The constant gardener
How to prune fruit trees in summer
French orchardists often keep their trees small as it makes them easier to harvest, spray and cover with bird-proof netting, if need be. In the home orchard it also means more varieties can be fitted in, which in turn means fruit production can be extended over a longer season.
The best way to keep these trees at a manageable size is by pruning in summer because removing leafy branches means fewer leaves to photosynthesise, hampering the tree’s energy production and thus size and vigour. For new trees, growth should be cut back by half in early summer
