Yes Sir, you are the tree master, specifically these delicate peach tree varieties. Sure would've benefited better if'd ida found your channel back then, oh well, thank you for the professor knowledge you impart now, probably going to save my 8yr growd out peachtrees and triple the harvest. in humbleness, dino
Thank you so much for teaching tree vocabulary and providing detailed visual directions! It is the first time I ever pruned a fruit tree. Now, the plum tree I inherited has no more "hanger downers" and all of its limbs have a "shot at the sun".
So many words of wisdom. I have a young tree with both nectarine and plum grafted on on one root stock - this will help me shape it now. Thanks so much!
Removing some 3/4 of fruit during a heavy set when they are still tiny is usually necessary, fewer means bigger and better, imagine those dime or quarter sized peaches full size--can the limbs support them and is there room for them to grow? Typically they produce far too many. I suspect that is your primary problem instead of pruning. Naturally they also need to be fed and watered properly, usually not much however after well established.
@@beingsneaky Mine are blooming already in far NorCali, a little early due to warm weather...have 6 or 7 small to mid age trees that ripen from Jun to October.
@@beingsneaky We are getting near the end of frost danger zone and no cold in long range forecast so likely will be good to go, but yeah that's always the concern. I just rounded up my extension cords for young avocado tree heat lamps that I didn't quite need this season...minimal frost. My subtropicals are expected to be much tougher as they get bigger. (zone 9a)
Thank you for this very informative video! My parents have a neglected plum tree and I haven't figured out what to do with it based on reading and looking at pictures. I now know what to do! And I've heard planting "Colchicum autumnale" around plum trees will make the tree produce more fruit.
So grateful for professionals making videos. TH-cam has become the new “variety show” with clowns and comedians creating nothing but misinformation about everything.
I'm in AZ. My tree is 2 yrs old. This year it has alot of leaves. When do I prune it? I read that it should be prune at the end of spring, but wouldn't that leave it exposed to the heat and burn the trunk? Also, do I remove all leaves when pruning?
That was fabulous thank you!! We have an old Asian Pear 🍐 tree 🌳 we discovered on the property and it’s grown mostly vertical. But, at the center of the tree everything has grown mostly horizontal. The tallest point of the tree must be 15+ feet tall. We couldn’t even begin to collect all the pears 🍐 because, of its height. This video is perfect thank you so much. ♥️
Do i prune an apricot tree late February to avoid no growth? I think a few Years ago i pruned it in late December or early January and i go so much new growth. Now i need to prune it again but I am trying to avoid so much growth. Any advice please. By the way it’s a big mature tree. Thanks
I have A plum tree, a bout two years old with four main leaders growing straightup from the main trunk, all,very close together, What can I do with that? I don’t see any examples of some tree like that. It came from the nursery that way, I havent pruned it yet. It’s about 7 ft. Tall now….thanks.
Our nectarine and plum trees have overgrown and are about 2 stories high. They do not produce fruit. Can these be coaxed back to setting fruit by drastic pruning and feeding? Thanks!
They probably can. Drastic pruning can do wonders. You will have to keep on them for several years because the tree will try to grow replacements branches like mad, but you can control it.
Awesome video thanks. Can you recommend plum tree spacing between trees in a row and between rows please. I am just about to plant an orchard. They are on myrobalan B root stock. Thanks.
can you tell me if any one has mention problems with chem trails...it seems after a day of spraying the next few days the leaves on everything look like they have been sprayed with an herbicide? thank you enjoy the pruning lesson
Best time to prune is late winter through the time they start to bloom, ideally just before they break dormancy. But, don't prune within 48 hours of a freeze either before or after.
Just before the leaves pop out is the best time to prune. You need to make sure it is not going to freeze within a few days either way of when you prune.
Don't be afraid to prune. You almost can't prune too much on fruit trees like this. I you don't want to do it all at once you can make the major cuts over a couple of years.
A late freeze will kill the buds and/or flowers which will result in few or no fruit. You might be growing the wrong variety for your zone. If you live in the far north where winters are very severe--like Montana--many varieties won't produce. Conversely, you may live in the subtropical South--Florida, for example--where there aren't enough "chill hours" to trigger budding. The description on the tag or in the catalog will tell you how hardy it is or whether it is suitable for the heat. Some trees are alternate year producers--like "Gravenstein" apples--which will skip a year. This doesn't quite fit your problem, though. I hope this helps. If I'm wrong, it'd be great if someone corrected me so I can learn more, too!
