AVOID These 7 Common Tree Pruning Mistakes! | Winter Prune Your Fruit Trees With Confidence

You might find yourself avoiding pruning your fruit trees. Or, you might find that you jump headling into pruning, but go a little crazy with your shears. Whoever you are, be sure to keep the tips in this fruit tree pruning video in mind as you apprqoch pruning this year!
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[@TheBusyGardener]

*What is the scariest thing to YOU about pruning your fruit trees?* When you prune, start with a sharp and quality pair of pruning shears. Some models I use and trust are found here (affiliate): www.amazon.com/shop/thebusygardener?listId=1DT82SNGY6SWW&ref=idea_share_inf

[@bradcarby3765]

This guy is great. If Kevin at epic gardening endorses this guy and he obviously has great content, why not 500k subscribers here? Such a natural teacher. Good luck for the future Bud.

[@TheBusyGardener]

Thanks for the vote of confidence and encouragement, Brad!

[@chrissartain4430]

as a certified arborist of 34 years your tree cuts look spot on.

[@TheBusyGardener]

Wow, thanks for the input! 😃 A few thousand pruning cuts in, that's actually comforting to hear 😂

[@eugeniustheodidactus8890]

The DIRECTION of the BUD is the DIRECTION of the new BRANCH. 🙏🏼 Many thanks!!!

[@TheBusyGardener]

Yes!! So helpful to know when training

[@paulsell2438]

Finished my winter pruning a couple weeks ago. I'll say that this is all great advice. Pruning is definitely something you learn a lot by experience.

[@TheBusyGardener]

Yes! Every cut bring me you closer to pruning mastery

[@operationgoddess]

Very nicely done video for beginners. Thank you.

[@lesiamany3391]

I’ve watched lots of pruning videos and you by far give the best advice. Thank you.

[@tank014]

Great content! You're on your way to huge subscriber numbers with this kind of stuff. Thanks for the knowledge!!!

[@TheBusyGardener]

I appreciate that!

[@StevenSmith-7t391]

Excellent video! Thank you!

[@skittlezz727]

You are right about fears of pruning. I deal with that fear by being informed. I ask and identify what I'm not sure about, and then when I know, I'm ready. Fear removed by knowledge gives you the confidence of success. And you have to do it because a mistake done is better than not ever doing anything to the tree. I love my trees too much.

[@OliveCityOasis]

Nice video, Cameron. All great points. I always tell people that the fear really *does* go away. 😊 A little experience, and it's obvious how resilient fruit trees are and also how much they benefit from regular pruning!

[@TheBusyGardener]

Well said!

[@4666raptor]

Haha the jaws part with the “fin” made me smile thanks

[@alexandrapinson3218]

Thanks for the amazing information. I especially appreciated the close up for the outward facing bud.

[@TheBusyGardener]

Great! I know first hand how helpful a visual of these concepts are. Glad it helped!

[@LeverActionLarry]

High quality production and always fun to watch! Great tips!

[@TheBusyGardener]

Thanks, disc golf bear!

[@gingersnaptrack9337]

Thanks, forever in dept for your priceless advice on pruning.

[@TheBusyGardener]

Glad it helped! 😊

[@michelemarch8270]

Thank You😊

[@ivicasvilicic2325]

Fantastic video

[@lyndacraig5686]

That was so helpful and educational, thank you.

[@TheBusyGardener]

You are so welcome!

[@Kmrc1213]

thanks much!!

[@ericarose3486]

yaaaay, so glad I found you! I used to work for the Ingram family, up here in SB, I've heard so much about you! Super excited to listen to all your wisdom here and get to know you better. Have a great week!

[@TheBusyGardener]

Awww, what a neat connection! We love the Ingrams a whole lot. Thanks for getting in touch!

[@gcnewd]

Thank you

[@claudiamcn2582]

Thank you very clear n love the instruction n then the actual pruning

[@TheBusyGardener]

Glad it was helpful!

[@TheEnthusiasticGardener]

SO much great information here ... thank you very much 😊

[@TheBusyGardener]

Thanks, TEG. Glad it was helpful!

[@likwadation]

Thats it! I'm going to get my pruners and prune my trees!

[@TheBusyGardener]

You've got this!

[@kerrivankirk4631]

Thank you so much for this!

[@TheBusyGardener]

You're so welcome! 😊

[@bigpumpkin22]

A good insight , Thanks

[@TheBusyGardener]

Glad it was helpful!

