhelming. looks like almost everyone else just wants to show off how much they know about pruning but not what they actually know, so you get to the conclusion you're better off calling in an expensive expert. this was different, makes me believe i can do the stuff without reading tons of literature on the matter, i don't need a degree, right? appreciate the vid, thanks James!
An orchardist taught my how to prune fruit trees. It's not hard like you said. A few things he taught me that you demonstrated. 1. Don't be afraid to prune the bigger branches if they are in the way of getting the tree the way you like it. 2. Clear out suckers coming up from the ground 3. Keep the center open to light. This is very important. 4. Make sure you don't have branches crossing each other. Excellent demonstration. Thank you
@@paulmaxwell8851 Absolutely, Good for burning. Kill any disease this way. Keep it out of the compost piles if you plan on using it around the trees that it was removed
TY for the time you spent on this video! Most channels show a couple cuts then move on. The repetitive cuts you made helped solidify the technique and helps us learn how aggressive you can be with pruning. :D
When I watched it for the first time, I had no idea what he is doing even though it made sense what he was explaining. It all connected when I went to the orchard and looked at the tree. Some were very neglected (inherited that way) and it takes me all day to prune just one tree ☺️ I step back and look, and think, and visualize where branches will go after a cut. Love it!
Just found this one. Thank you for keeping it easy. I inherited old trees that i’m working my way back 1/3rd at a time. I am getting fruit, but they aren’t very organized. I appreciate you showing many of your trees as opposed to showing only one. I really wrapped my brain around your examples, and i feel confident. Always blessings to you and Tuck and whoever else is on your team.
James, this is just terrific instruction. I’m training a young boy who keeps my yard how to take care of all my many apples and pears. He’s going to love this video!
Thanks for simplifying this topic. You are right! I've almost been scared to prune based on fear of doing something wrong, but once I did last spring, I got great production!
Everybody prunes a little bit differently. Thanks for being so thorough in your method. Only thing that caused me to wince a bit was when you sawed deep along the branch junctions, through the collar. I can understand for a visual preference to not have any knobs, except you may want to consider dieback along the cut. That saw looks so sharp. Very clean cuts. Thanks for sharing. Don't take the negative comments so seriously. Everyone is a critic, and few are experts.
Exactly this! The collar is like a protective chemical zone that stops critters and disease from damaging the living part of the tree and must therefore be preserved when making a thinning cut! Orin Martin from UC Santa Cruz explains this beautifully in his pruning videos 😊
I have watched a few of your videos and am hooked on you! Your enthusiasm for gardening is the same as mine making it so easy to understand and relate, also learn! You give such awesome knowledge in the simplest least complex ways! Thank you!
Thank you, your video was very helpful. I had a roommate almost destroy a persimmon tree in our front yard. It's been two seasons and finally it's recovered enough to prune. You simplified pruning in a way that makes a lot of sense.
I watched you from Turkey. Thank you very much for your help. This is an apple tree pruning video and it's true what you did for fungal diseases. I do not understand those who dislike.
I'm in Jersey growing my first two apple trees! They started forming leaves for the first time, so now I need to learn to prune! Thank you for this video!
Hi James, six years later your video absolutely saved me. I don’t know how to attach pictures but I wish I could shout you a before and after of my two apple trees. This video was sensational! Thanks (from Australia) 😊
Thank you for your very good pruning demonstration. Great overall. One thing though, as far as bringing home chipped wood to use as compost make sure none of the chipped wood has come from diseased or fire-blighted cuttings.
Thanks for making this tutorial! I was feeling overwhelmed about the job at hand, but now after watching this I definitely feel like I'll be just fine! 😊 It's really like cleaning a messy room, first take out the trash (damaged branches), then clear out the clutter (suckers, centers, crowded spaced), and organize what you have left (trimming back, shaping).
I'm a bit late to the party, but for a greenhorn like me, I have difficulty visualizing what the tree will look like with foliage, blossoms, and/or fruit. It would be really nice to see what a tree looks like after dormant pruning, and then also what that same tree looks like in full dress the following season!
Ignore the opposition brother! I appreciate your craft and attention detail. This is exactly what I needed to watch before I prune my mess of a 75 yr old apple tree. Keep up the good work.
I absolutely love your demonstration. I just got 3 new semi-dwarf 🍎 trees. 2 macintosh and a red delicious. I started watching so many different videos on pruning. As I said, started, never finished. They weren't really showing what they were doing and was very hard to understand. Your video is excellent. I saved it and am looking forward to pruning my trees in January of next year. I ain't "scaret" no more!! Lol. Thank you a bunch!!
Your explanations are clear AND you show examples of what to cut snd how to cut it properly. Super unlike many other videos!! Thank you!! I would love to get your view on my old poorly pruned tree. Help.
Excellent video and tutorial. Very nice demonstration on the how to cut and most importantly, the why. So few folks know that. I used to live in Passaic County and we had quite a little orchard there. Apple, cherry, pear and nut trees. A grape arbor and current bushes. Many of the same cuts work for all the plants with a few differences on the bushes. Thanks for posting this. As a side note, I forgot how warm it is in Jersey in January. No coat, no hat. For most of January we were at or below zero here in Vermont. Good luck with your garden. I'll be looking for more great videos.
