As I write this, it’s overcast, drizzling and freaking cold. Quite a change from the day before, which was 66 degrees and sunny. Welcome to winter in Humboldt.
I’m sure we’re all grateful for the break in the endless rain that occurred in late December and early January. I know I am, as it’s a busy time for my line of work. Winter means pruning time for those fruit trees, raspberries, roses and blueberries. Obviously your trees, roses and shrubberies will continue to produce if you don’t prune them, but after a few years, they’ll get overgrown and eventually produce less fruit and flowers.
So how to prune? If you learn easily from reading a book or handout, there are some excellent resources out there. One of my favorite books for fruit tree pruning is Fruit Trees for Every Garden: An Oganic Approach to Growing Apples, Pears, Peaches, Plums, Citrus, and More, by Orin and Manjula Martin. Orin was the long-time manager of the renowned Chadwick Garden on the campus of University of California Santa Cruz.
There are literally thousands of online tutorials, pamphlets and videos that promise to teach you how to prune. But what if you’re nervous and don’t want to just read how to do this?
Luckily for you, there are workshops and one-day events that focus on pruning. The Humboldt Rose Society offers multiple workshops on rose pruning and care, including one on Jan. 25 at Shafer’s Ace Hardware Fortuna, for which you can sign up at (707) 442-5734. Peruse the full calendar at humboldtrosesociety.org.
But what about fruit trees? The University of California Master Gardener program has an excellent handout that explains the basis of fruit tree pruning. You can find that at homeorchard.ucanr.edu/The_Big_Picture/Pruning_&_Training. Also watch your local garden groups, pages and the Journal’s Calendar for announcements about upcoming workshops. There are also approximately 8 million YouTube videos that will show you how to prune trees, roses and shrubs. Choose wisely and choose for your climate.
Once you’re ready to tackle pruning, you need the proper tools. I recommend a good pair of pruning shears (I use Felcos but the less expensive brands also have quality ones), a sharpener for said pruners, a sturdy pair of loppers, a pole saw, an orchard ladder, a stepladder, a bottle of alcohol (rubbing, hold off on the drinking kind until after you’re done pruning), dormant oil, a sprayer and sturdy gardening gloves. And unless you’re pruning larger trees, please, I beg of you, hold off on the chainsaw. I’ve seen some pretty sad trees that have been attacked by a chainsaw-wielding gardener. Since apples only produce on wood that’s two years old or older, if you use the “chainsaw method,” not only will you notget any fruit for another two years, you will cause the tree to put out about a billion sprouts from the cuts. It’s not pretty, trust me. I will use a chainsaw sparingly to get an overgrown, poorly pruned tree back into shape, but only to take out crossing branches and branches that are stumped by previous folks.
I’ve also been told by my editor that her mother uses a Chinese cleaver. She regaled me and my pruning helper last year with a tale about her mother coming back in the house holding the cleaver. When asked what she did with it outside, she replied she was pruning an overgrown tree. Um. When family members went out back, they discovered half the tree was gone. I suspect it didn’t fruit that year. Or the year after that and the year after that. So I can’t recommend a cleaver but your mileage may vary.
If you’re nervous about pruning for the first time, there are many pros out there that are happy to come help you with your yard and orchard. Do ask for references, though. Many a person comfortable using a chainsaw has told former clients they know how to prune fruit trees, but it turns out they know how to cut a lot off the tree. Fruit tree pruning takes a bit of finesse. I’ve seen some hack jobs — literally hacked — as I drive around town, and I would take photos and share them here, but since I don’t want to tree shame, I’ll just encourage you to look at trees as you drive around town. Use your best judgement.
After you’ve pruned, make sure you use a good dormant spray, soaking the entire tree or rose. Especially on the coast, our cool foggy weather gives rise to more than a few diseases that will impact fruiting.
Once our June-uary returns (we usually get a few weeks of spring-like weather in January/February), get on out there and try your hand at pruning. The bounty you reap will make this work worth the reward.
Julia Graham-Whitt (she/her) is owner and operator of the landscaping business Two Green Thumbs.
This article appears in Sanctuary in the Storm.