However, we reckon it’s better to NOT let them have fruit until the tree’s grown enough branches. In fact, they’ll often flower and bear fruit the year you plant them (depending on what type of tree they are). We often get asked the question, how quickly will a fruit tree start producing fruit. However for young trees, you’re aiming to tip the balance between shoot growth and fruit production firmly towards growth! A young cherry tree showing strong growth in response to pruning to create new branches in the tree How quickly can you expect a crop on your young fruit trees? You can see in the photo below that it also has a nice crop of fruit – success! A nice crop of President plums on trees that were pruned in winter This photo above shows a President plum tree with lovely strong new shoot growth in response to last winter’s pruning. To achieve this, you want to prune it as little as possible – so there’s no risk of over pruning! A President plum tree showing a good growth response to pruning You want it to keep growing new wood each year, but you also want it to stay calm and produce plenty of fruit. Keeping your fruit tree balanced should be your aim when winter pruning mature fruit trees. It’s one of the most common (but by no means the only) reasons your tree may not have fruit. If you over prune a tree, you may force it to divert all its energy into growing wood instead of producing fruit.
Pear trees that have been hedge pruned What effect does hard pruning have on your tree? It’s not a technique we recommend in Grow Great Fruit but is common in big commercial orchards. The trees have been hedge pruned, which has resulted in massive growth at the tops of the trees. You can clearly see it at work in these pear trees below.
It’s important to understand this basic pruning principle. The harder you prune your fruit trees, the more the tree will respond by growing, to replace the wood you removed. It might be because of how you pruned them. Click here to get your FREE ebook 10 Key Steps to Growing Great Fruit
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