[@naturalwitchery]

Letting disease in is the scariest part for me. It's really wet in Oregon, and we are organic. Timing is everything here!

[@lorenheard2561]

Thank you!! I learned quite important cutting techniques from yourself!!! ☘️🕊️🐦🤠

[@TheBusyGardener]

That's so encouraging to hear! 😊

[@user-yi7tb5vm5r]

Hello from Aegina island - Greece!! I love your videos!! Huge fan!! I’ve been inspired from your garden so much!! I’m doing similar work to yours around my house here!! Love, Yiannis

[@TheBusyGardener]

That's so great to hear!

[@sylvianted15]

Great videos Cameron! Like your "regular" backyard gardener/orchard culture approach and tips. Ever think of doing a video on cleaning and sharping of your pruning tools? Would be very informative!

[@TheBusyGardener]

Wow, thanks for the encouragement! I think doing a cleaning and sharpening video, or general tool care video makes a lot of sense

[@jerry.williams9163]

Very good information . Thank you. !😎🇺🇸😎

[@TheBusyGardener]

Thanks for watching!

[@ash1570]

Thanks for the video learnt a lot!

[@TheBusyGardener]

I'm so glad it helped! Pruning is one of the more scary propositions for fruit tree grower.

[@suzubee9602]

Thanks for the video its very helpful

[@TheBusyGardener]

Glad it helped!

[@ahmerbinsajid1388]

Informative, thanks.

[@TheBusyGardener]

Thanks for watching!

[@TheeItalianStalian]

Thank you for passing on this knowledge (:

[@TheBusyGardener]

My pleasure!

[@kinezmaterz2083]

needed information thank you

[@TheBusyGardener]

Glad it was helpful!

[@BoltActionBob]

Good stuff!

[@TheBusyGardener]

Thanks!

[@JH-nb4nn]

This was a good video ...Thank you

[@TheBusyGardener]

Glad you enjoyed it! 😊

[@suzannesutton5636]

love the 5 Ds and the visual prompt! great info re outward-facing buds! would like to see close-ups of the cuts. arent they all supposed to be at a 45-degree angle facing a particular direction?

[@terryallaway5881]

RE: Waiting too long to prune. Because of such heavy disease pressure on our always moist coast in zone 9B, we need to wait for all the stone fruit to come out of dormancy before pruning. This gives the tree a chance to actively seal pruning wounds against disease. I like to wait until bloom is over so the bees are the happiest. It's still hard, especially if there is forming fruit and there's not a big window to get the job done. Great video! I send my landscaping clients over to watch you.

[@TheBusyGardener]

That makes sense! It's definitely more psychological to make those cuts before bloom. Plus, easier to see what's actually going on with the branches before they're covered in blooms and leaves. Thanks for watching! 😃

[@toosense]

Great info. So two dumb things I did early on was I pruned a large citrus tree into the goblet shape of a stone fruit tree because I was trying to thicken the branches. Bad.. so bad. Never do that. Lol Another dumb thing I did was cut off the top of a citrus tree.. I was trying to reduce height to make it easier for picking, instead I encouraged tons of new growth up high. Lol Live and learn. 😂 The trees were very forgiving and came back just in time for the Arctic blast to get them. 🤷🏻‍♀️🤦🏻‍♀️

[@TheBusyGardener]

Those are legitimately good examples of pruning mistakes on citrus. Are they doing OK now?

[@toosense]

The Busy Gardener nope, not sure if they're going to survive the freeze we just had, Im in Texas. They look like the bare trees you're pruning in the vid. I covered them really well but the cold just lasted too long.

[@tbluemel]

Another great video, Cameron! My greatest pruning fear is missing a cut I should have made.. but there's always do-overs. You look 100% well and I am so happy to see it!

[@TheBusyGardener]

YES! The regret of inaction

[@tbluemel]

@@TheBusyGardener I have never regretted cutting too much, even though I cringe every time I draw my sword. 🤣

[@christinemccoy4471]

@tblue The worst is cutting the wrong one off

[@SuerteDelMolinoFarm]

Dramatic but appreciated. Greetings from the LooseNatural farm in Andalusia Spain

[@TheBusyGardener]

The terror I felt pruning in my early fruit tree days WAS dramatic 😂

[@orlandominichiello]

Clear cut explanations, thanks .Is limited summer pruning safe?

