Maintenance and pruning of standard fruit trees

Maintenance

The regular maintenance of standard fruit trees is simple and consists of providing:

• In winter, a shovelful of wood ash around the trunk. Rich in potash, this application helps stimulate flowering and increase fruit yields.
• In spring, well-rotted compost lightly worked into the surface, taking care not to damage the roots. Then apply mulch or simply mow the herb at the base of the trees.

Maintenance pruning

The maintenance pruning aims to preserve the harmonious structure of the tree, promote air and light circulation, and thus enable better fruiting.

It should be carried out every 3 to 5 years. Pip fruit trees are pruned in winter (avoiding frost) until early spring, while stone fruit trees are pruned at the beginning of autumn.

Always use tools (secateurs, loppers) that are perfectly sharpened and disinfected between trees.

To do this:

• if necessary, remove suckers growing at the base of the tree and water shoots developing on the trunk,
• cut away dead or broken branches, as well as those that are crossing,
• trim twigs and some inner branches to allow air and light to circulate through the centre,
• prune the tips of branches above an outward-facing bud and favour horizontal branches. Don’t forget to coat pruning wounds with a pruning sealant such as clay to prevent fungi or diseases from appearing.