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Fruit & Orchards

How should I prune my new trees?

15 years ago

I have two new bare-root trees and a cranberry bush planted and I was wondering how I should prune them? The two trees are a 4:1 asian pear and a 4:1 peach tree. I've posted pictures of all three at the link below.

Thanks.

Here is a link that might be useful: Tree pics

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Comments (7)

imred
15 years ago
The only thing you might do is prune a few of the inward growing smaller limbs on the peach tree. You will notice that both the peach and pear tree only have 4 major limbs. These will each be one of the varities of the combination. You want to be sure and not prune any of them off. I would probably just leave them until growth starts and then prune any crossing or inward growing small branches off.
RED
jellyman
15 years ago
Sharppa:

Your trees look fine. There is no reason to be pruning newly planted trees. Leave them alone, at least for a full growing season. I doubt that you will be able to grow cranberries. Leave that to the cranberry growers in Wisconsin and Massachusetts.

Don Yellman, Great Falls, VA
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Konrad___far_north
15 years ago
Agree,....the more branches the better it is to get them going on newly planted trees.

Konrad
alan haigh
15 years ago
You don't talk about more branches the better in 4 in 1 trees- you just don't have a choice. I hate these trees- they are a virtual impossibility to train well. Each variety has it's own level of vigor, but in Asian pears and peaches this might not be as big a problem as with apples. Apples are all I have experience with in this form.

It looks like branches were already cut back for shipping. What you need to do during the growing season is keep the 4 different varieties growing at about the same pace so one doesn't dominate the tree. I can see that will be an issue for the peach for sure, with the top branch in position to dominate.

Pinch growth that eminates from where branches were cut to encourage dominance of a single leader while developing less vigorous (smaller) secondary branching off it. Each variety should be treated like an individual central leader tree in terms of form. The central leader being like a trunk with smaller branches (no more than half diameter) coming off it. Also pinch back as needed to keep the different varieties in balance. Pinching means that you're removing as little growth as possible to stear energy where you want it, so it won't really retard overall growth.

If you let the trees go without guidance for even one season you may loose control with certain varieties dominating the tree and starving out other varieties.

Anyway, that's my opinion. My experience is primarily with 4in1's that have been badly trained and I have to try to straighten things out later. I would never produce a tree like this, much better to alternate varieties by tiers off a central leader, placing most vigorous varieties at base. In other words, new varieties are grafted as extensions of the trunk as the trees grow up. This wouldn't work well for peaches, though.
sharppa
Original Author
15 years ago
Thanks for all the replies everyone.

The cranberry was a freebie with the two trees so I have no great hope for it.
brandon7 TN_zone7
15 years ago
It looks like the peach tree branches could use a little training to increase the crotch angles. I recently got some really awesome aluminum angle branch spreaders, but I can't remember where I got them from. If I think of it, I'll post here if I can remember.
brandon7 TN_zone7
15 years ago
Well, on second thought, branch spreaders aren't going to help with the tree pruned this way. weights or tiedowns will have to be used.

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