Pruning advice (pics included)

[LittleMissCountry]

I had posted a while back about pruning our one year old fruit trees, and got advice that winter was the best time.

So now I need advice on which branches are the best to prune off. I have been researching but am really confused. The pictures below show the trees, some from different angles. I have labeled them. Some of them, especially the peach trees have a lot of little branches. I am not sure if I should prune the little ones all off.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

At their age I wouldn't prune too much yet. Prune rubbing, or crossing branches. Prune for shape and openness. You can prune back the tips too. It will encourage more branching and help keep the tree shorter. I personally don't prune until early spring. Here in Wisconsin it's generally March to April. I prune before they begin to leaf out.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

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[LittleMissCountry]

At their age I wouldn't prune too much yet. Prune rubbing, or crossing branches. Prune for shape and openness. You can prune back the tips too. It will encourage more branching and help keep the tree shorter. I personally don't prune until early spring. Here in Wisconsin it's generally March to April. I prune before they begin to leaf out.

Last year, buds started in February here! We just moved here year, so I don't really know what to expect this year.

Would you recommend pruning off all the little branches on the bottom part of the peach trees? Those trees did not grow much last year, but all those little branches leafed out. They both have nice branches at the top, then all these little scraggly branches lower down

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

The peach and I think one Apple I would prune up. Eventually you will want to remove all those lower branches. Right now you will want to remove about half. As the tree gets bigger you can prune more. You don't currently want to remove too much as the trees need all the leaves they can to grow.

The one pear you should remove those upright suckers. Pears are fairly vigorous. I can't grow peach here so I'm not too familiar with them.

How long have they been growing? Planted when?

 

[LittleMissCountry]

The peach and I think one Apple I would prune up. Eventually you will want to remove all those lower branches. Right now you will want to remove about half. As the tree gets bigger you can prune more. You don't currently want to remove too much as the trees need all the leaves they can to grow.

The one pear you should remove those upright suckers. Pears are fairly vigorous. I can't grow peach here so I'm not too familiar with them.

How long have they been growing? Planted when?

Thank you for your help! I planted them a little over a year ago, early November. They flourished in the spring, and the pear and apple trees doubled in size. The peach trees grew quite a bit, but not as much. The pear and peach trees had blossoms in the spring. The apple trees did not, which is what I had expected.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Generally it can take a few years for the root system to get established and spread out. So not pruning too much those first seasons will help the tree make enough energy to accomplish it. I personally don't prune much in the first 5 years here except to establish a basic shape and direct growth. The bigger the tree gets the more it can handle pruning. So this year you may only remove those that need to be removed like the suckers on the pear and the lower branches on the peach. Also prune any crossing or rubbing branches, and any that are growing inwards. Use a light touch as to not shock them.

 

[LittleMissCountry]

Thank you for all your help! I feel much more confident about it now.