[@TheBusyGardener]

Absolutely! I do a lot of pruning in summer air size control. Check out my other vids on summer pruning!

[@Don-Coyote-De-Transylvania]

I agree with everything except the aggressive part. The more you cut the more will grow. That's why your trees are full of suckers. Or those suckers you have there is because you fertilize and irrigate very well? Also mild climate you have there also helps i think. In this case i might be wrong. Also if your soil is very fertile trees also grow like crazy. So many variables lool.

[@11aaf]

The scariest part of pruning for me is... I might cut too much off and put my tree into shock for next season, so that it won't grow much fruit.

[@TheBusyGardener]

Definitely a scary proposition. Don't cut off more than 1/4-1/3 of the overall tree canopy in a given season

[@joshbeekman5474]

For each action is a reaction.

[@robkeller3431]

Bought a couple of pluots this summer that were whips. I planted them as is and didn't cut them down to knee high at the time. I regretted that I didn't, so I cut them down to knee high a week ago. I hope the trees recover from it. Not sure if I waited too long now that the cold is settling in?

[@timontran4728]

I made all the mistakes. :( Thanks for the video :)

[@TheBusyGardener]

You're welcome! We're all standing on a mountain of our mistakes, which hopefully turn into experience

[@fernandovelasco3006]

Thank you for your inspirational videos. If you had to choose from the Nectaplum or the Double Delight Nectarine which one would you plant? I recently planted Saturn Donut and Arctic Star Nectarine and want to plant one of the two above.

[@TheBusyGardener]

Thanks Fernando! If I had to plant only one, it's definitely Spice Zee Nectaplum. That thing has amazing fruit and gorgeous foliage.

[@fernandovelasco3006]

@@TheBusyGardener Thank you. I appreciate your response.

[@user-vo6mk2zf2v]

You talked about many great points on prunning. I had someone prune my overgrown flowing crabapple tree over a month ago, and now half the tree is dying off. It looks awful. I'm not sure what to do now. HELP !!!

[@TheBusyGardener]

Have you checked out my pruning playlist, lots of practical videos!

[@vulk86]

The scariest part is to be finished. I love pruning!

[@TheBusyGardener]

LOL! Don't fear the man with many pruning shears. Beware the man with one set who isn't afraid to use them 😂

[@tonijackson2094]

Is April to late to prune a apricot tree. I have two side-by-side and one is started flowering but not the other.

[@diasmall0205]

I'm an aggressive pruner... like really aggressive. I'm lucky I have more than a stick.

[@TheBusyGardener]

Yeah, I looked at my trees when I was done and second guess myself with the ground full of pruned branches 😂

[@AussieJuz]

Hi mate, another question on the first trunk chop. When planting a new tree would you recommend to give it a year to establish it's root base before doing a trunk chop to establish it's low height or is it ok to lop it off once it's in the ground? I'm a little worried that it doesn't have enough healthy roots to take such an aggressive chop

[@teachvida]

I have the same question!

[@TheBusyGardener]

I'd make the chop right away upon planting (or even before). You want all the tree's resources going into the branches you intend to keep, not the canopy you're going to cut off. Your roots supporting less canopy is actually a good thing if they experience transplant stress

[@Hyasbountifulgarden]

Hi there i know this is an old video but i hope you can see it, can i still prune an old plum tree right now? I'm in Redlands California thanks

[@TheBusyGardener]

You can prune a plum whenever you want! That said, you're probably past the benefits of summer pruning for stimulating growth, and probably it to wait till leaf drop so you can detail prune

[@jaydubs679]

what if the central main trunk/branch is oozing?

[@lindarice5783]

Don't compare pruning with losing a limb; instead, think of it as a haircut! 😄

[@garyhovey9305]

Biggest fear when pruning a fruit tree is “what if the tree won’t produce fruit? What if I cut one that will produce vs a dead branch”?

[@TheBusyGardener]

Seriously... I've been there. Thankfully dead/dying branches look shriveled, whereas a live branch looks springy and full.