(Just another commenter here, but I've had lots of experience growing fruit trees.) Except for water sprouts it's not good to prune the trees in the summer because that produces lots of bushy twigs/limbs to grow which will weaken the tree and hamper fruit production in the long run. Only prune peaches in the spring when they're still dormant. In severe climates pruning them in the fall will make the trees more likely to die. An orchardist told me, "Prune peaches until you feel like crying." I'd also add, "Thin the fruit until you feel like crying." The fruit should be no closer than 4" apart. Being mean is nice.
(I apologize because this is a very long comment.) You're welcome. I hope it helps. I don't know about persimmons but cherries are pruned like peaches and apples with the center of the tree open. I kept the central leader and side branches on my Oriental pears and trimmed off the branches about a foot every year. I also cut off any dead or crossing branches as this video recommends. One year one of the pears got a blight that turned the leaves black. I was told it would die and to dig it up but I didn't. Instead I cut off every branch flush with the trunk. It looked like a stick when I was done. The tree recovered and thrived. The following years I immediately snipped off any black leaves as soon as I saw them. (Put the diseased leaves into a plastic bag and tie it shut and throw it away. Clean your pruners with rubbing alcohol before going on to other trees so you don't spread the blight.) I got a great tip from another TH-cam video about pruning cherries: Cut off the tips of the skinny branches about an inch and two little twigs will grow from the cut. The next year cut off the tips of the two twigs that grew the previous year and they will grow into four twigs. You can keep doing this if you want to but you might get more cherries than you want. I did this for two seasons (4 twigs) and got about 150 lbs of cherries from one semi-dwarf pie cherry tree! (It was a "Balaton"--a delicious hybrid of a sweet and sour cherry.) In general I recommend semi-dwarf trees if you have the space because you will get more fruit. For example, I got about 5 bushels off of one semi-dwarf peach tree. (I recommend "Gleason Elberta" which is excellent for canning.) I had 15 fruit trees in my backyard. Most of them came bare root. Sparks is a great fruit tree catalog. (I think they bought out Millers or perhaps Millers bought out Sparks. I can't remember. Both are/were great.) You can subscribe to USU's Marion Murry for pest control advice. It's excellent: directory.usu.edu/aggie/4b2f0d/ Off on a tangent: I love Pinetree Seeds. Their prices are low and they have a great selection with some unusual varieties that aren't sold elsewhere--such as"Saltwort" a great salad green.
You're welcome! I pruned my cherries with the centers open. I left the central leader and side branches on the Oriental pear. I'm not familiar with persimmons. I got a great tip on how to prune cherries from another TH-cam video: Cut off the tips of the small twigs and two twigs will grow from the cut. The next year cut off the tips of the two twigs and they'll fork into 4 twigs. I got almost 150 lbs off of one semi-dwarf pie cherry tree with 4 forks! (I had a"Balaton" which is a delicious, deep red hybrid of a sweet and sour cherry.) I prefer semi-dwarf trees because the yields are higher but I did have dwarfs too. I got 5 bushels off of one semi-dwarf peach tree. (I recommend "Gleason Elberta.") Marion Murray of Utah State Extension Service has an excellent email bulletin you can subscribe to for very low spray pest control: directory.usu.edu/aggie/4b2f0d/ The "Gardens Alive" catalog has all organic pesticides and fertilizers.
Yikes--I thought my second comment had disappeared because it was way too long. It just loaded slowly. That's why I have one long comment and a redundant short one. Sorry about that!
Help! My prune tree that's been yielding lots of fruits just got knocked off by strong winter storm and I don't know what to do. It's a bit heavy so it's been sitting like that and what steps I need to take to bring it back to life. Any direction would be appreciated.
@@FamilyPlotGardenThe roots didn't snap and roots are partially intact. The branches are mostly stable. I could send you a picture if you could provide me an email address. Thanks
This guy claims that anvil loppers do "damage" to the limbs but when you look at his technique at 3:48 you can see that he is using his bypass loppers the wrong way around with the clean cut side on the waste wood that is being remove. Anvil pruners are effective. Try them for yourself, don't listen to this guy.
Jeff Bourke: Sir, anvil pruners may be fine for you. But it's not good to lead others astray. Anvil pruners will crush cork cambium and not make the clean, proper cut that a nice set of Corona bypass loppers will. And you are right, that there is a better way to hold bypass pruners and loppers. If someone knows what a proper cut should look like, they should soon discover how to place the loppers for that good cut.
Yes Sir, you are the tree master, specifically these delicate peach tree varieties. Sure would've benefited better if'd ida found your channel back then, oh well, thank you for the professor knowledge you impart now, probably going to save my 8yr growd out peachtrees and triple the harvest. in humbleness, dino
Thank you. I have a dwarf nectarine tree. It is about six years old and this is the first time I pruned it.
