Pruning Apples & Pears: Before and After Shots

Today we pruned our apples and pears.  Pruning can be intimidating for the beginning gardener.  I've done a few posts that I think are very beneficial to help you understand where fruit grows on apples and pears.  Understanding the fruiting habits of different fruit trees is essential before you prune because one of the goals of pruning is to increase fruiting not prune it all off.

Where Does the Furit Grow? Identifying Apple and Pears Buds  

After you understand where apples and pears bear fruit you are ready to prune.  I've written a post that I hope is simple yet includes enough information that you can confidently go out and prune with good results.

Pruning Apples and Pears

Here are the before and after shots of the apple and pear trees I pruned.

Before:

This is a Gala before pruning.

 After:  Notice how open the tree is after pruning allowing light in to develop the fruit.

The Gala after pruning

Before:

 After:

 Before: This is a Sungold with a very upright growth habit. It has lots of congestion in the center with crossing and rubbing branches. Half the tree suffered deer damage.

 

After:  I pruned this tree very heavily and opened up the center. I'm trying to encourage a more outward growth habit. The deer damage has left it lope-sided unfortunately.

Before:  

After: Once again opening up the center to allow light in.

Before: A pear with lots of growth that needs pruning.  Pears tend to grow tall and upright. The fruit will bend down some of the branches.

After: Taming the pear tree.  Lots of thinning.