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| Photo Credit: Jennifer Bradley Lenet |
| When removing suckers, cut close to the base of the trunk. |
Sure, winter’s a time when you can take it a bit slower in the gardening department, but you can’t rest on your laurels entirely – especially if you’ve got deciduous fruit trees to prune. You can start as early as November and prune as late as March, depending on the variety of trees you’ve got, their location and the stage of the flower buds. (You should prune before buds start to swell or bloom.)
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| Photo Credit: Jennifer Bradley Lenet |
| Cut off all water sprouts for a more vigorous tree. |
To get the job done you’ll need hand-pruning shears, loppers, a pruning saw, a ladder for tall trees and a bucket if you’re planning to save cuttings for grafting. (And if you’re saving cuttings, bring a roll of masking tape and a permanent marker for labeling.) Before starting, make sure your tools are sharp and clean, and bring rubbing alcohol and a rag outside with you so you can clean the blades between working on individual trees.
For all varieties of mature deciduous fruit trees, follow these first easy steps to get your pruning started: | Add Photo to Journal |  | | Photo Credit: Jennifer Bradley Lenet | | Remove any diseased or mummified fruit from your trees. |
First, prune crossing and diseased branches. Make a clean cut all the way back to the main limb or trunk – and don’t forget to clean your tools with rubbing alcohol each time after pruning any diseased branches. Next, remove water sprouts with sharp, clean cuts. Then remove suckers all the way back to the trunk. Don’t forget to remove any diseased and mummified fruit from your orchard (and keep them away from your other trees). Finally, stand back and take another look at your tree to see if more pruning is needed.
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