Thanks James, for airing this and shedding light on the subject. Your stick-to-it-tiveness in this branch of husbandry is rooted in common sense. Cutting through the BS and trimming the fat off the explanation, I'd pit you against anyone. I can hardly bear waiting for spring. Thanks, bud. (puppy: 'bark-bark')
Love it James! I've watched this video a couple of times because I'm new at fruit trees and I've planted about 8 so far and found a couple of crab apple trees that were hiding in my forest area. We cut down trees around those to allow light for the crab apples and now they are starting to flourish! Thanks so much for your expertise!
There have been apple trees and peach tree around my house since I was born (24 years) and they’ve never been touched. So I’m in for a lot of work. Thank you for the amazing video. I don’t feel as overwhelmed
Love your channel, James. I think I say this on every video. I've been working in my garden all day. I used a lot of your food forest concepts, permaculture ideas and my own flavor and weirdness and made my ever growing plot of nature.
I basically always take the middle trunk out of the tree and leave only four to five leaders. The tree should develop as a bush, and not grow in height, so I let all the trees grow up to two meters to facilitate the harvest. By removing the middle trunk, more light enters the interior of the tree. I have had the best experience with this method.
At first I thought this was almost satire, it just seemed weird, but luckily I kept watching, this guy is great. Explains everything, shows examples, he got himself a subscriber!
There’s a lot of different videos out there on pruning, but this one gives good information that is easy to digest, or understand. Thank you for posting this video. After watching the first two random videos on pruning, I was almost ready to give up, and spend the money on a pro. This one has was worth watching.
This was the most useful and informative video of yours I've watched yet. I've watched a lot of pruning videos, this was very easy to follow and I feel like I can go at my trees with more confidence!
Great video! I just got 2 apple trees recently and planted them in my garden. I'm taking the time to get to understand pruning now before I have to prune.
You are so right about pruning being as much an art as a science. I have a horticultural science training but would want to treat a fruit tree as a "holistic" object where "arranging" comes first and then some fine tuning as per your video. At 7:27 you go in a bit too close - the wound is perhaps a bit too large in relation to what is left behind? 100% agree with you re. (1) cut (2) step back AND (3) look....really look! Our eyes are as important as our hands for this task. 10:42 - some plastic insulation tape helps cover mishaps; once drier weather (less humid) sets in, I'd remove the "plaster" to allow the tree to heal itself. 11:52 - secateurs? 14:40 - pause here to look (admire!) what a good, clean open shape is being created and FINALLY - what is exceptional here is how James is ALWAYS looking at the tree .... he is not taking the (frankly stupid) approach of "cut back by a third" as if somehow this abstract instruction would be even remotely useful. Great work!
Okay, I followed your advice and kept cutting until I felt it looked pretty aired out. My only question now is whether I should go ahead and remove the stump also. lol jk.
Woah. This was so informative. We bought a property with fruit trees that were probably never pruned. They're huge and we can't manage them. We were thinking about replacing one a year. After watching this I feel very confident about taking care of the new trees. Your method is purposeful without being overwhelming.
Dont ever cut them down. You didn't say that you are or would, but please don't be that person. I had to remove my 3 year old peach tree when I sold my house. I dug it up and tried not to mess up the roots. I walked up and down my street with it on my shoulder until I found someone who wanted it in their backyard. Enjoy the fruit.
Thank you, James! I've had trees for about 4 years now and every winter, I STRUGGLE with the pruning. This is the best video I've ever found on pruning apples and pears! I feel more confident than I ever have. Question, what do I do with the tree that gave me an overload of water sprouts?
Back to Basics Homemaker Depends on so many things. Pear or apple? What rootstock? Tree shape? Angle of branches? Healthy or not? Can give you some advice if you provide details.
Thank you Tuck and James. I bought 1 Gala and 1 Liberty. Need to make my raised beds to plant them in. I have rock and soil. 6" dug down into soil and a whole flat bed of rock so that is why I am making beds. Only 2 apple trees.
I learned and agree with a lot in this video except for the reduction and removal cut style. I don't know of any professional or research botanist who recommends using the flush cuts that James is doing. The botanist recommendations I am seeing are that collar cuts, where the stem or branch meets the collar are the best place to cut. It makes for faster healing and closure over the cut.
I'm glad you called it. The remaining branches are scarred because the cut branch is cut too close which affects the phloem. Like a plaque blockage in one of your heart arteries.
By cutting into the collar you are increase the surface area of the cut and the time it will take to heal over the cut. The active collar tissue should not be touched.
Thank you for your clear instructions. I appreciate that you reference someone else and you encourage art form and that this is your methods. I look forward to more of your videos.
1 Viruses are NOT dormant during winter. 2 Open center or not is a matter of personal preference and depends largely on the space you can utilize. 3 The best time to prune is whenever you stand in front of a tree with your pruners.
Thanks James... WOW that sure was informative and a good hands on lesson. Now I'll go out and prune my apple trees and try to remember how you did it. :) . I might have to watch this video a few times just to remember your tips and suggestions. I'm one who was always afraid to prune because I didn't want to damage the trees. Now I know better . :)
Very good pruning video. I like the encouraging advice you gave. The camera person, at times, might more often by standing behind or beside you. You did this a lot, but sometimes I was wishing I could be looking at what you were seeing from your vantage point. It was a great video. Thank you !
