stLouISTProtect Trees From Winter's Wrath With A Few Preventive Steps
URBANA, Ill. - Most deciduous trees are best pruned while they are in full dormancy. This happens to be February or March for this part of the country. While many of our landscape trees don’t necessarily need yearly pruning, the same can’t be said for fruit trees, especially if you want your trees to consistently bear fruit. If fruit trees are left to their own devices, they can quickly get too tall to easily harvest fruit at the tops of trees. Fruit trees are pruned for several reasons. First, to open the canopy so that all branches receive sunlight. The more sunlight a branch gets, the better its fruit production will be. Second, to help manage diseases and make pesticide applications easier. Opening the canopy to sunlight and air allows the canopy to dry out faster, helping to reduce disease problems. Finally, pruning keeps trees short so that fruit can be reached. Most people, especially when they first start, are intimidated by pruning fruit trees and end up pruning
