@@trumpetflowerII i'm sure you were on your way to being cultivating when you got so emotionally dysregulated as to call someone a total fool. i'm interested to hear what you meant to say instead
Ich mühte kein wideo sehen den brenholz kan ich auch in mein Garten sehen. So schtark beschnitene baum ohne Zweigen kann nur kaputtgehen wenn es will oder nicht. Für mich sind die zwei Garten Anarchisten.
@@joyfulparadise No you can't. The tree is dead very likely. If the tree was strong enough, then it looks like broom - too many useless branches draining energy from the tree.
If it were successful, I think he would for sure have an update. Almost a guarantee that these trees are dead and if they survived, like one person said, they look like a messy broom.
As a professional tree tree climber and arborist of 10 years this video really hurts to watch lol that’s not pruning I highly recommend you familiarize yourself with ANSI 300 pruning standards.I also hope people watching this don’t go out in there yard and hack there trees like this thinking its good idea you did nothing but negatively set back that tree for years. all your gonna get now is weakly attached epicormic growth along with lots of decay. cutting off a branch collar like that means no compartmentalization of the wound it will never seal itself now there’s a big difference in reducing a trees crown and indiscriminately chopping it back to nothing. A limb should always be brought back to a lateral atleast 1/3rd the diameter of the limb being removed
And when it comes to apple trees they produce fruit off of 2-3 year old fruits spurs if you want production of more fruit the previous years shoots should be taken back to a fruit bud instead of all the energy going to leaf and woody material production
Yep. The title of this video should be "How Not to Prune a Tree of Any Species". When I saw him cutting off parts of limbs and the bark stripping back - as well as cutting through the collars or even flush cutting, I lost all confidence that the had any idea about what he was doing. Just because he has been hacking at trees for decades does not mean he has been doing it correctly. Didn't the agricultural researchers decide half a century ago that sealing the wounds did more harm than good, even on large cuts?
I completely agree, the way he treated these trees is absolutely a set back. I brought back some 60 year old paradise apple trees that were completely out of control , by working a year to year project by cutting back a quarter at a time.. we are now in year 3 and the trees are really healthy now and at this point really cut back but it was a slow progression to get there! And they now produce fruit that are worth harvest!
I've done the same thing to some neglected apple trees but left half the branches until the following year and then trimmed it entirely back. The tree seems to grow back better this way.
If you are getting a lot of small fruit then you should trim off or prune off 1/2 of the flowers/buds before they start forming fruit. That way the tree puts all its energy into the remaining fruit. As others have said if you make an under cut on the limbs you will not get the bark tearing like you did.
From my reading, about 20% of the tree pruning works with cutting out damaged or infected limbs. I'm anxious to see how your 'buck horning' works. Totally agree with 'opening the tree up' so it can get sun inside the tree. An undercut is good so the bark doesn't tear is a good rule of thumb,, but you probably already know that. Good luck.
I did this to a plum that wasn’t producing and was growing 100% vertical with NO side branches. I shared my pics of a fruit tree page and they all verbally assaulted me lol Whatever… I’m glad I did what I did. It’s now growing a lower canopy with side branches. Maybe it will produce again in the future.
A third generation orchardist, I know what this tree looks like, and - what it could have looked like.. Hacks like this discourage people from planting fruit trees. But it’s near impossible to find a ‘fine pruner’ with 40+ years experience…
📍 TIP: Cut from the bottom up about 1/4 the way through, then top down on these branches. Why? Notice the only top down pulls the bark at the bottom and it dangles? The bark is the protection from infection. That peel/tear at the bottom is inviting infection.
lots of folks really putting this down in the comments also, however the trees came back wonderfully and will fruit this coming season. This has been around 1 year ago so we'll be into the second growing season. Sometimes you've just gotta take them way way back
@@StoneyRidgeFarmer When you make cuts that do not heal You are killing the tree slowly. Make a video of these trees and how the rubberized undercoating did on those huge stubs you made. Then tell is again that you cannot hurt the tree and that you are ensuring the survival by hacking away as you did . Just show the trees and how they healed
@@BarneyGimble the owner was going to CUT the ENTIRE TREE DOWN. I was at similar point with my peach tree. I DONT want to deal with all those tiny crappy peaches. Cutting it way back, covered the giant exposed wood to keep bugs out. Still might do away totally with that tree in a few years. But my grass is getting more light which is what I want.
used the same techniques on my trees in Hawaii, guava, lychee, mango, plumeria, dragon fruit. same story as what you did. I was raised in western states orchard country and pruning trees was not explained it was just taught by example. your explanation is really good. I learned some of the whys from your video. In Alaska I don't have to worry about fruit trees. for some reason... Ha
OUCH! That first cut with the little baby saw made me cringe. The first cut with the Milwaukee just about killed me! Putting a small undercut in the limb will prevent peeling bark below the cut. Even with a pretty thin limb like the first one that was cut, if there is a lot of weight above the cut, it can bend down and peel fibers back below the cut, damaging the tree. There was quite a split on the first limb when you got around to the back side of it to talk about the vigorous spring growth ahead. Another way to prevent splitting is to tie a rope or strap around the limb just under the cut. Thinning flowers can work to get larger fruit, but not all flowers set fruit all the time; so a better bet would be to wait until fruit starts to set and grow, then thin the smaller fruits off of a cluster until you have just 2 or 3 in a cluster...(1 or 2) on a tree with a lot of clusters. If you bury up past the graft point, your tree will revert to the root stock and no longer be the plum you grafted. Bottom line, you will no longer have what you grafted. True though, the dwarfing properties will be negated.
Never use sealant unless you are pruning very specific species that the risks of using it are outweighed by likelihood of infection post prune. Which is pretty much just oak wilt susceptible oaks, and elms. Sealant slows the "healing" process and is widely discouraged in the tree industry and won't be used by professionals. It certainly isn't harmless to use. Trees are laregly best left to manage wounds on their own. This type of pruning is typical for fruit trees but topping most deciduous trees will kill them or ruin the branching structure.
