Winter is when the home orchard goes quiet, and that is exactly why it is the main pruning season for many fruit trees. With the leaves gone, the shape of each tree is easy to see, sap flow is low, and there is time on a still June or July weekend to stand back and decide which branches stay. Not every fruit tree wants cutting in winter, though. Getting the timing right for each type makes a real difference to disease, fruiting and how much work the tree needs next year.
This calendar is written for the North Island and the warmer parts of the South Island. In Central Otago, Canterbury and inland Southland, shift the timings a few weeks later to avoid the hardest frosts.
June: apples and pears
Pipfruit are the classic winter prune. Once leaf fall is complete, usually by early June in most districts, apples and pears can be pruned through to late winter. The aim is an open, balanced framework that lets light into the centre of the tree.
- Remove dead, diseased and crossing branches first.
- Take out strong upright water shoots growing from the main limbs.
- Thin crowded fruiting spurs on older trees; heavily spurred branches produce lots of small fruit.
- On young trees, shorten leaders by roughly a third to an outward-facing bud to build structure.
Avoid cutting during wet weeks if possible. Fungal diseases such as European canker enter through fresh cuts in damp conditions, so a dry, settled spell is the best window.
Older, neglected apple trees are best brought back over two or three winters rather than in one hit. Take out one or two of the largest problem limbs each year, and the tree will stay calmer and keep cropping while its shape improves.
July: grapes, figs, feijoas and plums with caution
Grapevines are pruned in mid to late winter, before buds swell. Most home vines respond well to spur pruning, cutting last season’s canes back to two buds on a permanent arm. Figs can be lightly shaped in July to keep them a manageable size; they fruit on both old and new wood depending on variety, so heavy pruning can cost a crop.
Feijoas need little formal pruning. A light thin after harvest, or in late winter, keeps the bush open and the fruit within reach.
Stone fruit is where many home gardeners go wrong. Plums, apricots, cherries, peaches and nectarines are vulnerable to silverleaf, a fungal disease that infects through pruning wounds during cool, wet months. Many growers now prune stone fruit in late summer or autumn, straight after harvest, when wounds heal quickly. If winter cutting is unavoidable, keep it minimal and choose a dry day.
August: citrus, avocados and tidy-ups
Citrus and avocados are evergreen and should not be heavily pruned in winter. Cold cuts and frost on freshly exposed growth can damage them. In late winter, limit work to removing dead wood and any branches touching the ground. Bigger shaping jobs are better done in spring once the risk of frost has passed, which in the Bay of Plenty is usually by September.
August is also a good month to apply winter sprays where they are used. Copper and oil sprays at bud swell help manage leaf curl on peaches and some fungal problems on pipfruit. Always follow the label, and check current guidance on approved products and residue rules, which agencies such as the Ministry for Primary Industries oversee.
Tools, cuts and clean-up
Good tools make clean cuts that heal well. Sharp bypass secateurs handle anything up to finger thickness, loppers take branches up to about 40 millimetres, and a folding pruning saw manages larger limbs. Wipe blades with methylated spirits between trees, especially if any tree in the orchard has shown disease.
Cut just outside the branch collar, the slightly swollen ring where a branch meets the trunk. Do not cut flush, and do not leave a long stub. Most modern advice is that wound paints are unnecessary for small cuts, though some growers still use them on large stone fruit wounds.
Prunings from healthy trees can be chipped and used as mulch. Diseased wood is better removed from the site or burned where local fire rules allow. Large prunings stacked near a driveway are also worth thinking about ahead of time; trees and shrubs planted close to hard surfaces bring their own considerations, as covered in this piece on root barriers for new driveways.
Leave the ladder work for the biggest trees to someone experienced. A three-legged orchard ladder is far more stable on uneven ground than a standard stepladder.
Frequently asked questions
Can lemon trees be pruned in winter? Only lightly. Remove dead or damaged wood if needed, but leave major shaping until spring when frost risk has passed and new growth can cover cuts quickly.
Why is stone fruit pruned in late summer instead of winter? Wounds heal faster in warm, dry weather, which reduces the risk of silverleaf and bacterial infections that spread through cuts during cool, damp months.
How much of an apple tree can be removed in one winter? As a general guide, no more than about a quarter to a third of the canopy. Heavier cutting tends to trigger a flush of vigorous upright shoots the following season.