Hi James, You inspired me to make food forest instead of classical garden in Slovakia. So thank you very much for your work. I planted young trees last fall season. Now I am considering pruning. I want my trees to be healthy and vital, so they can live long life and bring me and my family joy all our lives. I found very contradictory opinions on pruning trees by different permaculturists or organic gardeners. The most interesting idea I cant rid of my head is: Pruning the tree makes more need to pruning next year. If I want to make my food forest self-sufficient, like normal forest is (a stable ecosystem), I dont want to make my trees addicted to my cut. I am little bit confused. I am considering minimum pruning and just cut damaged branches. Tree should know how to grow. He has it in genetic code. I appreciate your opinion, thats why I wrote this comment :)
well you can use the pruned limbs in multch or place them in an area that will be a decaying spot, for you to grow thing there in a while, it depends on what you want and keeping the producrion where you want it, like i pruned a 3 year old fig tree grove with a 3 foot total size of trunk cluster from a single fruit and is was about 30 feet, im cutting it closer to 20 feet, making it wider and planning on removing another 4 feet from the crown in 1/2 a year after grafting varietys of fig tree onto it, so those limbs can be grown out for cloning, i decided to cut it after the last few year is being so tall most of the delicious fruits were consumed by; birds, beetles, ants, and possoms ,ate their fill and thats not what i desire for this season so it got cut, and i will maintain that, its span is around 50 feet all around 10 feet which is easier to harvest from and to be out of the way, if you want some fruit to be in a spot you cant harvest them and the fruit must get broken down by the enviroment you can replicate some of the systems that you see in the world with seeds getting moved around like an apple, not falling far from a tree and making more apples to feed the soils and the seeds and all the other life youve brought to your garden
Awesome video on pruning! I needed that given I am pruning for the first time this week! You explained all the steps in detail and well put together James! Thank you so much for the green light and confidence. Common Felco we have work to do! Catherine
for the love of god do not cut flush like he has! it causes bigger wounds to heal! this is old methods that are not valid anymore! also please remember.... winter pruning should be at a minimum... winter pruning is for vigour during summer..... summer pruning is for fruiting next year!
how about read about it, go learn how trees heal and youll find out that flush cuts are an old technique that is not advised by any professional. Flush cuts are bigger wounds and your removing the part that heals over quicker (collar). a whole article on it: www.urbantree.org/flushcut.shtml and www.dirtdoctor.com/garden/Pruning-No-Flush-Cuts-Newsletter_vq3944.htm and many more articles from reputable sources. its also advised any stone fruit should be done after all the fruit has gone (august/September) due to disease.
that's fine! only issue is in damp areas like mine your asking for trouble! don't want to come off bashing the guy as other info is valid just not the flush cut part due to disease issue and couple of years or so down the line youll have a dying tree which youll be upset considering it takes minimum of 2 years to see fruit.
James, I would keep your apple wood, you should just bury it in a hugel or something. No reason to export it out of your forest. Take 15 minutes at the end of your pruning session and chop them up with a crummy pair of loppers. You know the quality of your apple wood way better then the quality of the wood you get from the dump.
Another idea is mushroom farming. Apple wood is in demand for growing editable mushrooms. I've not tried this yet myself. In this way apple wood my be more valuable export if you made the right connection.
I prune through the collar as well. Small wounds are better as everyone has said. It leaves a smaller chance for disease and insects to infect the wound. Overall I think you’re doing a great job James! Especially with the limited amount of space you have! If you are interested in a certain type of scion wood, just let me know as I have a few types for next spring.
Great cuts! I'm curious as to what benefits pruning a tree to have an open center would have? I can't see many benefits for the health of the tree but does it have an effect on fruit yield? Also, when cutting, the proximity to the branch collar is something to mention. As close to the main stem as possible without cutting into the knotty bit of wood connecting the branch and stem. Flush cuts like this let the tree seal the wound over easier and prevent suckering.
Thank you this video was very helpful. I’m also in Jersey and I just started growing a few years ago and pruning my apple tree was scary lol but now I feel empowered 😊 Thank you, you made the pruning process so much clearer for me I get it now and feel confident thanks so much😊 Great video
thanks. i have a two year old apple tree. it is about 4 feet tall. ive left it alone because i have been afraid ill kill it. thanks for giving me the inspiration, knowledge , courage to give it a shot!
James I can tell you that i am not the only one who really, truly appreciates the time and effort you put in to your videos. It's is your experiences here that has helped me decide on my final design for my property here in Northern Thailand (and that is going to be a wood chip food forest, using Permaculture design(s), and Korean Natural Farming inputs). Well done, bro!
Thank you for this no nonsense video with excellent tips. I have six fruit trees to prune and I have been putting it off because it looked too overwhelming but I feel like I can do it now! That comment you made about pruning being a type of organizing/arranging was a light bulb moment for me.
a suggestion.. please look up CODIT Containment of decay in trees. Your showing people that they should make big angled cuts on those trees. Your also cutting into the collar. You should be making the Smallest wound possible to the tree to prevent a larger wound. Also. By cutting the collars off the branches, you are dramatically affecting the trees ability to close off the wound you are making by pruning. Not to be rude, but I'm trained by one of Canada's highest ranked arbourist and watching the way you are making those cuts is detrimental to the healing process. Just food for thought.