[@JackyHeijmans]

I keep confusing or flowers and fruits will grow on the old wood, or on new wood. So with pruning I have to check every sort to see what to cut away. I have been cutting the wrong branches away more than once, and got no flowers, no fruit what so ever that year. But I also saw what can happen if you don't prune at all. A beautiful plumtree that broke in half over too much plums. It died over it. Also, I have a blue berriebush, that is about 2 years old now. It says you should not prune them for the first 3 years or so. Do you know anything about that? Thank you for this video, I learned some! Hugs from the Netherlands! (Europe) 🤗

[@TheBusyGardener]

Hi Jacky, thanks for tuning in! Here is some solid blueberry pruning advice from StarkBros (an excellent nursery here in the US). Good luck! www.starkbros.com/growing-guide/how-to-grow/berry-plants/blueberry-plants/pruning

[@JackyHeijmans]

@@TheBusyGardener Oh hey! Thank you so much, I will go watch it right away! Hugs! 😀🤗

[@SuperbBleu]

Jump to 2:34.

[@kryslaurelle]

I have young trees, so my fear is messing up their final/overall shape. I wish you could come up and prune my apple for me!

[@xunedenezelbor]

Same here ! :D

[@TheBusyGardener]

I've made my share of mistakes, but generally speaking, you won't create a fatal error when pruning. You've got this!

[@jaylarsen4077]

Can the cut rootstock be used for grafting?

[@TheBusyGardener]

Like propagate the rootstock into a new little tree to graft onto? YES! Although, I'm not clear on how rootstocks are propagated, so...

[@monkncook]

Is March still winter pruning month? I need to do!

[@TheBusyGardener]

YES! You may have to deal with some flowers or foliage, but still great to prune

[@gfutube1]

Scariest thing is creating water sprouts on my satomi dogwoods

[@1gregoryhyde]

What if it gets really cold during winter.

[@TheBusyGardener]

No difference. Still do it!

[@teachvida]

Ahhhh!! I 'm so scared to prune my trees, but I know I need to! I started watching your videos and am trying to raise up the courage! Is it too late to prune in North Florida? I have two persimmons, one I planted last summer, the other I just got in the ground last week. I also have a pomegranate and a loquat that I haven't touched (both were planted last summer as well). My biggest fear is that I have no idea what I'm doing (because I don't xD)!

[@TheBusyGardener]

Definitely NOT too late to prune. Watch the videos you can, and get out there and prune. Your tree will be happy you did, and will recover from most mistakes you make.

[@joebetoblame]

how far into winter should I wait?

[@TheBusyGardener]

Once your tree is dormant. The issue here is having the foliage of your deciduous trees mostly gone so you can easily see the structure for smarter pruning.

[@Ckeese75]

I have 2 dwarf citrus that I have question about. One is a improved Meyer lemon and one is a Bearss seedless lime. This is their second year. First year I just up potted to 12 inch pot. This fall I moved them to a much larger pot. Provided good draining soil and gave them a little citrus tree fertilizer. Now it is spring in 9B Bakersfield CA. We had a bad wind and I lost almost all their leaves, did some mild pruning to shape. The lemon has tons and tons ( maybe too many) of little flower buds and No new leaf shoots. The other has a bunch of new leaf shoots and maybe a handful of flower buds. Why do you think that is happening? I mean like loaded with flower buds maybe 50 to each small branch. It’s only 2 feet tall (lemon) Please advise if their is something wrong or something I should do ?? Thank you very much for your time. I am new to growing citrus trees.

[@theresaparodi6027]

Oh my, I’m in east Bay Area and the exact same thing happened. I have two very young Meyer and lime trees and the wind storm took off the majority of leaves. Oh if I had only moved them indoors. They are very small so I keep moving them so they get the maximum amount of sunshine, but I’m concerned that new leaves will not grow where they once were!

[@TheBusyGardener]

Sorry to hear about that!! When I see a citrus without foliage, that's usually not a good thing. Generally speaking, citrus doesn't require thinning, but in your case, I would gently remove any flowers or fruit so the tree has enough resources to develop additional foliage. I imagine this may set your production back, but will give it the best shot.

[@Ckeese75]

@@theresaparodi6027 don’t loose hope, it’s probably a little warmer here than where you are, be patient I bet they will start producing new growth very soon. I don’t know a lot but I would recommend feeding them something, but don’t take my word for it, I’m so new at this. But they seemed to enjoy a little organic water soluable fertilizer from time to time, especially if they are in a container. I use granular organic citrus and liquid fish emulsion

[@Ckeese75]

@@TheBusyGardener thank you I appreciate the tip and the video!!!