I like the southern wisdom and idioms.
Well done!
Really useful information.
this is one of my favorite videos on pruning stone fruit.
Thanks!
Thank you so much for teaching tree vocabulary and providing detailed visual directions! It is the first time I ever pruned a fruit tree. Now, the plum tree I inherited has no more "hanger downers" and all of its limbs have a "shot at the sun".
Glad we could be of help. Thanks for watching!
This is the real deal. Thank you for condensing this into an easy to do and understand video. I saved it to my Facebook page.
Thanks!
Thanks so much for this, exactly what I needed to see!
Glad we could help. Happy pruning!
So many words of wisdom. I have a young tree with both nectarine and plum grafted on on one root stock - this will help me shape it now. Thanks so much!
Glad we could help! Good luck.
I’ve been needing this! I bought a house with a peach tree and the peaches have never gotten full grown. This is great info!
Removing some 3/4 of fruit during a heavy set when they are still tiny is usually necessary, fewer means bigger and better, imagine those dime or quarter sized peaches full size--can the limbs support them and is there room for them to grow? Typically they produce far too many. I suspect that is your primary problem instead of pruning. Naturally they also need to be fed and watered properly, usually not much however after well established.
I have learned that peaches on grew on one year old wood/new growth.
@@beingsneaky Mine are blooming already in far NorCali, a little early due to warm weather...have 6 or 7 small to mid age trees that ripen from Jun to October.
@@Mrbfgray yeah hopefully no frost hits. I know all things are early for quite a while now.
@@beingsneaky We are getting near the end of frost danger zone and no cold in long range forecast so likely will be good to go, but yeah that's always the concern. I just rounded up my extension cords for young avocado tree heat lamps that I didn't quite need this season...minimal frost. My subtropicals are expected to be much tougher as they get bigger. (zone 9a)
Excellent! Thank you from PA
Glad we could help!
Thank you for this very informative video! My parents have a neglected plum tree and I haven't figured out what to do with it based on reading and looking at pictures. I now know what to do! And I've heard planting "Colchicum autumnale" around plum trees will make the tree produce more fruit.
Glad we could help out. Happy pruning!
Great video!
So grateful for professionals making videos.
TH-cam has become the new “variety show” with clowns and comedians creating nothing but misinformation about everything.
Going to do mines now! Thanks
You should see how we prune trees on big orchards in washington state, quality over quantity!
I'm in AZ. My tree is 2 yrs old. This year it has alot of leaves. When do I prune it? I read that it should be prune at the end of spring, but wouldn't that leave it exposed to the heat and burn the trunk? Also, do I remove all leaves when pruning?
That was fabulous thank you!!
We have an old Asian Pear 🍐 tree 🌳 we discovered on the property and it’s grown mostly vertical. But, at the center of the tree everything has grown mostly horizontal. The tallest point of the tree must be 15+ feet tall. We couldn’t even begin to collect all the pears 🍐 because, of its height. This video is perfect thank you so much. ♥️
Your welcome. Glad to help!
Learned a lot here. Thanks.
Do i prune an apricot tree late February to avoid no growth? I think a few Years ago i pruned it in late December or early January and i go so much new growth. Now i need to prune it again but I am trying to avoid so much growth. Any advice please. By the way it’s a big mature tree. Thanks
I've been searching everywhere for something like this! Thank you! What time of year do you prune peach trees?
Prune in late winter. Before the trees bloom is best.
ain't that something,🎉
I have A plum tree, a bout two years old with four main leaders growing straightup from the main trunk, all,very close together, What can I do with that? I don’t see any examples of some tree like that. It came from the nursery that way, I havent pruned it yet. It’s about 7 ft. Tall now….thanks.
Would you mind sending us a picture so we can see it and make recommendations? www.familyplotgarden.com/ask-a-gardening-gardening-question.html
Thanks champ!
Great video thanks
What is the spacing between rows and trees for open center pruning?
Thanks for watching! Trees in the peach family should be planted 20' apart with 20' between the rows.
Very helpful
Our nectarine and plum trees have overgrown and are about 2 stories high. They do not produce fruit. Can these be coaxed back to setting fruit by drastic pruning and feeding? Thanks!
They probably can. Drastic pruning can do wonders. You will have to keep on them for several years because the tree will try to grow replacements branches like mad, but you can control it.
Thanks!
Glad we could help! Thanks for watching.
