As a general rule try and prune your fruit trees in the winter when all the leaves have fallen off. You ideally want to take off about 10% – 15% off the crown/canopy, every now and then step back and try and make sure you are keeping the tree shape balanced. Pruning is great as it encourages new growth but you must be careful not to overdo it as this can result in unwanted upright branches called watershoots.

If possible try and create an open center this allows more light into the tree which encourages the fruit to ripen. You’re looking to try and remove the old wood to encourage new growth. Pruning trees can be dangerous so don’t overreach, make sure you have a suitable ladder and sharp saws.

It is best to not to cut off branches that are more than 15cm in diameter, as this can result in decay setting in if you feel like you must prune a large branch off try and find a suitable section where there is a fork and avoid leaving a stub. Don’t feel like you need to go mad with the pruning, on the average size fruit tree you might only need 20 – 30 cuts in total.

Tree pruning
Tree pruning