Josh sound accurate advice. We used to grow and harvest Apple, peach, and Bartlett pear trees. Our yields and quality were amazing. We never sprayed with chemicals. Our humming birds, robins, nuthatches, finches, dragonflies, and butterflies loved them.
The apples were small because you didn't thin them out early Spring. Videos show that apple blossoms have 5 ro 6 blooms per cluster. When the apples are just developing you need to leave about 2 apples per cluster. With less apples for the tree to support the apples will be bigger.
11:42 Josh, allways cut under the branch first before cutting on top of the branch to stop it splitting and peeling as it falls, also - cut further out first to remove some weight before coming in for the finish cut.
Apples are resilient and will benefit from this thorough pruning. They will need to have the regrowth thinned in the autumn. You should leave a half inch on a spur you cut to encourage the tree to heal over. There are special cells at the base of a limb for this purpose.
Great video. Shall be doing the same to my trees this Winter! One thing, when cutting a large limb at an angle, why don’t you make a cut on the underside, then top cut down to the undercut, that way when you just cut from the top you won’t get the limb tearing bark of the underside.
When I re-scaffold a tree like this sometimes I leave one branch alone to act as a nurse branch to help the tree survive the drastic cuts. When the new growth is a few feet long (or ideally a year later) you cut off the limb you left alone when the main cuts were done. Ideally you would cut a third of branches down to chest height each year over 3 years but sometimes it is not possible. Another point worth mentioning is the timing of the cutting. If you cut like this in early spring the tree will probably survive. If you cut like this in July the tree may die due to lack of energy left in the roots to initiate new growth.
My 5 year old son heard me watching this and ran over to see, he watched the whole thing with me then looked at me and said "daddy can we get apple trees!?!" Sure buddy, at least I can look back on this video to see how to prune them when the time comes lol. Great work Josh
This “second” episode was informative and a testament to being a great neighbor. Assisting a neighbor is rewarding to your neighbor AND yourself! Being good to others lightens your heart!
@@BarneyGimble It doesn’t matter. As I said, being good or doing good is rewarding to both the giver and receiver. Neither one is a sole recipient. Centuries of collective cooperation and assistance in unison for the betterment of the collection or an individual has proven that. From building a barrier to ward off tigers or to educate our offspring, taking a moment to assist a neighbor in need brings health to the giver more than the receiver!
@@BarneyGimble Claims are just that, Claims! Unless I was shown an Arborist related degree or proof of success as a certified Arborist, I would respectfully decline his or her help in maintaining my tree or bushes! I hope that you did as well or perhaps you should seek legal advice?
I moved to a new house that had an orchard of different fruit trees and some are really tall that I wanted to cut back to an easier maintaining and picking height. So glad I didn’t butcher them like this guy. I’m on yr 1 of what I’m anticipating a 3yr process of cutting them back 1/3 at a time.
you think they were "butchered" however now on year 2 after major pruning we'll get fruit. Not sure why you'd wanna put me down for showing you something that worked fantastically....these trees were gonna be cut down if I didn't do this...they now look fantastic. Please don't put other's down my friend.....it simply doesn't bring any value to either of our lives
@@StoneyRidgeFarmer The problem is that nobody has seen any result. When you do this type of cut, the tree has too many roots and no treetop. If the tree had survived (as the chances are less than 50:50 depending on the age and vitality), the tree will produce many water sprouts which are not easy to get rid off.
Apples grow on second year wood. He won’t get apples this year but should flourish the next year. Almost no way around to prune this much. Love your videos
Apples are either ‘tip’ or ‘spur’ bearers; spurs take around 3 years to develop, tips may be sooner.. I doubt anyone even knew what the variety was, or cared. This is not how apple trees should be pruned 😣
Just did a major trim on my plum I planted a few years back. It was getting taller than I wanted and last year, it had so much fruit, one branch broke off. But the main reason was the fungus that had taken off everywhere. The only way to get it off was a major pruning. Now I need to treat it with neem and fungicide this winter to see if I can get it under control. Lots of people say to remove it all together for a more resistant type. I planted two plums and two cherries a few years ago and everyone said it would be years before I got fruit. That wasn't the case. I got lots of fruit. One year was heavy, the next year a bit lighter. I've seen a lot of people saying to not tree the wound after pruning. I didn't treat any of mine. I will see next spring what worked.
You said it! This is how hillbillies cut they're trees! That's why they're all dead trees in Arkansas, Oklahoma & Missouri Lol! Not so much of what the horrible weather does to them in these areas!
yep, in this case we're gonna have to take a bit more. The trees have done fantastic and grew back nicely. They'll fruit again this year. Despite the comments to the contrary all over this video. It worked great and every self proclaimed "arborist" that's insulted this technique has been wrong. This work fantastically...and sometimes we gotta do a very hard prune on a neglected tree like this
I use gray latex paint with a brush to seal large cuts. Gray blends well with bark. Not as harsh chemicals as bed liner, I want as little of the inner wood to dry out as possible. Works on ornamental trees too.
It's best to not use anything on them. Especially if you are pruning in the winter-professionals don't even use it on the few tree species it helps prevent disease on during the duration of fall thru winter. Trees are resilient and don't need our help compartmentalizing wounds.
I worked for a tree trimmer who does beautiful lacing and he called this mexi cutting because a lot of hispanics do it out here in California. I noticed a lot of the times the trees do not recover and die and if they do recover it looks like hell with all those little shoots coming off the huge cuts.
Josh, after watching and learning from you I want to share with you a program I just watched called “Clarkson’s Farm”. It is hilarious and available on the interweb. He’s that “car” guy we all know and loved. Thought if you had a moment you might want to have a chuckle. Enjoy!
