18/02/2026
Don't cut them too late and here's how too...
Rose, wisteria, conifer before it's too late also. 👌
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/17pN2f4B8n/
Right now — late February through early March — is the pruning sweet spot for most deciduous fruit trees 🌳✂️ Dormant wood heals faster, disease pressure is at its lowest, and you can see the entire branch structure clearly without a single leaf in the way.
- Apple trees — remove water sprouts, crossing branches, and anything growing toward the center to open the canopy for summer airflow and even fruit ripening
- Pear trees — thin out dense upright growth now because pears naturally grow narrow and tight, which traps moisture and invites fire blight once warm rain arrives
- Plum trees — take out dead wood and inward-facing branches while dormant because stone fruits are highly vulnerable to silver leaf disease if pruned in wet weather later
- Cherry trees — prune only during this dry dormant window because cherries are the most disease-prone fruit tree and every late-season cut risks bacterial canker infection
- Grape vines — cut back last year's growth to 2-3 buds per spur now because grapes bleed heavily once sap rises in March, weakening the vine before it even leafs out
Once sap starts moving, every cut becomes an open wound that bleeds sugar water and attracts fungal spores and boring insects — that is why this two-week window matters more than any other pruning advice you will read this year.
