How do you prune fruit trees in Reno and Carson City?

These numbers come from University of Nevada, Reno Extension, which writes for our climate: cold winters, dry summers and spring freezes that arrive after the blossoms. Fruit trees are pruned differently from shade trees, because you are shaping wood to carry a crop.

When should you prune fruit trees in Northern Nevada?

Extension's guidance for backyard orchards in Northern Nevada is that most growers prune during the dormant season, late in January and in February, before the trees start growing. Bare branches make the unwanted wood and dead wood easier to spot. Dead or broken branches can be removed at any time of year.

Our valleys are not uniform. Reno sits near 4,500 feet in zone 7b, Carson City near 4,680 feet in zone 7a and Minden near 4,725 feet in zone 6b. A warm week in February does not mean the season has turned, so watch the buds.

How much can you prune off a fruit tree in a year?

On a mature fruit tree, Extension says to remove no more than about 15 to 20 percent of the live wood in a year. Dead, dried-up wood does not count against that figure. A tree that has been neglected for years is better brought back over several winters than in one heavy cut.

The ISA adds the rule that applies to every tree: no branch should be cut without a reason. Good reasons on a fruit tree are dead wood, crossing and inward-growing branches, and opening the canopy so light reaches the fruit.

Know where your tree fruits

• Apple, pear and plum fruit on short spurs on wood two years old or older, so keep that older wood.
• Peaches and nectarines fruit on one-year-old shoots. Remove inward-growing branches and keep the strongest outward-growing fruiting branches.
• Cutting off the wood that carries the fruit is the most common way to lose a crop to pruning.

Training systems in plain terms

Late frost and bloom timing

Extension warns that low-chill trees such as apricot, plum and peach can bloom during a warm false spring in late winter and lose their blossoms to a later freeze. Apple and pear bloom later and are more dependable. Its guide also notes that a northeast exposure can delay the spring thaw and protect open buds.

Pruning does not protect blossoms from frost, but it should not push growth earlier. Do the cutting in the dormant window, and do not stimulate the tree with heavy cuts in a warm spell.

Where an arborist helps

Many homeowners handle light fruit-tree pruning themselves. Call a professional when the tree is tall, when limbs are over a roof or wires, when a large branch is broken, or when an old tree has too much dead wood to sort out alone. Climbing and cutting overhead is not a place to learn. Battle Born Tree Service has two ISA Certified Arborists on staff, including ISA Certified Arborist WE-11728A.

We do not spray fruit trees or treat pests. If you need that, the Extension office and Nevada-licensed applicators are the right contacts. For the pruning and structure side, see our tree trimming and pruning service, or ask for a free estimate.