Awesome video thanks. Can you recommend plum tree spacing between trees in a row and between rows please. I am just about to plant an orchard. They are on myrobalan B root stock. Thanks.
can you tell me if any one has mention problems with chem trails...it seems after a day of spraying the next few days the leaves on everything look like they have been sprayed with an herbicide? thank you enjoy the pruning lesson
imagine us.breathing that in
Very helpful and kept simple! Cant wait to prune mine soon!!! When is best time to prune? Mid March as well?
Best time to prune is late winter through the time they start to bloom, ideally just before they break dormancy. But, don't prune within 48 hours of a freeze either before or after.
@@FamilyPlotGarden WTF YOU SAID LATE WINTER THATS A FREEZE FS
Thank you for this very helpful video!
I like this guy. I would work along side with him 12h a day.
No word about pear trees. Follow the same method for them?
Thanks for the question, pear trees are pruned like apple trees. Here's a video on that: th-cam.com/video/iCzkAblH_lA/w-d-xo.html
I'm trying to get more into pruning my trees. I will take this approach on my peach tree.
Don't know if anyone can answer this , but what is best time to prune in north Georgia area....thanks and thanks for video
Just before the leaves pop out is the best time to prune. You need to make sure it is not going to freeze within a few days either way of when you prune.
@@FamilyPlotGarden thanks! Will do
Is it ever too late to remove "low hanger" limbs. I have 5 year old plums that need low limbs removed
It is best to prune in the early spring but if a limb is creating a problem you can take it off anytime. th-cam.com/video/puDeaaEZ0zM/w-d-xo.html
The processes are very later to age trees and season ,must be gets early
Wow , I need mike at my house....Our plum tree is awful mess...I do not know what im doing ! neither does anyone else that's looked at it
Don't be afraid to prune. You almost can't prune too much on fruit trees like this. I you don't want to do it all at once you can make the major cuts over a couple of years.
what causes a plum tree to flower every year but not give any fruit
A late freeze will kill the buds and/or flowers which will result in few or no fruit. You might be growing the wrong variety for your zone. If you live in the far north where winters are very severe--like Montana--many varieties won't produce. Conversely, you may live in the subtropical South--Florida, for example--where there aren't enough "chill hours" to trigger budding. The description on the tag or in the catalog will tell you how hardy it is or whether it is suitable for the heat.
Some trees are alternate year producers--like "Gravenstein" apples--which will skip a year. This doesn't quite fit your problem, though.
I hope this helps. If I'm wrong, it'd be great if someone corrected me so I can learn more, too!
Might need a pollinator. Depends on the variety.
We posed your question to the Family Plot experts and here is what they said: th-cam.com/video/SYcUvm72iqo/w-d-xo.html
Do you fertilize and water regularly?
Could be too dry, lack of pollinators, birds eating the blossom, undernutrition, frost, absence of other tree to provide pollen (cultivar specific).
Hi love from Multan Pakistan.
Thanks for watching. Glad to have you!
Not to be to aggressive on removing live tissue as sunscald is very common on fruit trees.
Is it okay to prune them in the summer while there are leaves? Thank you!
(Just another commenter here, but I've had lots of experience growing fruit trees.)
Except for water sprouts it's not good to prune the trees in the summer because that produces lots of bushy twigs/limbs to grow which will weaken the tree and hamper fruit production in the long run. Only prune peaches in the spring when they're still dormant. In severe climates pruning them in the fall will make the trees more likely to die.
An orchardist told me, "Prune peaches until you feel like crying." I'd also add, "Thin the fruit until you feel like crying." The fruit should be no closer than 4" apart. Being mean is nice.
Barbara Lyman thanks so much for the insight! Does this apply to persimmons, cherries, and Asian pears?
(I apologize because this is a very long comment.)
You're welcome. I hope it helps. I don't know about persimmons but cherries are pruned like peaches and apples with the center of the tree open. I kept the central leader and side branches on my Oriental pears and trimmed off the branches about a foot every year. I also cut off any dead or crossing branches as this video recommends.
One year one of the pears got a blight that turned the leaves black. I was told it would die and to dig it up but I didn't. Instead I cut off every branch flush with the trunk. It looked like a stick when I was done. The tree recovered and thrived. The following years I immediately snipped off any black leaves as soon as I saw them. (Put the diseased leaves into a plastic bag and tie it shut and throw it away. Clean your pruners with rubbing alcohol before going on to other trees so you don't spread the blight.)