It's sad that he says pruning is more "art than science" and is completely ignorant of the science that guides the art. It's even sadder that so many people are thanking him for the great information. "Hiding his cuts" by making them flush to the branch *shudder*
Hey Sean, I always thought it would be difficult figuring out if one arborist could be considered better than another. Since each individual can have their own stronger skill set and built experience involving specific things, and others having strong points regarding different things. But now I confidently know. If our noble trade was to determine one of the top North American Arborist of the decade. Based only on worst costliest urban tree disaster in human history. Like Bozo on WGN from Chicago used to say....Hey thats me! But there were times I could not figure out, if I was just a lot better. Or other arborist were just so bad when it came to managing against Emerald Ash Borer disaster.
@@CONCERTMANchicago The scientific method is an art, but consistent scientific outcomes become fact. Treating facts as art may be convenient, but foolish.
"Don't be overwhelmed" Me: "I am already overwhelmed" watched another video before this one and got a headache X.X Thank you! you explained it in a way that I can finally understand.
Thank you for the tutorial James! I am in the middle of pruning my Apple and Pear tree’s here in SW Oregon..I appreciate the straight forward common sense approach to this subject
I can't wait til my trees are big enough to need that much pruning. :) Thanks for all the tips. I'm sure I will be coming back to this one in the future.
finally someone that shows the practical part of it all. this is first time it doesn't seem overwhelming. looks like almost everyone else just wants to show off how much they know about pruning but not what they actually know, so you get to the conclusion you're better off calling in an expensive expert. this was different, makes me believe i can do the stuff without reading tons of literature on the matter, i don't need a degree, right? appreciate the vid, thanks James!
Well said. I think I can prune my trees now.
An orchardist taught my how to prune fruit trees. It's not hard like you said.
A few things he taught me that you demonstrated.
1. Don't be afraid to prune the bigger branches if they are in the way of getting the tree the way you like it.
2. Clear out suckers coming up from the ground
3. Keep the center open to light. This is very important.
4. Make sure you don't have branches crossing each other.
Excellent demonstration. Thank you
Not having crossing branches is also a 'rule' of bonsai. Looks unnatural and makes jt look too complicated too
Can I add another pointer? Always remove broken or diseased or dead branches whenever you find them, regardless of the time of year.
@@paulmaxwell8851 Absolutely, Good for burning. Kill any disease this way. Keep it out of the compost piles if you plan on using it around the trees that it was removed
Your comment was simple yet effective. Thank you
TY for the time you spent on this video! Most channels show a couple cuts then move on. The repetitive cuts you made helped solidify the technique and helps us learn how aggressive you can be with pruning. :D
When I watched it for the first time, I had no idea what he is doing even though it made sense what he was explaining. It all connected when I went to the orchard and looked at the tree. Some were very neglected (inherited that way) and it takes me all day to prune just one tree ☺️ I step back and look, and think, and visualize where branches will go after a cut. Love it!
Just found this one. Thank you for keeping it easy. I inherited old trees that i’m working my way back 1/3rd at a time. I am getting fruit, but they aren’t very organized. I appreciate you showing many of your trees as opposed to showing only one. I really wrapped my brain around your examples, and i feel confident. Always blessings to you and Tuck and whoever else is on your team.
James, this is just terrific instruction. I’m training a young boy who keeps my yard how to take care of all my many apples and pears. He’s going to love this video!
That’s terrific he is learning valuable skills! Hopefully he can root some for himself.
Thanks for simplifying this topic. You are right! I've almost been scared to prune based on fear of doing something wrong, but once I did last spring, I got great production!
Everybody prunes a little bit differently. Thanks for being so thorough in your method. Only thing that caused me to wince a bit was when you sawed deep along the branch junctions, through the collar. I can understand for a visual preference to not have any knobs, except you may want to consider dieback along the cut. That saw looks so sharp. Very clean cuts. Thanks for sharing. Don't take the negative comments so seriously. Everyone is a critic, and few are experts.
Exactly this! The collar is like a protective chemical zone that stops critters and disease from damaging the living part of the tree and must therefore be preserved when making a thinning cut! Orin Martin from UC Santa Cruz explains this beautifully in his pruning videos 😊
You are very good at explaining things precisely and giving the reasons why, which helps me remember. Thank you!
I have watched a few of your videos and am hooked on you! Your enthusiasm for gardening is the same as mine making it so easy to understand and relate, also learn! You give such awesome knowledge in the simplest least complex ways! Thank you!
Thank you, your video was very helpful. I had a roommate almost destroy a persimmon tree in our front yard. It's been two seasons and finally it's recovered enough to prune. You simplified pruning in a way that makes a lot of sense.
Great lesson from a great teacher who teaches by demo step by step. Thank you James, generous master
I watched you from Turkey. Thank you very much for your help. This is an apple tree pruning video and it's true what you did for fungal diseases. I do not understand those who dislike.
I'm in Jersey growing my first two apple trees! They started forming leaves for the first time, so now I need to learn to prune! Thank you for this video!
