Routine winter pruning should remove about 10–20 per cent of the canopy. This depends on the tree’s vigour and needs a bit of judgement. However, understanding the fruiting habit of your tree can help you prune more effectively to ensure a good crop. We no longer recommend routine rigorous shortening of all young growth on spur-bearing trees. But the current pruning approach is more relaxed and very similar for all three. Traditionally the pruning advice for spur-bearing treeswas different to the advice for tip-bearing and partial tip-bearing trees. Malvern Autumn Show - 22–24 September 2023īush trees like these should be pruned every winter © RHS/Clive Nicholsįor more recently planted trees, follow our advice on pruning young apples and pears. For space-saving restricted shapes, such as espaliers, cordons, fans and pyramids, use summer pruning.Īpple and pear cultivars can be divided into three groups according to where the fruit bud is produced and the fruit carried: spur-bearers, tip-bearers and partial tip-bearers.RHS Garden Wisley Flower Show - 5–10 September 2023.RHS Garden Rosemoor Flower Show - 18–20 August 2023.RHS Garden Hyde Hall Flower Show - 2–6 August 2023.RHS Flower Show Tatton Park - 19–23 July 2023.RHS Hampton Court Palace Garden Festival - 4–9 July 2023.

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