I got a great tip from another TH-cam video about pruning cherries: Cut off the tips of the skinny branches about an inch and two little twigs will grow from the cut. The next year cut off the tips of the two twigs that grew the previous year and they will grow into four twigs. You can keep doing this if you want to but you might get more cherries than you want. I did this for two seasons (4 twigs) and got about 150 lbs of cherries from one semi-dwarf pie cherry tree! (It was a "Balaton"--a delicious hybrid of a sweet and sour cherry.)
In general I recommend semi-dwarf trees if you have the space because you will get more fruit. For example, I got about 5 bushels off of one semi-dwarf peach tree. (I recommend "Gleason Elberta" which is excellent for canning.)
I had 15 fruit trees in my backyard. Most of them came bare root. Sparks is a great fruit tree catalog. (I think they bought out Millers or perhaps Millers bought out Sparks. I can't remember. Both are/were great.)
You can subscribe to USU's Marion Murry for pest control advice. It's excellent: directory.usu.edu/aggie/4b2f0d/
Off on a tangent: I love Pinetree Seeds. Their prices are low and they have a great selection with some unusual varieties that aren't sold elsewhere--such as"Saltwort" a great salad green.
You're welcome!
I pruned my cherries with the centers open. I left the central leader and side branches on the Oriental pear. I'm not familiar with persimmons.
I got a great tip on how to prune cherries from another TH-cam video: Cut off the tips of the small twigs and two twigs will grow from the cut. The next year cut off the tips of the two twigs and they'll fork into 4 twigs. I got almost 150 lbs off of one semi-dwarf pie cherry tree with 4 forks! (I had a"Balaton" which is a delicious, deep red hybrid of a sweet and sour cherry.)
I prefer semi-dwarf trees because the yields are higher but I did have dwarfs too. I got 5 bushels off of one semi-dwarf peach tree. (I recommend "Gleason Elberta.")
Marion Murray of Utah State Extension Service has an excellent email bulletin you can subscribe to for very low spray pest control: directory.usu.edu/aggie/4b2f0d/
The "Gardens Alive" catalog has all organic pesticides and fertilizers.
Yikes--I thought my second comment had disappeared because it was way too long. It just loaded slowly. That's why I have one long comment and a redundant short one. Sorry about that!
Actually, it would be .20 cents worth but it was still funny. thx great vid.
Help! My prune tree that's been yielding lots of fruits just got knocked off by strong winter storm and I don't know what to do. It's a bit heavy so it's been sitting like that and what steps I need to take to bring it back to life. Any direction would be appreciated.
Was it knocked over with the roots still mostly intact, or did the tree snap, or some branches break off?
@@FamilyPlotGardenThe roots didn't snap and roots are partially intact. The branches are mostly stable. I could send you a picture if you could provide me an email address. Thanks
familyplot at wkno dot org. Look forward to getting the pictures so we can see what to do.
Can anything be done with the large branches being cut off
You can always try to root them. It May or it may not work. But you know %100 sure that it will not work if you dont try.
Apple is good for smoking or Bbq.
Do you answer questions about pruning
Sure go to www.familyplotgarden.com/ask-a-gardening-gardening-question.html. That is our question form. We'll try to help out.
My trees are 6 years old and too tall! I cannot reach the top. I do have a fruit picker on a pole.
Your 10 year old tree is as large as my trees when they were 3 years old.
wow, i think i need to be a lot more aggressive.
Can we you use saw for pruning?
You use the saw for larger branches. For the smaller branches pruners do a better job.
When to trim
Late winter or early spring. It is best to do it before the leaves come out.
LOL, i'd have a heart attack
if you don't prune it "mother nature" will is very true
Dont use again knife for pruning it is wrong tool to do.scissors big and smal both is right tool for the pruning
Esos árboles,no se apodan asi,así, quitas,vida.
i'm sorry, but the way he made the first cut has so wrong!!! please, man, take the weight of first !!!
I agree. I was like no don't do it. I saw some torn bark.
This guy claims that anvil loppers do "damage" to the limbs but when you look at his technique at 3:48 you can see that he is using his bypass loppers the wrong way around with the clean cut side on the waste wood that is being remove.
Anvil pruners are effective. Try them for yourself, don't listen to this guy.
Jeff Bourke gee Jeff, just complaints?
Jeff Bourke: Sir, anvil pruners may be fine for you. But it's not good to lead others astray. Anvil pruners will crush cork cambium and not make the clean, proper cut that a nice set of Corona bypass loppers will.
And you are right, that there is a better way to hold bypass pruners and loppers. If someone knows what a proper cut should look like, they should soon discover how to place the loppers for that good cut.
Anvil for dead, bypass for alive branches
you didn't prune it, but you destroyed the tree.