Hi James, six years later your video absolutely saved me. I don’t know how to attach pictures but I wish I could shout you a before and after of my two apple trees. This video was sensational! Thanks (from Australia) 😊
Thank you for your very good pruning demonstration. Great overall. One thing though, as far as bringing home chipped wood to use as compost make sure none of the chipped wood has come from diseased or fire-blighted cuttings.
Thanks for making this tutorial! I was feeling overwhelmed about the job at hand, but now after watching this I definitely feel like I'll be just fine! 😊 It's really like cleaning a messy room, first take out the trash (damaged branches), then clear out the clutter (suckers, centers, crowded spaced), and organize what you have left (trimming back, shaping).
I watch this video back every year to sharpen up my knowledge before i start my winter prune. Good job. Happy new year James
I'm a bit late to the party, but for a greenhorn like me, I have difficulty visualizing what the tree will look like with foliage, blossoms, and/or fruit. It would be really nice to see what a tree looks like after dormant pruning, and then also what that same tree looks like in full dress the following season!
Ignore the opposition brother! I appreciate your craft and attention detail. This is exactly what I needed to watch before I prune my mess of a 75 yr old apple tree. Keep up the good work.
DrewMania I would not prune that old tree, especially if it needs heavy pruning. You might even kill it.
Fabulous tutorial on how to prune. I love the shapes you make and you hit it right on saying it's more and art than a science. Beautiful!
YOU are to gardening what Chris Fix is to auto mechanic DIY. Thank you. Your encouraging style could teach me rocket science, I think!
This gentleman is a fantastic lecturer, I really learned something today.
I absolutely love your demonstration. I just got 3 new semi-dwarf 🍎 trees. 2 macintosh and a red delicious. I started watching so many different videos on pruning. As I said, started, never finished. They weren't really showing what they were doing and was very hard to understand. Your video is excellent. I saved it and am looking forward to pruning my trees in January of next year. I ain't "scaret" no more!! Lol. Thank you a bunch!!
* cuts 3 branches *
"I can already feel the airflow" hahaha, you the man! Loving the channel!
Hahah Thanks DJ. It was like a breath of fresh air 😂
Your explanations are clear AND you show examples of what to cut snd how to cut it properly. Super unlike many other videos!! Thank you!! I would love to get your view on my old poorly pruned tree. Help.
Excellent video and tutorial. Very nice demonstration on the how to cut and most importantly, the why. So few folks know that. I used to live in Passaic County and we had quite a little orchard there. Apple, cherry, pear and nut trees. A grape arbor and current bushes. Many of the same cuts work for all the plants with a few differences on the bushes. Thanks for posting this.
As a side note, I forgot how warm it is in Jersey in January. No coat, no hat. For most of January we were at or below zero here in Vermont. Good luck with your garden. I'll be looking for more great videos.
Thanks James, for airing this and shedding light on the subject. Your stick-to-it-tiveness in this branch of husbandry is rooted in common sense. Cutting through the BS and trimming the fat off the explanation, I'd pit you against anyone. I can hardly bear waiting for spring. Thanks, bud. (puppy: 'bark-bark')
Love it James! I've watched this video a couple of times because I'm new at fruit trees and I've planted about 8 so far and found a couple of crab apple trees that were hiding in my forest area. We cut down trees around those to allow light for the crab apples and now they are starting to flourish! Thanks so much for your expertise!
Sorry for the ignorance, but why do you want crab apples? I thought they were simply bitter apples and not good to eat?
And thorny. Maybe wildlife? They r pretty when they bloom..,
Thank you for including so many cuts and commentary about why. This video is soooooo helpful!!
Thank you James. I was going to go and prune my fruit trees today but after watching this very informative video I'll wait another month.
Although I don't necessarily agree with all your cuts, this was very informative--you are a good narrator/teacher.
There have been apple trees and peach tree around my house since I was born (24 years) and they’ve never been touched. So I’m in for a lot of work. Thank you for the amazing video. I don’t feel as overwhelmed
Love your channel, James. I think I say this on every video. I've been working in my garden all day. I used a lot of your food forest concepts, permaculture ideas and my own flavor and weirdness and made my ever growing plot of nature.
coming back to this video again to refresh these great tips, thank you James for all of your fruit tree videos!
I basically always take the middle trunk out of the tree and leave only four to five leaders.
The tree should develop as a bush, and not grow in height, so I let all the trees grow up to two meters to facilitate the harvest.
By removing the middle trunk, more light enters the interior of the tree.
I have had the best experience with this method.
100% correct. Helps keep everything reachable and spreads it like a bush.
I hear that some trees (peach trees) do better with an open center while others do well with a central leader?
what part do you remove on young fruit trees, and what phase of the year?....cutting off blossoms when and what's it look like?
would this work well for almond or walnut trees?
At first I thought this was almost satire, it just seemed weird, but luckily I kept watching, this guy is great. Explains everything, shows examples, he got himself a subscriber!
Great job explaining in laymen terms. Much appreciated, I have been wanting good specific videos for fruit tree pruning. Well done, thanks.
