Pruning is essential to maintain healthy fruit trees, encourage optimal growth, and improve fruit quality. In mature fruit trees, there are three main methods of top pruning: Heading Back, Thinning Out, and Pinching (Disbudding). Each technique serves a distinct purpose and contributes to the tree’s structural health, growth, and productivity.
1. Heading Back
Heading back involves removing one-third or even one-half of the terminal part of a branch. This method is particularly effective at reducing apical dominance, which is the natural tendency of plants to grow upward. By cutting back the top portion, heading back encourages the growth of lateral buds, promoting a bushier and denser appearance.
This type of pruning is commonly used in ornamental plants, like hedge shearing, to maintain a compact shape. In fruit trees, heading back is ideal for managing height and stimulating lateral growth for a fuller, well-branched structure that supports better fruit production.
2. Thinning Out
Thinning out is the removal of entire branches or shoots from the base without expecting regrowth at the cut site. Unlike heading back, which promotes bushiness, thinning out helps control the overall shape of the tree by removing weaker, crowded, or overlapping branches.
This method encourages the longer growth of terminal branches, which can improve light penetration and air circulation throughout the tree’s canopy. Such improvements help produce larger, higher-quality fruit by reducing the density of the tree’s foliage. Thinning also reduces the risk of diseases by allowing for better airflow, which prevents moisture buildup around branches and leaves.
3. Pinching or Disbudding
Pinching, also known as pinching back, involves removing soft, herbaceous shoots to control growth, while disbudding is the removal of buds themselves. These methods are most effective during the wet season when new shoots are tender and easier to remove. Pinching limits the amount of food material available for growth, directing the plant’s energy toward fruit development rather than foliage.
In fruit trees, pinching and disbudding help manage the tree’s vigor, controlling the growth rate and diverting resources to developing healthier fruits. This type of pruning is beneficial in maintaining balance between vegetative growth and fruit production.
Best Time to Prune
For most temperate fruit species, pruning is best done during the dormant season, usually in late winter. Pruning during dormancy minimizes stress on the tree and helps it recover quickly. Evergreen species, however, can be pruned at any time of the year. Nonetheless, pruning during a suspended growth period (temporary stop in growth) is ideal for evergreen fruit trees to avoid shock and ensure steady regrowth.