Hey, Can you please show an update on these trees? I know you're saying they're growing back but we'd really love to see the visual after seeing such a big chop! ❤ This is one of the most thorough and visual videos on RUclips on pruning a fruit tree, ESPECIALLY a major prune like this. We would like an update 🙏 please Stony Ridge Farmer & Mr Tony!
both trees came back with great foliage last season...I'd expect fruit this season...I'd do an update video but it simply won't get any traction on here so I havn't done a follow up
Informative video and TY! Question; can I prune my cherry trees like this at this time? They are 50 years old and I can’t reach the cherries. The birds, chipmunks and raccoons get them every year. I would like to be able to harvest but I don’t have a clue on how to keep these critters from robbing me? Advice greatly appreciated!
Hard pruning is ok just have to do it the right time of year. Also they make proper stuff to put on the cuts instead of truck coating, good job though. Also remember the 3 cut rule to prevent tearing of bark 💪
Each cut made should have a bud or branch remaining behind the cut to prevent dead stubs. Large diameter cuts are a challenge to heal properly. Annual pruning can avoid this issue. However, there are times where larger cuts are needed to correct previous neglect.
Dude I've been watching a lot of videos and so far this one has helped me a lot. Some simplified explanation and fast forward through the cutting so you can see overall what you're trying to accomplish. Thank you!
I have had a few apple and pear trees that I have had for about 6 years some look like a single stick from deer. I once got 2 apples that's it. Do you think I should restart?
Hey Josh thank you for the video you and Tony did a good job and thank you for sharing your valuable learning information that took you thirty years to find out so yes I'm going to send this video to my Gmail that way like you said I always have it but I sure never seen no one from them down that much but you know best because you did it all those years woo🤗👍
I live in central Oklahoma and i have 6 year old peach tree that is 15-20' tall it has never had any fruit. Can i cut it back now or should i wait till spring. Thanks for your time.
now is not the time to prune trees....prune in summer to cut back, winter for re-growth. I'd suggest a late winter prune so it grows back appropriately...however you may wanna talk to someone with an orchard
Hey Josh, Jim from Wentworth. It is time to get your Martin Poles up into the air. They are close. I have all of mine up right now. I have a 106 spaces for mine. I had 85 pair last year, hope to fill up this year.
I suggest a seal on any limb cut in most cases. Get a fungicide on the tree...if it's blight be sure you clean your pruners/cutters between cuts and between trees. Use alcohol or even brake cleaner will work
Still I seen trees recovering from couting a entire 2m crown, they just left like a pin or little branch at top, the thing is I only seen young trees like they had around 5 may be 6 years but imagin cuting a 20year tree it’s more hard to recover
I have a couple of pear trees that desperately need this operation performed on them. I didn't have the guts to do it. I was afraid it would be too much. I'll go ahead and get that done soon. Thanks. Oh, and I would like to see a follow-up on there recovery, too, in a few months.
..wouldn’t you like to see ‘a follow up’ before doing that to your pears? Check with a local Extension Service Agent for your county and ask for recommendations on competent fruit tree pruners before doing or having this done..
Yes, that's the only reason I haven't done it yet. I was waiting to see the sequel to this video before doing something so drastic. You speak wisely.@@vf5126
I love the alligator chainsaw!! It holds both sides of the branch, msking a straight clean cut without peeling the bark off once it wants to fall. Plus this us why you should be cutting from the underside of the branch! 😉
I have a peach tree from previous house owner, it produces peaches pretty good each year excepf it grows so tall and spread to my neighbors yard I pruned it in 2022 summer it grew back 2023 but no peaches last year, this year grows a lot of peaches but I can tell they are not very good as before and rats ate 30 of them already so I only got one basket of good fruits and it grow so big again because I didnt prune last year. So I cut off most of branches this year like that 😅 will see if I kill it next year
yep....as the video said in the begining...the time of year needs to be appropriate...doing this in summer is very risky...I hope you didn't hurt the tree...I would never trim back a tree this aggressively in summer
Fruit trees are suppose to be pruned every spring early before sap starts major limbs that are removed should have bandaid put on there is a product made specifically for that Once fruit is set and starts to develop especially apples apricot peach and pears prune /plum trees the green fruit is hand thinned breaking up clusters of fruit rule of thumb spacing from thump to little finger for the larger fruits like apple and peach
I saw this the other day, but no plum tree in that video. The heavy pruning will help the tree come back and produce apples next year. The apple grows on second year growth and y’all cut off all of that this year. When you prune in the fall/winter leave some of the prongs to allow the blooming next year. Overall, a good video.
Remember my brotha....this is fruit trees...not just regular deciduous "shade" trees....we'll revisit them in the summer and see how they look...I'm stoked to see what they look like. Visit any apple orchard and you'll see this kinda pruning
Thanks for the vid, I have approx 400 old pear trees, massive trees smothered with vines, there all alive but the thorn trees and sumak is ridiculous, I inherited my grandpas pace about 15 acres, I'm going to clean all the crap in and around them first, then all the dead and try and bring them back, there about 35 years old
It’s a shame they haven’t come out with a universal battery that would power all of the battery operated equipment. I have stuck with craftsman. We have a weed wackier, drill, leaf blower and a vacuum that use the same battery. I did that just so I could use the same type of battery in all of them.
The orchard guys out here sometimes prune them heavy like that. Just depends on the variety, and age of the tree. But yeah that tree will do much better with a heavy trim, too many small branches.
@@StoneyRidgeFarmer we would have stayed longer but Erik's work wasn't happy about letting him go even 3 days. We will try to get out longer next time. Did you happen to hear any crickets while at the show???
Could you please tell me when you recorded this video. Example; October, November, December, etc. etc. and what year. My wife and I are having a discussion about this. It is now December 10, 2023 and I believe that the Apple trees should be pruned now or in the next month or two your opinion would matter greatly.