Thank you. I’m glad you enjoyed it. Ya I am trying to explain it simply, but thoroughly so people are moved to take action and believe they can do it
There’s a lot of different videos out there on pruning, but this one gives good information that is easy to digest, or understand. Thank you for posting this video. After watching the first two random videos on pruning, I was almost ready to give up, and spend the money on a pro. This one has was worth watching.
This was the most useful and informative video of yours I've watched yet. I've watched a lot of pruning videos, this was very easy to follow and I feel like I can go at my trees with more confidence!
This is one of the better pruning videos for apple trees, I learned a lot. I hope you show what the trees look like once they get fruit on.
Awesome Cee, I’m glad to hear that.
Yup, I will be making videos all year at least twice a week 😁
Great video! I just got 2 apple trees recently and planted them in my garden. I'm taking the time to get to understand pruning now before I have to prune.
You are so right about pruning being as much an art as a science. I have a horticultural science training but would want to treat a fruit tree as a "holistic" object where "arranging" comes first and then some fine tuning as per your video.
At 7:27 you go in a bit too close - the wound is perhaps a bit too large in relation to what is left behind?
100% agree with you re. (1) cut (2) step back AND (3) look....really look! Our eyes are as important as our hands for this task.
10:42 - some plastic insulation tape helps cover mishaps; once drier weather (less humid) sets in, I'd remove the "plaster" to allow the tree to heal itself.
11:52 - secateurs?
14:40 - pause here to look (admire!) what a good, clean open shape is being created and
FINALLY - what is exceptional here is how James is ALWAYS looking at the tree .... he is not taking the (frankly stupid) approach of "cut back by a third" as if somehow this abstract instruction would be even remotely useful.
Great work!
Please do not dump the branches. Use them in your smoker (grill) since you are organic. Great for using for cookouts. Love your videos.
Adding additional flavor to the food. Example: instead of hickory smoke, you will have apple/peach/etc.
These kinds of smaller clippings aren't great for barbecue. Too much acrid smoke. Maybe some of the ones he sawed off cut into chunks.
I use them, too
I’m going to use my Apple tree cuttings to start my bonfire that I’m going to finish off with pallets.
I've got 4 apple trees to prune this winter. Thanks for your guidance. I so glad I watched before I butchered my trees. I now know what to do. Thanks.
Okay, I followed your advice and kept cutting until I felt it looked pretty aired out. My only question now is whether I should go ahead and remove the stump also. lol jk.
😁
I 'saw' that coming.
HILARIOUS!
lol !!
I am not the only one .....Hilarious
Woah. This was so informative. We bought a property with fruit trees that were probably never pruned. They're huge and we can't manage them. We were thinking about replacing one a year. After watching this I feel very confident about taking care of the new trees. Your method is purposeful without being overwhelming.
Dont ever cut them down. You didn't say that you are or would, but please don't be that person. I had to remove my 3 year old peach tree when I sold my house. I dug it up and tried not to mess up the roots. I walked up and down my street with it on my shoulder until I found someone who wanted it in their backyard. Enjoy the fruit.
I watched a couple videos before about pruning. You're the king of teaching it though.
I’m glad to hear you enjoy the way I teach. Thank you!
My son does landscaping and several of the things you discussed he has pounded in his dads head. Great job.
Thank you, James! I've had trees for about 4 years now and every winter, I STRUGGLE with the pruning. This is the best video I've ever found on pruning apples and pears! I feel more confident than I ever have.
Question, what do I do with the tree that gave me an overload of water sprouts?
Back to Basics Homemaker Depends on so many things. Pear or apple? What rootstock? Tree shape? Angle of branches? Healthy or not? Can give you some advice if you provide details.
i like this guy, he moves along, no wasted time.....
Love your passion. Combination of zen and intense, if that’s possible. I learned a lot- thank you!
Thank you Tuck and James. I bought 1 Gala and 1 Liberty. Need to make my raised beds to plant them in. I have rock and soil. 6" dug down into soil and a whole flat bed of rock so that is why I am making beds. Only 2 apple trees.
I learned and agree with a lot in this video except for the reduction and removal cut style. I don't know of any professional or research botanist who recommends using the flush cuts that James is doing. The botanist recommendations I am seeing are that collar cuts, where the stem or branch meets the collar are the best place to cut. It makes for faster healing and closure over the cut.
My dad passed this last year around Christmas. Now I’m doing the pruning in my moms yard. This should really help.
Great video. You explain the process well and slowly! Thank you for close ups, Why's and how's. Love you videos and your enthusiasm! It's infectious
Loved the way you demonstrate your pruning skills, thanks for sharing, I’ll continue to watch and support your channels. Ty
stumbled across this. Very good articulation, explanation & instruction. Well done!!!
Glad you enjoyed it my friend ❤️😁
Thank you so much for the easy instructions on how to prune the Apple tree. Now. I can take care of my fruit trees.
May I suggest not cutting into the collar and loppers are made for cutting anything between 1/4 inch and 2 inches. Great demonstration though!
Good call!
Cutting into the branch protection zone will not allow for the wound to callus over
@@pberry06 I know, that was making me cringe every time he did it.
I'm glad you called it. The remaining branches are scarred because the cut branch is cut too close which affects the phloem.
Like a plaque blockage in one of your heart arteries.
