Check out this dormant pruning video we did last winter. Here I am pruning this large elderberry plant. Not only is pruning necessary for your plants and trees you can also turn the prunings into new plants!
Pruning is an essential part of our fall and winter schedule here on the farm. Dormant pruning accomplishes many functions. Let’s take a quick look at a few of the benefits of dormant Fruit Tree Pruning.
- First off dormant fruit tree pruning and edible plant pruning keeps trees healthy, strong, and disease free. Pruning off damaged or diseased branches encourages next year’s growth and promotes tree health.
- Pruning can also be instrumental in training your fruit tree or edible plant. Pruning for height and width can enable fruit growers to train a tree to a certain size. Picking fruit from an 8 foot tall tree is a lot easier that picking from a 30 fruit tall tree.
- Pruning fruit trees and edible plants also provides you with propagation materials. In this video we show how pruning a dormant elderberry can provide us with ton of hardwood cuttings. These cuttings can be dipped into a rooting hormone or an all natural willow bark mixture. Dipping your hardwood cuttings in the mixtures will encourage root growth hopefully turning these into new plants this time next year.
- Finally dormant pruning gets you outside and examining your fruit trees and edible plants at a time of year you might not otherwise see them. This is a perfect chance to check them for rodent or animal damage and take any necessary corrective action.