Pruning, Pt. I

Time for a deep winter manicure. Note the long, whip-like branch growth characteristic of pear trees.

Last week, I started tackling Sterling's single pear tree behind Simpson. At this time last year, I began teaching myself how to identify problematic growth patterns out of books and YouTube videos. This tree drew my attention the most, as it was wildly beautiful after many years of neglect (growing whichever direction it willed) but had not borne much fruit as a consequence and was beginning to show winter damage. Whether it was the pruning I did or just was a coincidentally good year, it bore over 300 lbs. of pears in September 2013!

Back view.

Trees naturally shed their branches by the activity of strong winds, snow and ice storms, fires, the browsing of animals and insects, and the falling of nearby trees. They can even induce certain parts of themselves to die off with hormones like abscisic acid that may have become inefficient in conducting nutrients for the organism (an example may be a branch that does not enough access to light) or is diseased or water stressed.

So, why do we bother to prune? 

As Lewis Hill says in his book, Pruning Made Easy, we are no longer in the wilderness anymore. There are a lot more people on this planet with limited amounts of land to grow on, so when a tree falls over and dies, we have to wait up to 10 years before a new one can replace it and produce for us. By maximizing the potential of a single tree to produce, we can save space and time by essentially speeding up the natural process of "shedding" branches.

Pruning improves sunlight access among the canopy, increased air flow for disease control, and stimulates a heavier fruit crop that the tree would otherwise not bother to expend the energy on. When left alone, trees are more concerned with producing a smaller number of offspring while the rest of their resources are spent on vegetative growth.

When a fruit tree does well, we are not the only ones who reap the prize. There are the all the soil microorganisms, birds, mammals, and even air and water quality that benefit from a thriving tree. After much discussion about the human role as co-creator of habitats around the world (like a keystone species) , using the knowledge we've gathered about our surroundings to optimize their function in a way that benefits everyone.      

Wound leftover from wind damage in September 2013. Two heavy limbs came down and left an ugly gash, off-balancing the modified central leader shape the tree was originally trained in. Note the dark heartwood.

Closeup of water sprouts. 

Pruning is based off of a few principles that have not changed much since our ancestors first began managing the growth patterns of their crops (though our tools are probably better).

What to look for:
-Crossed or overlapping branches
-Downward or vertical growing branches
-Twigs that are basically just in your way

More guidelines to follow when pruning include:

-Using SHARP TOOLS to make clean cuts- messy cuts do not heal evenly and risk infection. 

-Cutting at a slant to accelerate the healing process and avoid rot, helping to dry and seal off the new "wounds". 

-Cut larger branches in stages to avoid splits and jagged breaks.

In the following pictures, I demonstrate the initial, quick cuts that I could reach from the ground or from in the tree and were small enough to cut with hand pruners. My next post will feature the larger, more strategic cuts that I wanted to make with a bandsaw and pair of loppers.  

Same branches AFTER...

  

South facing lower branches BEFORE...

 

Northeast facing branches BEFORE...

... and AFTER.

Vertical growing branches we don't want to encourage...

More problematic branches that are too out of reach and block sunlight.

Pile of watersprouts. This was everything I could reach from the ground or sitting up in the tree. Just think- it's all growth from last season, carbon taken out of the air and formed into material. Now they're destined for the soil.

Resources:

1) Hill, Lewis. "Pruning Made Easy: a gardener's visual guide to when and how to prune everything, from flowers to trees." Pownal, VT: Storey Pub., 1997. Print.

2) Michael Phillips. "Holistic Orcharding". White River Junction, VT: Chelsea Green Publishing, 2013. Film.
3) Shepard, Mark. "Restoration Agriculture: Real-World Permaculture for Farmers." Austin, Texas: Acres U.S.A., 2013. Print.