By cutting into the collar you are increase the surface area of the cut and the time it will take to heal over the cut. The active collar tissue should not be touched.
Absolutely LOVE your pruning videos. You take the effort to explain how and why you choose which branches to cut!
This guy prunes his edits like boss
Ha I noticed too. So clean, so concise.
Thank you for your clear instructions. I appreciate that you reference someone else and you encourage art form and that this is your methods. I look forward to more of your videos.
Couldn't help but duck during your intro, haha. One of the better pruning videos i've seen! Thanks, James.
Haha! 😂
Thank you my friend, glad you enjoyed it 👍
This is easily the best apple pruning video I've seen online.
Thank you very much James. Excellent video. Much appreciated.
Tuck knows how to dig and plant too! Love Tuck!
1 Viruses are NOT dormant during winter.
2 Open center or not is a matter of personal preference and depends largely on the space you can utilize.
3 The best time to prune is whenever you stand in front of a tree with your pruners.
Thanks James... WOW that sure was informative and a good hands on lesson. Now I'll go out and prune my apple trees and try to remember how you did it. :) . I might have to watch this video a few times just to remember your tips and suggestions. I'm one who was always afraid to prune because I didn't want to damage the trees. Now I know better . :)
May I recommend you also look into summer pruning. Fruiting spurs vs vegetative growth
Very good pruning video. I like the encouraging advice you gave. The camera person, at times, might more often by standing behind or beside you. You did this a lot, but sometimes I was wishing I could be looking at what you were seeing from your vantage point. It was a great video. Thank you !
Wow! Thank you, that was some really great information 👌👍🌲
Awesome! I’m glad you liked it 😁
Hi James, You inspired me to make food forest instead of classical garden in Slovakia. So thank you very much for your work.
I planted young trees last fall season. Now I am considering pruning. I want my trees to be healthy and vital, so they can live long life and bring me and my family joy all our lives.
I found very contradictory opinions on pruning trees by different permaculturists or organic gardeners. The most interesting idea I cant rid of my head is: Pruning the tree makes more need to pruning next year.
If I want to make my food forest self-sufficient, like normal forest is (a stable ecosystem), I dont want to make my trees addicted to my cut.
I am little bit confused. I am considering minimum pruning and just cut damaged branches. Tree should know how to grow. He has it in genetic code.
I appreciate your opinion, thats why I wrote this comment :)
well you can use the pruned limbs in multch or place them in an area that will be a decaying spot, for you to grow thing there in a while, it depends on what you want and keeping the producrion where you want it, like i pruned a 3 year old fig tree grove with a 3 foot total size of trunk cluster from a single fruit and is was about 30 feet, im cutting it closer to 20 feet, making it wider and planning on removing another 4 feet from the crown in 1/2 a year after grafting varietys of fig tree onto it, so those limbs can be grown out for cloning, i decided to cut it after the last few year is being so tall most of the delicious fruits were consumed by; birds, beetles, ants, and possoms ,ate their fill
and thats not what i desire for this season
so it got cut, and i will maintain that, its span is around 50 feet all around 10 feet
which is easier to harvest from and to be out of the way, if you want some fruit to be in a spot you cant harvest them and the fruit must get broken down by the enviroment you can replicate some of the systems that you see in the world with seeds getting moved around
like an apple, not falling far from a tree and making more apples to feed the soils and the seeds and all the other life youve brought to your garden
Awesome video on pruning! I needed that given I am pruning for the first time this week! You explained all the steps in detail and well put together James! Thank you so much for the green light and confidence. Common Felco we have work to do! Catherine
FINALLY I found a gardener on youtube that's in Jersey. I live in Ocean County and we have sandy soil and it sucks, lol.
Blueberries love sandy soil!
for the love of god do not cut flush like he has! it causes bigger wounds to heal! this is old methods that are not valid anymore! also please remember.... winter pruning should be at a minimum... winter pruning is for vigour during summer..... summer pruning is for fruiting next year!
Not valid according to who? There's a lot wrong in this video but not this
how about read about it, go learn how trees heal and youll find out that flush cuts are an old technique that is not advised by any professional. Flush cuts are bigger wounds and your removing the part that heals over quicker (collar). a whole article on it: www.urbantree.org/flushcut.shtml and www.dirtdoctor.com/garden/Pruning-No-Flush-Cuts-Newsletter_vq3944.htm and many more articles from reputable sources. its also advised any stone fruit should be done after all the fruit has gone (august/September) due to disease.
I didn't realise when I made my comment how close he was cutting, usually there's around 1cm left
that's fine! only issue is in damp areas like mine your asking for trouble! don't want to come off bashing the guy as other info is valid just not the flush cut part due to disease issue and couple of years or so down the line youll have a dying tree which youll be upset considering it takes minimum of 2 years to see fruit.
jafer
Thank you for the pruning tips! I just pruned three apple trees after watching your video and I am happy with the outcome 😊
James, I would keep your apple wood, you should just bury it in a hugel or something. No reason to export it out of your forest. Take 15 minutes at the end of your pruning session and chop them up with a crummy pair of loppers. You know the quality of your apple wood way better then the quality of the wood you get from the dump.
That’s true there are probably a number of things I can do with it on the property 😁
Thanks for the idea Russell!
