One of the most important tasks in a home orchard is periodic pruning. Pruning helps keep trees and bushes productive, healthy and vigorous! We are far from being pruning experts, but every little bit helps. We love a book called “The Holistic Orchard” by Michael Phillips, it contains a wealth of information on pruning, as well as general orchard management.
A little pruning goes a long way, we like to prune in the dormant season around late February/early March.
Good entry level rules of thumb for trees are to remove branches that cross other branches within the canopy, “watersprouts” that grow straight up, and any branches that look diseased or distressed. Over time, you can develop a sense of how you want your trees to look and you can plan your pruning to work toward aesthetic goals.
Blueberry pruning is something that we really only started doing the last couple of seasons. Here is a video Emma put together recently:
Timely and judicious pruning can go a long way toward keeping your home garden and orchard productive, healthy and abundant! It can be intimidating, but starting slow and doing some every winter can make a big difference. Even though it can feel like you’re hutrting your plants, they will be healthier and more fruitful in the long run!
Happy gardening!