Please don't do this to your fruit trees. You risk killing them outright, or at the very least setting them on a path of declining health that will cause them to die within a few years. Trees need foliage to generate sugars that are stored in the roots for next year's growth. Removing all the foliage starves the tree. My father in law allowed an "expert" to do this to his orchard 10 years ago. Some of the trees died that same season. Many others are still declining and near death years later. This video really should be removed from the Internet because it is absolutely damaging information presented by people who do not know what they're doing. Also, it is no longer recommended to seal open wounds on trees because it seals in pathogens and causes the tree to rot from the inside out. It is better to leave the wounds unsealed and allow them to self heal by growing over the wound. Correct tree pruning is beneficial, but you should learn how to properly prune from a reliable source, not butcher your tree like this. No more than 1/3 of an overgrown tree should be removed in any one year. It takes 3 to 5 years of pruning to properly restore an old unpruned tree.
Jan, Feb...depends on the climate where you live. About 1 month before they start to bud out for spring...remember prune in summer to cut back, prune in winter for new growth
Use old motor oil to treat the wounds. It will keep away bacteria and fungii. If the wounds are still wet let them dry for a while before applying. Does the rubberized coating not seal off the wound to much and promote rotting. It doesn't have any "fungicide" in it.
hmmm....show me fungus growing under a car that's been undercoated and I'm sold on old motor oil. This works great my friend...I wouldn't put old motor oil on any tree...this needs to dry, harden and cure..it will eventually fall off or rot away
😊 yah it's not rubber but bitumen tar undercoat? Than it works indeed. I want to do test will dissolving tar/asphalt in a bit gas and mixing it with the old motoroil to make it thicker and tacky. The motoroil works for now fine as it penetrates really deep in stump. No issues with fresh growth in this location being misformed or dying.
You would freak if you saw my apple trees! I need to really prune them back. We bought our house with them growing sideways! You can see them in my latest video. Advise?
![Felix "Unfair" | [Stray Kids : SKZ-PLAYER]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/Oswujxm2Ag0/mqdefault.jpg)
No it didn't hurt them. You can trim a tree any month with an (R) in it, general rule of thumb.
Total fool.
Sucker shoots, yes. Otherwise, not if you want your trees to be the healthiest possible.
@@trumpetflowerII i'm sure you were on your way to being cultivating when you got so emotionally dysregulated as to call someone a total fool. i'm interested to hear what you meant to say instead
You can trim a tree in any month, if you know how .
.this video is an example of butchering a tree
Can u give us an update a year later?
Would love to see an update on these trees to see how they recovered this summer. Thanks for sharing.
Yes, I agree, I would like to see an update as well.
Ich mühte kein wideo sehen den brenholz kan ich auch in mein Garten sehen. So schtark beschnitene baum ohne Zweigen kann nur kaputtgehen wenn es will oder nicht. Für mich sind die zwei Garten Anarchisten.
Same. Can we get an update?
@@joyfulparadise No you can't. The tree is dead very likely. If the tree was strong enough, then it looks like broom - too many useless branches draining energy from the tree.
If it were successful, I think he would for sure have an update. Almost a guarantee that these trees are dead and if they survived, like one person said, they look like a messy broom.
As a professional tree tree climber and arborist of 10 years this video really hurts to watch lol that’s not pruning I highly recommend you familiarize yourself with ANSI 300 pruning standards.I also hope people watching this don’t go out in there yard and hack there trees like this thinking its good idea you did nothing but negatively set back that tree for years. all your gonna get now is weakly attached epicormic growth along with lots of decay. cutting off a branch collar like that means no compartmentalization of the wound it will never seal itself now there’s a big difference in reducing a trees crown and indiscriminately chopping it back to nothing. A limb should always be brought back to a lateral atleast 1/3rd the diameter of the limb being removed
And when it comes to apple trees they produce fruit off of 2-3 year old fruits spurs if you want production of more fruit the previous years shoots should be taken back to a fruit bud instead of all the energy going to leaf and woody material production
Yep. The title of this video should be "How Not to Prune a Tree of Any Species".
When I saw him cutting off parts of limbs and the bark stripping back - as well as cutting through the collars or even flush cutting, I lost all confidence that the had any idea about what he was doing. Just because he has been hacking at trees for decades does not mean he has been doing it correctly.
Didn't the agricultural researchers decide half a century ago that sealing the wounds did more harm than good, even on large cuts?
I completely agree, the way he treated these trees is absolutely a set back. I brought back some 60 year old paradise apple trees that were completely out of control , by working a year to year project by cutting back a quarter at a time.. we are now in year 3 and the trees are really healthy now and at this point really cut back but it was a slow progression to get there! And they now produce fruit that are worth harvest!
If we lose one, no big deal? smh
Thank you for commenting. I almost ruined my pear tree. Can you recommend a book for properly pruning pear and prune trees?
Loppers, hand saw and pruning shears are the tools needed for pruning fruit trees
I've done the same thing to some neglected apple trees but left half the branches until the following year and then trimmed it entirely back. The tree seems to grow back better this way.
Even if you cut out only 1/3rd of a healthy tree in a year, you are stressing it far more than necessary and slowing its recovery.
yup!
If you are getting a lot of small fruit then you should trim off or prune off 1/2 of the flowers/buds before they start forming fruit. That way the tree puts all its energy into the remaining fruit. As others have said if you make an under cut on the limbs you will not get the bark tearing like you did.
From my reading, about 20% of the tree pruning works with cutting out damaged or infected limbs. I'm anxious to see how your 'buck horning' works. Totally agree with 'opening the tree up' so it can get sun inside the tree. An undercut is good so the bark doesn't tear is a good rule of thumb,, but you probably already know that. Good luck.
I thought the same thing, but it looks like those sloppy cuts were part of what was trimmed off later.