Another idea is mushroom farming. Apple wood is in demand for growing editable mushrooms. I've not tried this yet myself. In this way apple wood my be more valuable export if you made the right connection.
I prune through the collar as well. Small wounds are better as everyone has said. It leaves a smaller chance for disease and insects to infect the wound. Overall I think you’re doing a great job James! Especially with the limited amount of space you have! If you are interested in a certain type of scion wood, just let me know as I have a few types for next spring.
Great cuts! I'm curious as to what benefits pruning a tree to have an open center would have? I can't see many benefits for the health of the tree but does it have an effect on fruit yield?
Also, when cutting, the proximity to the branch collar is something to mention. As close to the main stem as possible without cutting into the knotty bit of wood connecting the branch and stem. Flush cuts like this let the tree seal the wound over easier and prevent suckering.
It maximizes light for photosynthesis, increasing fruit production :)
Thank you this video was very helpful. I’m also in Jersey and I just started growing a few years ago and pruning my apple tree was scary lol but now I feel empowered 😊 Thank you, you made the pruning process so much clearer for me I get it now and feel confident thanks so much😊 Great video
I love this video but one thing you forgot leafs don’t grow everywhere on the tree so some crossing is okay
I am final year MBBS students but after seeing your video i wil also give a try to pruning apple trees in my farm land🤗
I see a lot of Paul in your methods!
Perfect! I take that as the highest compliment. 😁
When in doubt follow a master!
And who is this paul, i only know Paul from the Bible
James you’re channel is VERY informative and fun to to watch and learn as I journey down the green thumb path
I have more fruit n nut trees than I can possibly be an expert on, good ideas/info!
Keep fruit and (wal)nut trees far from each other...most fruits can't stand walnut.
This is a video that is not at all intimidating! It makes me feel that I'll actually be able to know what I'm doing. Thanks.
Great info, I look forward to following you. Too bad I just can't hire you.
thanks. i have a two year old apple tree. it is about 4 feet tall. ive left it alone because i have been afraid ill kill it. thanks for giving me the inspiration, knowledge , courage to give it a shot!
learned a lot ...thank you!
Your welcome Susie! Thanks for watching 😁
Susie Veley 7141=
Nice, very down-to-earth, informative video on a tricky gardening “art,” with Mr Prigioni’s pleasant demeanor. Thank you!
One of the best pruning videos I have seen! Well done!
Thank you! It took a lot of time but I had fun doing it. Thanks for watching!
James I can tell you that i am not the only one who really, truly appreciates the time and effort you put in to your videos. It's is your experiences here that has helped me decide on my final design for my property here in Northern Thailand (and that is going to be a wood chip food forest, using Permaculture design(s), and Korean Natural Farming inputs). Well done, bro!
Ur stupid
Thank you for this no nonsense video with excellent tips. I have six fruit trees to prune and I have been putting it off because it looked too overwhelming but I feel like I can do it now! That comment you made about pruning being a type of organizing/arranging was a light bulb moment for me.
a suggestion.. please look up CODIT
Containment of decay in trees.
Your showing people that they should make big angled cuts on those trees. Your also cutting into the collar.
You should be making the Smallest wound possible to the tree to prevent a larger wound.
Also. By cutting the collars off the branches, you are dramatically affecting the trees ability to close off the wound you are making by pruning.
Not to be rude, but I'm trained by one of Canada's highest ranked arbourist and watching the way you are making those cuts is detrimental to the healing process.
Just food for thought.
It's sad that he says pruning is more "art than science" and is completely ignorant of the science that guides the art. It's even sadder that so many people are thanking him for the great information. "Hiding his cuts" by making them flush to the branch *shudder*
Shill
@@hollybromley47, as you recall. Science is an Art.
Hey Sean, I always thought it would be difficult figuring out if one arborist could be considered better than another. Since each individual can have their own stronger skill set and built experience involving specific things, and others having strong points regarding different things.
But now I confidently know. If our noble trade was to determine one of the top North American Arborist of the decade. Based only on worst costliest urban tree disaster in human history. Like Bozo on WGN from Chicago used to say....Hey thats me! But there were times I could not figure out, if I was just a lot better. Or other arborist were just so bad when it came to managing against Emerald Ash Borer disaster.
@@CONCERTMANchicago The scientific method is an art, but consistent scientific outcomes become fact. Treating facts as art may be convenient, but foolish.
"Don't be overwhelmed"
Me: "I am already overwhelmed"
watched another video before this one and got a headache X.X
Thank you! you explained it in a way that I can finally understand.
James your killing me... all the low lying pencil branches are considered fruiting wood.
PleAse don’t cut them off.
XD
Thank you for the tutorial James! I am in the middle of pruning my Apple and Pear tree’s here in SW Oregon..I appreciate the straight forward common sense approach to this subject
Maybe it's just me, but I counln't get past the hand movements. Reminds me of Robert O'rouke (beto) talking down to people.
@@JDPBelhumeur go have another soy latte.
I can't wait til my trees are big enough to need that much pruning. :) Thanks for all the tips. I'm sure I will be coming back to this one in the future.
you should become an apple farmer with an actual orchard
That would be a lot of fun! Creating new varieties, grafting, EATING 😍
make it happen dude