It’s February – Time to Prune Fruit Trees

For horticulturists and gardeners, the month of February means it’s again time to yearly prune our plants.  When it comes to tree and small fruits, pruning is very important and a must, especially if we hope to enjoy a great crop later on in the year. Annual pruning of fruit trees and vines stimulates growth of desirable fruit-bearing wood throughout the plant. A balance between fertilizer applications and pruning to maintain moderate growth will result in more fruit bud formation. The primary purposes of pruning bearing fruit plants are:

• To thin overcrowded growth to permit more efficient spraying and to allow better light and air circulation through the plant
• To remove dead, diseased, weak-growing, or unproductive wood 
• To limit height and spread of the plant
• To stimulate growth of new fruit-bearing wood for next year's crop
• To properly direct the growth of new shoots throughout the plant and to maintain good balance in tree structure
• To perform some fruit thinning by thinning out of fruiting wood, as is normally practiced with peaches

Time of pruning varies with the type of plant and its fruiting habits. Although tree fruits - apples, pears, peaches, plums, and figs  - can be pruned during the winter months, waiting until February and early March is preferable. Prune them before early bloom. However, pruning may extend through the flowering season with no detrimental effects. Water sprouts (upright, sucker-type growth) can be removed now or in the spring and summer.

Pruning small fruits, such as muscadine grapes, stimulates growth and limits height and spread of the plant. Grapes and blackberries (trailing and upright) produce their fruits on current spring growth developing only from 1-year-old wood. Thus, they should be pruned to create an abundance of healthy 1-year-old shoots. With blueberries, once the plants are 5 to 7 years old, remove one or more old canes and replace them with new canes each year. Grapes, blueberries, and blackberries should all be pruned during February or by early March.

 Landscape Maintenance Workshop

Speaking of pruning, on Saturday, February 17, 2007, there will be a Landscape Maintenance/Pruning Workshop in Auburn in Lee County.  This year’s workshop will be held at the home of Wallace and Barbara Baldwin located at 1314 Moores Mill Road in Auburn. The exact agenda has yet to be determined but we know we will cover everything from shrub selection, proper pruning landscape practices, and deer fencing.  We will also be available to answer your landscape questions.  

There is no charge for this workshop; it’s free.  Come at 8 a.m. for sausage biscuits and hot coffee sponsored by the Lee County Alfa Farmers Federation. The workshop will begin at 8:30 a.m. and end around 11:30 a.m. It is an outdoor event so come prepared for the weather. Hope to see you there.

 Home Tree Care Workshop

If you are interested in learning more about growing, maintaining, and preserving trees, then join us for 2^nd Annual Home Tree Care Workshop on Thursday, February 22, 2007. This workshop is sponsored by the Alabama Cooperative Extension System in partnership with the Alabama Forestry Commission, the Montgomery Tree Committee, and the City of Montgomery.

Topics planned to be discussed include: Pruning Young and Mature Trees, the 10 Best and 10 Worst Landscape Trees, Inspecting and Assessing Tree Health & Defects, Protecting Trees During Building Construction, Storm Proofing Trees, and Developing a Residential and Community Tree Management Plan.

This workshop is designed for homeowners, Master Gardeners, landscape professionals, certified arborists, and anyone else interested in growing and protecting the trees around our homes.

This year’s home tree care workshop will be held in the Beard Building Auditorium of the AL State Dept. of Agriculture & Industries located at 1445 Federal Drive in Montgomery. The workshop is scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. and end at 3 p.m. There is a $15 charge for all participants.  Lunch will be provided as part of that charge. 

All participants are asked to register by Friday, February 16, 2007, by calling the Montgomery County Extension office at 334-265-0233, and submit payment to the Montgomery County Extension office, 125 Washington Ave, Montgomery, Alabama 36104.  Seating is limited to no more than 100 people.

For more information, contact the Tallapoosa County Extension Office at 256-825-1050 or visit us online at www.aces.edu.