{"id":11688,"date":"2022-06-05T09:52:37","date_gmt":"2022-06-05T09:52:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/farmandanimals.com\/?p=11688"},"modified":"2023-05-22T07:46:42","modified_gmt":"2023-05-22T07:46:42","slug":"how-to-prune-a-medlar-tree","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/farmandanimals.com\/how-to-prune-a-medlar-tree\/","title":{"rendered":"How To Prune A Medlar Tree {Explained!}"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

One of the best things about medlar trees is how easy they are to look after. Only in their first few years do they require any real pruning, after that it\u2019s just a case of very minimal attention to ensure they stay healthy. Here we will take a look at how to correctly prune and maintain a medlar tree.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How To Prune Medlar Trees?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"How<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Like other fruit trees, medlars benefit from shaping while they are young to ensure they grow in an open, easy form that makes the fruit accessible to harvest and keeps the branches of the tree as strong and healthy as possible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pruning a fruit tree to encourage an open shape<\/a> is beneficial because not only will it make fruit picking easier, but it will also permit light and air to circulate more freely, helping keep the tree free from disease and the fruits to ripen evenly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When you plant your young tree, the first thing to do is start promoting the shape you want it to take. Medlars are by nature sprawling trees with an open shape and often branches that tend to hang down in an almost weeping form.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Select branches you want to keep<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Select four or five branches you want to keep on your young tree, these should be growing in an upward direction from the trunk and be fairly evenly spaced around the tree. Look for those which appear to be the strongest and are not too close together, then remove all the rest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you want to keep the growing habit low to make fruit more accessible, you can also top the tree by cutting the top off the central leader at the same height or just above the highest of the branches you have retained. This will give your tree a domed shape and is common in this type of tree.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. Remove any branches that are near the ground<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Coming into the third year you will have noticed that during the first and second years of growth your tree has put on lots of new branches. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The leaves on these will have helped your young tree to grow strong, providing additional opportunities for photosynthesis. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now is the time to remove any branches that are below about 3 feet from the ground depending on the type of tree you have. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For dwarf varieties, this could be lower, while in standard ones you may want the lowest branches to be a bit higher. Also, cut off any suckers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. Remove any thin branches<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Remove any thin branches that have appeared on the trunk so it is kept clean with just the main branches you want to keep coming from it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

4. Remove any badly positioned new growth<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In the following years, just remove any badly positioned new growth such as crossing branches, or those that are too close. Also, remove any diseased, damaged, or dead wood in early spring and any suckers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Keep in mind that your medlar fruits<\/a> won\u2019t ripen until all the leaves have fallen off the tree. In early winter. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Other pruning tips<\/h3>\n\n\n\n