There was no "trimming" in the video, just major amputations. The tree will never fully recover. @@donf3739
same exact method i use to prune!! Works for me! Great video!
I did this to a plum that wasn’t producing and was growing 100% vertical with NO side branches. I shared my pics of a fruit tree page and they all verbally assaulted me lol
Whatever… I’m glad I did what I did. It’s now growing a lower canopy with side branches. Maybe it will produce again in the future.
A third generation orchardist, I know what this tree looks like, and - what it could have looked like.. Hacks like this discourage people from planting fruit trees. But it’s near impossible to find a ‘fine pruner’ with 40+ years experience…
📍 TIP: Cut from the bottom up about 1/4 the way through, then top down on these branches. Why? Notice the only top down pulls the bark at the bottom and it dangles? The bark is the protection from infection. That peel/tear at the bottom is inviting infection.
I’m so happy to read all of the people whom see more thought and process could have gone into this trim.
lots of folks really putting this down in the comments also, however the trees came back wonderfully and will fruit this coming season. This has been around 1 year ago so we'll be into the second growing season. Sometimes you've just gotta take them way way back
@@StoneyRidgeFarmer
When you make cuts that do not heal
You are killing the tree slowly.
Make a video of these trees and how the rubberized undercoating did on those huge stubs you made.
Then tell is again that you cannot hurt the tree and that you are ensuring the survival by hacking away as you did .
Just show the trees and how they healed
@@BarneyGimble the owner was going to CUT the ENTIRE TREE DOWN. I was at similar point with my peach tree. I DONT want to deal with all those tiny crappy peaches. Cutting it way back, covered the giant exposed wood to keep bugs out. Still might do away totally with that tree in a few years. But my grass is getting more light which is what I want.
@@ca2129
Maybe killing the tree slowly will help your grass go
Tha is your theory?
@@BarneyGimble My tree isn’t dead. Yes the Bermuda is doing great 👍. The trees will bounce back. Set it back a few years.
used the same techniques on my trees in Hawaii, guava, lychee, mango, plumeria, dragon fruit. same story as what you did. I was raised in western states orchard country and pruning trees was not explained it was just taught by example. your explanation is really good. I learned some of the whys from your video. In Alaska I don't have to worry about fruit trees. for some reason... Ha
OUCH! That first cut with the little baby saw made me cringe. The first cut with the Milwaukee just about killed me! Putting a small undercut in the limb will prevent peeling bark below the cut. Even with a pretty thin limb like the first one that was cut, if there is a lot of weight above the cut, it can bend down and peel fibers back below the cut, damaging the tree. There was quite a split on the first limb when you got around to the back side of it to talk about the vigorous spring growth ahead.
Another way to prevent splitting is to tie a rope or strap around the limb just under the cut.
Thinning flowers can work to get larger fruit, but not all flowers set fruit all the time; so a better bet would be to wait until fruit starts to set and grow, then thin the smaller fruits off of a cluster until you have just 2 or 3 in a cluster...(1 or 2) on a tree with a lot of clusters.
If you bury up past the graft point, your tree will revert to the root stock and no longer be the plum you grafted. Bottom line, you will no longer have what you grafted. True though, the dwarfing properties will be negated.
Never use sealant unless you are pruning very specific species that the risks of using it are outweighed by likelihood of infection post prune. Which is pretty much just oak wilt susceptible oaks, and elms. Sealant slows the "healing" process and is widely discouraged in the tree industry and won't be used by professionals. It certainly isn't harmless to use. Trees are laregly best left to manage wounds on their own.
This type of pruning is typical for fruit trees but topping most deciduous trees will kill them or ruin the branching structure.
Josh sound accurate advice. We used to grow and harvest Apple, peach, and Bartlett pear trees. Our yields and quality were amazing. We never sprayed with chemicals. Our humming birds, robins, nuthatches, finches, dragonflies, and butterflies loved them.
Good morning Josh , thank you for sharing. I definitely did not know about the grafted trees depth affecting the hight.
It is the root-stock used that affects the height and why modern orchards have such small (but productive) trees.
@@stephaniewilson3955 good afternoon Stephanie thank you so much! This is great to know. Hope your day is going well
The apples were small because you didn't thin them out early Spring. Videos show that apple blossoms have 5 ro 6 blooms per cluster. When the apples are just developing you need to leave about 2 apples per cluster. With less apples for the tree to support the apples will be bigger.
fruit thinning is necessary only if you didn't prune correcly two years old side branches
11:42 Josh, allways cut under the branch first before cutting on top of the branch to stop it splitting and peeling as it falls, also - cut further out first to remove some weight before coming in for the finish cut.
isn't that what I showed ya lol
Not at 12:11 lol
Apples are resilient and will benefit from this thorough pruning. They will need to have the regrowth thinned in the autumn. You should leave a half inch on a spur you cut to encourage the tree to heal over. There are special cells at the base of a limb for this purpose.
Great video. Shall be doing the same to my trees this Winter! One thing, when cutting a large limb at an angle, why don’t you make a cut on the underside, then top cut down to the undercut, that way when you just cut from the top you won’t get the limb tearing bark of the underside.
When I re-scaffold a tree like this sometimes I leave one branch alone to act as a nurse branch to help the tree survive the drastic cuts. When the new growth is a few feet long (or ideally a year later) you cut off the limb you left alone when the main cuts were done. Ideally you would cut a third of branches down to chest height each year over 3 years but sometimes it is not possible. Another point worth mentioning is the timing of the cutting. If you cut like this in early spring the tree will probably survive. If you cut like this in July the tree may die due to lack of energy left in the roots to initiate new growth.
exactly...this is not a summer prune this is a winter prune for sure!
