When to prune stone fruits

Stone fruits represent an extremely popular category of fruit tree, as they include some of the most renowned varieties of fruit, such as apricot, peach, cherry, plum, nectarine and almond. The pruning of stone fruits, as it is easy to understand, must take care to carefully follow important aspects, in order to be sure that the plant can grow in the best possible way and lead to the production of a reasonable amount of fruit.

Having the foresight to keep your plants in a state of excellent health is of fundamental importance in order to ensure proper development not only of the plant, but also of the fruit itself, in order that it can grow healthy and protected from the action of all those insects that could damage it.

Stone fruit: what are they?

Before talking about the ideal period in which to prune stone fruits, it is good to make some important clarifications: the term stone fruit, in fact, indicates all those plants that, as the term itself states, are characterized by the presence of a drupe, that is, a fruit formed by a skin, a pulp and a stone which in turn, collects a seed inside.

The ideal soil to promote the correct growth of stone fruits is a soil with a neutral or slightly acidic pH, with good organic nutrition and above all, the soil needs to be well drained, in order to avoid the formation of any water stagnation that could negatively affect the health of the plant itself.

Stone fruit pruning: what does this technique consist of?

When we talk about pruning stone fruits , it is good to specify that this term refers to the process that involves the removal from the plant of all dry and weak branches, as well as suckers and suckers; Through this process, it is also possible to thin out the foliage of the plant, in order to allow better growth.

During the pruning process, moreover, what in technical jargon are called buds are selected, which in the case of stone fruits can develop into wood, mixed or flower.

Pruning stone fruits: when to do it

Making high, constant over the years and high quality productions at low costs is mandatory in order to make ends meet. However, today this goal is not easily achievable, not only because of the erratic nature of the markets, but also because of the increasingly unpredictable climatic trend.

To achieve positive results in such variable conditions, winter pruning in stone fruits alone is no longer enough. Also because winter pruning must be reduced to a minimum and delayed as much as possible as you are never sure of flowering and fruit set. For this reason, it is necessary to distribute the pruning at different times of the year, choosing for each moment the most suitable, simple intervention within the reach of unskilled labor, but effective for the overall management and capable of reducing the overall hours of manual work.

Since the plant enters production every year winter pruning must be practiced, other green pruning interventions are to be carried out during the spring or summer season.

In areas with a mild climate , pruning can be practiced in autumn, when the plants are going to rest and the branches are well lignified. By pruning in conjunction with the fall of the leaves, without postponing any longer, it is possible to avoid the typical emission of gum from the cuts. In environments characterized by cold winters, it is better to wait for the end of winter and therefore the imminent opening of the buds, observe any frost damage and consequently decide the extent of the intervention based on the actual production load left.

During the summer, generally in May, the thinning of the fruits is practiced, aimed at favoring the good size of the remaining ones. On very vigorous plants, the foliage is also pruned near the ripening of the peaches to promote their colouring and, if necessary, suckers and suckers are eliminated.