Fruit Tree Pruning: Opening up to Light

Orange tree we enjoyed in Otavalo, Ecuador, February 2013

Last Saturday my friend, Sonora, & I took an all-day fruit tree pruning workshop at Bartram's Garden co-sponsored by the Philadelphia Orchard Project.  The day began with a lecture.  I began to understand fruit tree pruning as sculpture.  Swoon.  I love it when our relationships with land and plants become artful & passionate.  Pruning fruit trees is largely to redirect energy towards fruit production, creating fleshier, juicier fruit, but also ensuring long-term tree health.

We moved outside to two apple trees.  During this past summer, Kevin & I had relaxed under the shade of the trees eating Little Baby's ice cream cones at the annual Bee Festival.  It was nice to revisit the same trees during their dormancy.  A Bartram's staff member shared that the trees hadn't received much pruning in recent years.  Our instructor began offering us ways to look at the tree as it was and the tree as it could be.  He invited us to imagine how the sun would reach the tree and what branches might be shade-bound.  We began to consider how the tree would hold the fruit, bear weight, and weather storms.  We envisioned squirrel paths as a means to consider wise pruning.  Finally, our instructor reminded us that we could create a truly climb-able tree for children.  Yay!  I love creating space for people to fall in love with trees, plants, and earth.  I think we're all more apt to be more careful stewards if we have memories and love for living things.

During the course of the day we learned how to separate soft branches of young trees to create L-shaped angles that are stronger than V-shaped "crotch" junctures.  Our eyes became accustomed to seeing the tree as it was, bare under the winter sun, and as it would be throughout spring, summer, and fall.  Ultimately, we created an Old Tree Paste to provide a sunblock against sun-scald.  It was such a funny practice.  First, we exfoliated the bark.  Then, we used paint rollers on long poles to paint the tree, trunk to top branches.  As the tree took on a muted, clay cover we stepped away to admire our work.  The paste also works to deter rodents and deer, smother pest organisms, and reduce disease fungal organisms.

We're at the ideal annual moment to prune fruit-bearing trees.  Rooted Landscaping is available to offer healthy pruning for your trees or to train you to care for your trees yourself.  These actions have practical worth, but it's also so lovely to feed the creative inclination as we allow the healthiest tree to emerge.