My 5 year old son heard me watching this and ran over to see, he watched the whole thing with me then looked at me and said "daddy can we get apple trees!?!" Sure buddy, at least I can look back on this video to see how to prune them when the time comes lol. Great work Josh
Don't do it like this please. It is so wasteful.😢
How not to cut.
This “second” episode was informative and a testament to being a great neighbor. Assisting a neighbor is rewarding to your neighbor AND yourself! Being good to others lightens your heart!
I doubt they are still friends .
@@BarneyGimble It doesn’t matter. As I said, being good or doing good is rewarding to both the giver and receiver. Neither one is a sole recipient. Centuries of collective cooperation and assistance in unison for the betterment of the collection or an individual has proven that. From building a barrier to ward off tigers or to educate our offspring, taking a moment to assist a neighbor in need brings health to the giver more than the receiver!
@@stephenreese5921
What do you call a person who claims to help and kills your tree , while calming to be a expert?
A menace and a charlatan
@@BarneyGimble Claims are just that, Claims! Unless I was shown an Arborist related degree or proof of success as a certified Arborist, I would respectfully decline his or her help in maintaining my tree or bushes! I hope that you did as well or perhaps you should seek legal advice?
@@stephenreese5921
I just want to see what the trees in the video look like today
I moved to a new house that had an orchard of different fruit trees and some are really tall that I wanted to cut back to an easier maintaining and picking height. So glad I didn’t butcher them like this guy. I’m on yr 1 of what I’m anticipating a 3yr process of cutting them back 1/3 at a time.
you think they were "butchered" however now on year 2 after major pruning we'll get fruit. Not sure why you'd wanna put me down for showing you something that worked fantastically....these trees were gonna be cut down if I didn't do this...they now look fantastic. Please don't put other's down my friend.....it simply doesn't bring any value to either of our lives
@@StoneyRidgeFarmer The problem is that nobody has seen any result. When you do this type of cut, the tree has too many roots and no treetop. If the tree had survived (as the chances are less than 50:50 depending on the age and vitality), the tree will produce many water sprouts which are not easy to get rid off.
@@StoneyRidgeFarmer
We are talking about trees
Not your feelings.
Show what those cuts you made did to those trees.
That's all that matters
Apples grow on second year wood. He won’t get apples this year but should flourish the next year. Almost no way around to prune this much. Love your videos
I do half one year then do the other side the next winter. The tree seems to grow back faster that way
Apples are either ‘tip’ or ‘spur’ bearers; spurs take around 3 years to develop, tips may be sooner.. I doubt anyone even knew what the variety was, or cared. This is not how apple trees should be pruned 😣
@@vf5126 yup
Just did a major trim on my plum I planted a few years back. It was getting taller than I wanted and last year, it had so much fruit, one branch broke off.
But the main reason was the fungus that had taken off everywhere. The only way to get it off was a major pruning.
Now I need to treat it with neem and fungicide this winter to see if I can get it under control.
Lots of people say to remove it all together for a more resistant type.
I planted two plums and two cherries a few years ago and everyone said it would be years before I got fruit. That wasn't the case. I got lots of fruit. One year was heavy, the next year a bit lighter.
I've seen a lot of people saying to not tree the wound after pruning.
I didn't treat any of mine. I will see next spring what worked.
Man, you don't know how bad I lived out in the country with good neighbors like ya'll!
i am speechless, this is the work of an animal. it's literally tree torturing
You said it!
This is how hillbillies cut they're trees!
That's why they're all dead trees in Arkansas, Oklahoma & Missouri
Lol!
Not so much of what the horrible weather does to them in these areas!
Arborcide. The rule of thumb with pruning is to remove no more than 1/3 of the branches in one year. Well, at least apple wood is good for the smoker.
yep, in this case we're gonna have to take a bit more. The trees have done fantastic and grew back nicely. They'll fruit again this year. Despite the comments to the contrary all over this video. It worked great and every self proclaimed "arborist" that's insulted this technique has been wrong. This work fantastically...and sometimes we gotta do a very hard prune on a neglected tree like this
@@StoneyRidgeFarmer then show it
Making your first cut on the bottom of a large limb and then go to the top of the limb to cut all the way through will keep from tearing the bark.
I use gray latex paint with a brush to seal large cuts. Gray blends well with bark. Not as harsh chemicals as bed liner, I want as little of the inner wood to dry out as possible. Works on ornamental trees too.
It's best to not use anything on them. Especially if you are pruning in the winter-professionals don't even use it on the few tree species it helps prevent disease on during the duration of fall thru winter.
Trees are resilient and don't need our help compartmentalizing wounds.
Let's see a current picture of the trees. I think these trees were excessively pruned.
Awesome content as always.Thanks for sharing and taking us along
You bet
We used lard mixed with lime to waterproof and protect large cuts!
Brother, those are Flush-Cuts, please look-up the ANSI A-300 on proper pruning. I am a certified arborist of 34 years.
Thanks for the tip, just an FYI...these trees both came back and look fantastic! No fruit this year but I'm betting next season will be a bumper crop
I worked for a tree trimmer who does beautiful lacing and he called this mexi cutting because a lot of hispanics do it out here in California. I noticed a lot of the times the trees do not recover and die and if they do recover it looks like hell with all those little shoots coming off the huge cuts.
@@StoneyRidgeFarmercan you please do a follow up video of the progress. Thanks.
Josh, after watching and learning from you I want to share with you a program I just watched called “Clarkson’s Farm”. It is hilarious and available on the interweb. He’s that “car” guy we all know and loved. Thought if you had a moment you might want to have a chuckle. Enjoy!
The first season was the best.
Great video Josh! I would still be nervous doing it, but understanding the why makes it way easier!
