Tui Grow Guides - Pruning Fruit Trees

There's no one size fits all method when it comes to pruning fruit trees and not all fruiting plants require an annual prune. Discover when, why and how to prune popular fruit trees.

- You don't necessarily need to prune each year, in fact you may remove fruiting wood. The best pruning method depends on the type of tree.  

- Pruning helps maintain a certain shape (research your tree variety and the best growing shape), encourages new growth and lets the sun, birds and air in. 

- Prune on a dry day, using clean, sharp tools. Seal cuts larger than 2.5cm with pruning paste or water based paint to prevent disease entering.

All fruit trees are different in terms of their fruiting wood. Here's the rules for each tree:

Pruning Feijoa Trees

1. Feijoas fruit on new wood that grows in spring.

2. Prune in winter after fruiting unless you live in a frost prone area. If you're in a frost prone area, prune the tips in summer avoiding fruiting branches.

3. Maintain a 'Bush' shape removing dead, week, diseased or criss-crossing wood. 

4. Make cuts on a sloping angle above an outward facing bud.

Pruning Citrus Trees

1. Citrus fruit continuously in warm regions.

2. Prune any time if you live in a frost free area. If frosts are possible, wait until spring after fruiting. 

3. Maintain a 'Bush' shape removing dead, week, diseased or criss-crossing wood. 

4. Make cuts on a sloping angle above an outward facing bud.

Pruning Plum Trees

1. Prune yearly in late summer after harvest. 

2. Maintain a 'Vase' or 'Fan' shape.

3. Plums produce fruit on spurs that grow on 1-3 year old wood.

4. Make cuts on a sloping angle, shorten weak laterals and trim back laterals that have already fruited. Thin vigourous shoots back by one third.

That's a good pruning start! Follow our Fruit Tree Pruning Guide here >