We explain this technique, and the principles behind how a fruit tree likes to grow, in much more detail in Pruning Young Fruit Trees. The photo above is a young plum tree that only has 4 limbs, but has been pruned back hard to encourage more limbs to grow from low in the tree (‘establishment’ pruning). We usually recommend pruning your trees into a ‘vase’ shape, with between 6 and 10 limbs, starting from a central point about knee height above the ground.

These are the permanent, structural parts of your fruit tree. Here’s how we label various parts of the tree: A two year old plum tree (still in the establishment pruning phase) after winter pruning Limbs/branches, sometimes called ‘scaffold’ branches So today we thought we’d share some basic pruning terminology. We explain our foolproof 7-step pruning method in this blog.īut before you get started with learning how to prune, it’s fairly important to understand the different parts of your tree and what they do. We talk a lot about pruning because we know it worries more than 50% of home growers. Do you want reminders about simple jobs to keep your fruit trees healthy? CLICK HERE to sign up for our free Weekly Fruit Tips newsletter.

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