Hey, Can you please show an update on these trees? I know you're saying they're growing back but we'd really love to see the visual after seeing such a big chop! ❤ This is one of the most thorough and visual videos on RUclips on pruning a fruit tree, ESPECIALLY a major prune like this. We would like an update 🙏 please Stony Ridge Farmer & Mr Tony!
both trees came back with great foliage last season...I'd expect fruit this season...I'd do an update video but it simply won't get any traction on here so I havn't done a follow up
@@StoneyRidgeFarmer
Show the trees anyway.
I think you butchered those trees.
Prove me wrong
Informative video and TY! Question; can I prune my cherry trees like this at this time? They are 50 years old and I can’t reach the cherries. The birds, chipmunks and raccoons get them every year. I would like to be able to harvest but I don’t have a clue on how to keep these critters from robbing me? Advice greatly appreciated!
Mate this have helped me loads, I have just done my apple trees thanks . Moving on to the plums next
remember, prune in winter for growth, summer for pruning back
Hard pruning is ok just have to do it the right time of year. Also they make proper stuff to put on the cuts instead of truck coating, good job though. Also remember the 3 cut rule to prevent tearing of bark 💪
Each cut made should have a bud or branch remaining behind the cut to prevent dead stubs. Large diameter cuts are a challenge to heal properly. Annual pruning can avoid this issue. However, there are times where larger cuts are needed to correct previous neglect.
Looks like an awesome job
Thanks. Great video
Thank you Sir! Beautiful video! And it was just what I needed.
do not do this right now....this time of year will kill the tree...wait until late winter
Dude I've been watching a lot of videos and so far this one has helped me a lot.
Some simplified explanation and fast forward through the cutting so you can see overall what you're trying to accomplish.
Thank you!
I bought the kebtek when you first showed it several years ago and love that and the stihl mini saw
Much thanks!
I'll be using these tips on several trees this winter.
no problem....fyi..they came back in the spring and looked great!
I have had a few apple and pear trees that I have had for about 6 years some look like a single stick from deer. I once got 2 apples that's it. Do you think I should restart?
Hey Josh thank you for the video you and Tony did a good job and thank you for sharing your valuable learning information that took you thirty years to find out so yes I'm going to send this video to my Gmail that way like you said I always have it but I sure never seen no one from them down that much but you know best because you did it all those years woo🤗👍
I live in central Oklahoma and i have 6 year old peach tree that is 15-20' tall it has never had any fruit. Can i cut it back now or should i wait till spring. Thanks for your time.
now is not the time to prune trees....prune in summer to cut back, winter for re-growth. I'd suggest a late winter prune so it grows back appropriately...however you may wanna talk to someone with an orchard
@@StoneyRidgeFarmer thank you for your time.
Hey Josh, Jim from Wentworth. It is time to get your Martin Poles up into the air. They are close. I have all of mine up right now. I have a 106 spaces for mine. I had 85 pair last year, hope to fill up this year.
Great job😊
You can use roof pitch to seal them also
Need to make a back cut about quarter way through the limb before cutting it off. Won’t get all that bark peel and branches cracking back
If my tree has fungus and pruning dead limbs for new ones would u still suggest to seal
I suggest a seal on any limb cut in most cases. Get a fungicide on the tree...if it's blight be sure you clean your pruners/cutters between cuts and between trees. Use alcohol or even brake cleaner will work
Still I seen trees recovering from couting a entire 2m crown, they just left like a pin or little branch at top, the thing is I only seen young trees like they had around 5 may be 6 years but imagin cuting a 20year tree it’s more hard to recover
Another great information video, I can and will put this information to good use. Thanks Josh
Really enjoyed and appreciated !
We have all the new tools and no knowledge of how to prune trees!
remember...this was a very heavy prune....most trees won't need this much pruning
In Texas, we let ice storm do the pruning.
We now do that in northern illinois as well. Honestly my apple trees took the ice storm well. Pines, birch, and cedars not so well.
Hi I have a apple tree that is 3 or 4 times bigger then this one can I cut it down like you did ?
Thanks
Awesomeness!!! 💜💜💜🙏🙏🙏
I have a couple of pear trees that desperately need this operation performed on them. I didn't have the guts to do it. I was afraid it would be too much. I'll go ahead and get that done soon. Thanks. Oh, and I would like to see a follow-up on there recovery, too, in a few months.
they recovered awesome...no fruit last year but should have fruit this season. Didn't harm them one bit
..wouldn’t you like to see ‘a follow up’ before doing that to your pears? Check with a local Extension Service Agent for your county and ask for recommendations on competent fruit tree pruners before doing or having this done..
Yes, that's the only reason I haven't done it yet. I was waiting to see the sequel to this video before doing something so drastic. You speak wisely.@@vf5126
I love the alligator chainsaw!! It holds both sides of the branch, msking a straight clean cut without peeling the bark off once it wants to fall. Plus this us why you should be cutting from the underside of the branch! 😉
Thank you for sharing your knowledge.
I have a peach tree from previous house owner, it produces peaches pretty good each year excepf it grows so tall and spread to my neighbors yard I pruned it in 2022 summer it grew back 2023 but no peaches last year, this year grows a lot of peaches but I can tell they are not very good as before and rats ate 30 of them already so I only got one basket of good fruits and it grow so big again because I didnt prune last year. So I cut off most of branches this year like that 😅 will see if I kill it next year
remember, prune in summer for cutting back, prune in winter for re-growth. Sounds like you're on the right track
@@StoneyRidgeFarmer I cut them all the way like you did yesterday, hope I didn't kill it..
@@StoneyRidgeFarmer Do you have a video on how it looks now>?
yep....as the video said in the begining...the time of year needs to be appropriate...doing this in summer is very risky...I hope you didn't hurt the tree...I would never trim back a tree this aggressively in summer
Fruit trees are suppose to be pruned every spring early before sap starts major limbs that are removed should have bandaid put on there is a product made specifically for that
Once fruit is set and starts to develop especially apples apricot peach and pears prune /plum trees the green fruit is hand thinned breaking up clusters of fruit rule of thumb spacing from thump to little finger for the larger fruits like apple and peach
The Milwaukee cordless air compressor is great as well. If you ever have a flat tire, try the larger 160 psi version.
