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Anyone out pruning this season? Post up some pics! I am going out tomorrow to prune and collect scion wood. Super excited as I haven't been to my orchard in probably 7-8 weeks. Planning on some shed hunting too. I will post some pics here.
I think being in Indiana your fine pruning right now. They're deep in dormancy and not much unless a complete sustained deep freeze that stays for a long time will hurt them I believe. Even if there was a deep freeze there would be damage to any fruit tree pruned or not.
Century farm has some videos that might help with pruning methods and gathering scion. For me watching a video teaches me more that reading a paper, guess that's why I was a C average student :oops:. http://centuryfarmorchards.com/demos/demonstrations.html
Just watch out for the banjo music at the beginning :eek:.
I probably would sell some if someone hit me up for some, but right now I use it to burn and move some air around if we have a cold snap or frost during bud swell and bloom. The pile is in a low spot between two orchards, burning there really moves air.
The basic thing I teach people is to get light and airflow through out the tree to your fruiting wood. Keep a sound strong pyramid shaped central leader tree. Keep branches from forking, but keep that fruiting wood (small side branches going out from the main branch). Suckers, those growing aggressively straight up, and pendant wood, those growing strait down, can go.
If you have a lot to do on a neglected or wild tree, take your time, you don't want to do it all in one year. Just thin it out a little evenly throughout the tree, then do some more again next.
Try and promote that good fruiting wood, those that are two to four years old, with nice fat buds like this....