[@theresaparodi6027]

@@Ckeese75 me too. Organic granular and fish emulsion 🌳♥️

[@puckjohn]

Hey Cameron, Is it too late to prune a tree down to knee high? I’ve got a couple cherry trees around 7ft tall but they have no prominent branches just a lot of flowering

[@TheBusyGardener]

Not too late! The sooner you do, the sooner the lower buds will push branches

[@puckjohn]

It was so hard to cut off 4ft of flowering tree

[@TheBusyGardener]

The heart hurts more than the tree does

[@michaelagibbs9695]

Scariest is the first cut to produce the low branching. I have planted 2 bareroot trees this year, the first was my Spiced Z nectaplum and I pruned it to knee high, within a few weeks it leafed out. The second was my Dorset Golden apple tree, made the cut and still no sign of life. When I bought it, it had started to leaf out just not as low as I wanted. So now I'm worried I killed it...

[@jenelleoleary7635]

I have that apple and it has leafed out a bunch already. I am in Southern California so I'm not sure your climate but that apple variety should have leafed out if you're in a warm zone.

[@TheBusyGardener]

Give it a little time. Usually a pruning cut won't kill a healthy 5gal tree. I've never had it happen to me, but I suppose it's possible. Give it another month or two. You're gonna love you Nectaplum, BTW

[@SDMev1982]

I’ve become pretty good at pruning but the scariest part is that my pruners aren’t sharp enough and I’m going to make a ratty cut. I like nice clean cuts but I’ve made some ratty ones as well.

[@TheBusyGardener]

The ratty cuts are the worst! I've learned the hard way to cut perpendicular to the stem, vs. that sideways stuff that shreds the stem.

[@02271953me]

Scariest part?? For me it's wondering how long it will take me to clean up the mess in the cold of winter.

[@cherylcurtiss899]

All my new growth is vertical. I can't reach to pick the fruit. I've ended up with balls producing only vertical growth. My tree is 25 yrs and 8 inches across at main trunk. I have four main branches. This was supposed to be a dwarf gravenstien. But I'm sure someone changed the tag. It would grow too high. The trunk is wider than the prune tree. My pruning always produces vertical branches even when an out growing stem.

[@TheBusyGardener]

It's hard to imagine that pruning to outward facing buds continues to only grow vertically without a more compact shape. I've got a couple apples that want to grow columnar shape and habit, but do respond to pruning

[@Barbara-sl7qw]

Skip to 4:00 for actual content.

[@jamesvatter5729]

Overdoing it and having three or more years of no fruit as a consequence.

[@danielfisch655]

#1 should be, “not cleaning pruners and loppers before and after pruning”.

[@TheBusyGardener]

"The only good fruit tree is a dead one" - Plant Pathogens

[@xunedenezelbor]

I'm afraid to prune trees because I fear killing them with my mistakes

[@TheBusyGardener]

I know that fear! Thankfully even though it's scary, It's hard to kill a tree through pruning.

[@michelemarble6799]

My scariest part is….did I do the pruning at the wrong time.

[@TheBusyGardener]

There is no official wrong time (unless you're pruning off a bunch of viable fruit before harvest). There are optimal times to prune for different reasons, but seriously no issue pruning at most times

[@chivas_gold]

But I don’t want to… 😢😢😢 my peach tree looks so defenseless

[@TheBusyGardener]

Your peach tree is counting on you! 💪

[@chivas_gold]

@@TheBusyGardener i am 6B is too late to prune. My peaches are waking up. I see some green. Should I wait for summer ?

[@TheBusyGardener]

I think it's always an ok time to prune

[@robkeller3431]

Prune now and cry later 😂

[@TheBusyGardener]

😂

[@cindys.w.8566]

Dude you have those trees way to close to each other. Give them space and you will notice how much more they will produce and not fight for sunshine and less suckers and thin new branches will grow. You have much to deal with now :-(

[@TheBusyGardener]

They're growing huge, and with plenty of production!

[@adrianabarbulescu9270]

Please be considerate and do the conversion to metric system so the rest of the world understands what you're talking about ...inches for you , cm / m ...for us the public watching !

[@tonypatzhox4466]

Guys you just show how to do it. Just talking talking and f..kn talking . We have to see...

[@TheRagjr]

Too much unnecessary discussion. Get to the point and avoid non-helpful discussion

[@XXXston3wallXXX]

Thank you

[@TheBusyGardener]

Thanks for watching!