It seems to me, if I remember correctly, Wally used to begin his pruning program a month after the last apple was picked. He pruned all winter and into the spring and pruned the peaches and the apricots last. We always had great fruit production resulting from great pruning.
I was always told that with fall pruning one must refrain from making large cuts because of the potential of tree damage caused by deep winter cold, but I have found little difference even with our coldest Prairie weather.
In our yard, we have one plum, one cot, two pears, two apples, and one sour cherry. The trees are now 18 years old. When I came into this yard in 2005, I listened to the pundits who advocated spring pruning only. The apples and the cherries yield was good but the soft fruit yield was pitiful except for the cherries which produce a heavy crop every other year. The blossoms were plentiful, the set was alright, but most of the fruit fell off the trees before it ripened.
The talk was to cut the trees down. I appealed on behalf of the trees. Give them one more chance. Two years ago I began pruning in the fall. The first spring, lots of blossoms again. The yield on the plum tree was spectacular in our terms. We got a picking pail full! I have one of Wally’s old pails for measurement. The apricot gave us a dozen or so but only two stayed on to ripen, but that was more than the tree had ever produced! The pears were few as well. One tree produced nothing, the other gave us a few to eat.
This year, again many blossoms on both the prune and the cot. The pears not so good. The pollination was great, but the amazing thing is the fruit stayed on the trees! We got two dozen yummy cots and a bucket full of pears! Who would have thunk it that fall pruning would have such a dramatic affect on the fruit yield? The plum yield was good too but not as heavy as last year, for it too seems to be on a two year cycle.
I’ve done my pruning for the year already. I waited the month for the soft fruits only. I pruned the apples while some of the bird pecked ones were still on trees. The apples don’t seem to mind early pruning. Most of the leaves have fallen from the fruit trees. Our lawn guy will deal those.
Now all I have to do is to change to winter tires and hunker down for the next six months.