Nice set up. Which I use The Phoenix Inverter lithium Charge controller and a solar panel it lasts all day To charge my batteries.
happy pruning
I've been scanning videos since this one. Is there one that shows how these turned out in the summer?
Step away from the saws, Josh!
Thank you very much. Your knowledge just helped me out. Now if my miss disagrees😂I’ll have her watch your videos 🇺🇸😂✌️
Looks great, we have to do this shortly as well
Some Mediterranean folks even chop an olive tree down to the ground completely to the root ball.
Don’t think I’ll be doing that on mine.
do you have pics/video of the pruned trees one two year later ? great video👍👍
nice pruning tree my friend
love to see a follow up on these tress
This old Tony did a video covering the Kebtek pruner (1" and 1-1/2" models) as a response to the pruner that MIlwaukee just announced.
You just reminded me to prune my apricot tree. lol
good pruning job!done right!
I saw this the other day, but no plum tree in that video. The heavy pruning will help the tree come back and produce apples next year. The apple grows on second year growth and y’all cut off all of that this year. When you prune in the fall/winter leave some of the prongs to allow the blooming next year. Overall, a good video.
this was very informative and detailed pictures helped alot
So can we prune in November?
I would not....january/feb is best. Wait until the sap is way down on these trees...now if you live up north....you might get away with it
Looks like you might of broke the First rule of tree punning
Never remove more than 1/3 the canopy.
Remember my brotha....this is fruit trees...not just regular deciduous "shade" trees....we'll revisit them in the summer and see how they look...I'm stoked to see what they look like. Visit any apple orchard and you'll see this kinda pruning
Ahah. Apples trees aren't my forte. Thanks for the info
Thanks for the vid, I have approx 400 old pear trees, massive trees smothered with vines, there all alive but the thorn trees and sumak is ridiculous, I inherited my grandpas pace about 15 acres, I'm going to clean all the crap in and around them first, then all the dead and try and bring them back, there about 35 years old
goats!!! Get you some goats to clean it all up for ya
Saw the tree and immediately came to the comments 🫣😂
It’s a shame they haven’t come out with a universal battery that would power all of the battery operated equipment.
I have stuck with craftsman. We have a weed wackier, drill, leaf blower and a vacuum that use the same battery. I did that just so I could use the same type of battery in all of them.
The orchard guys out here sometimes prune them heavy like that. Just depends on the variety, and age of the tree. But yeah that tree will do much better with a heavy trim, too many small branches.
hate I missed ya at the farm show! Dang it we gotta do better next time lol
@@StoneyRidgeFarmer we would have stayed longer but Erik's work wasn't happy about letting him go even 3 days. We will try to get out longer next time. Did you happen to hear any crickets while at the show???
Please give us a follow up video this summer on how your pruning worked out for the apple trees.
They rubberised spray or any onther sealent has been proven to be bad practice through new research so by the way..
Especially the second episode. His water piping procedure was interesting!
Could you please tell me when you recorded this video. Example; October, November, December, etc. etc. and what year. My wife and I are having a discussion about this. It is now December 10, 2023 and I believe that the Apple trees should be pruned now or in the next month or two your opinion would matter greatly.
Please don't do this to your fruit trees. You risk killing them outright, or at the very least setting them on a path of declining health that will cause them to die within a few years. Trees need foliage to generate sugars that are stored in the roots for next year's growth. Removing all the foliage starves the tree. My father in law allowed an "expert" to do this to his orchard 10 years ago. Some of the trees died that same season. Many others are still declining and near death years later. This video really should be removed from the Internet because it is absolutely damaging information presented by people who do not know what they're doing. Also, it is no longer recommended to seal open wounds on trees because it seals in pathogens and causes the tree to rot from the inside out. It is better to leave the wounds unsealed and allow them to self heal by growing over the wound. Correct tree pruning is beneficial, but you should learn how to properly prune from a reliable source, not butcher your tree like this. No more than 1/3 of an overgrown tree should be removed in any one year. It takes 3 to 5 years of pruning to properly restore an old unpruned tree.
güzel bir budama yaptınız. kesim yerlerini kapatmak doğru işlem. yerden 1 metre ağaç gövdesine beyaz plastik boya ve bakır sülfattır karıştır, sür.
Hey great video! When is the best time to cut them back in winter? December of February? Sunny weather? No frost or rain i suppose?
Jan, Feb...depends on the climate where you live. About 1 month before they start to bud out for spring...remember prune in summer to cut back, prune in winter for new growth
The stihl hatchet also uses bar oil.
Use old motor oil to treat the wounds. It will keep away bacteria and fungii. If the wounds are still wet let them dry for a while before applying. Does the rubberized coating not seal off the wound to much and promote rotting. It doesn't have any "fungicide" in it.
hmmm....show me fungus growing under a car that's been undercoated and I'm sold on old motor oil. This works great my friend...I wouldn't put old motor oil on any tree...this needs to dry, harden and cure..it will eventually fall off or rot away
😊 yah it's not rubber but bitumen tar undercoat? Than it works indeed.
I want to do test will dissolving tar/asphalt in a bit gas and mixing it with the old motoroil to make it thicker and tacky.
The motoroil works for now fine as it penetrates really deep in stump. No issues with fresh growth in this location being misformed or dying.
How did the trees recover last year?!? Did they get to produce any fruit yet or will it probably be this year before they grow apples again?? Thanks
You would freak if you saw my apple trees! I need to really prune them back. We bought our house with them growing sideways! You can see them in my latest video. Advise?
I think you did an awesome job on these trees.
I'm in awe also.... like awe shucks he his actually convinced he is doing something right... but is so wrong... so wasteful.😢