I begin cutting quickly and comfortably, each cut opening the view to another that can be made, and so I swiftly proceed. Suddenly, in the span of a few minutes I have removed too much in one quarter of the tree, leaving it unbalanced and awkwardly lopsided. My close proximity allowed me only to see a labyrinthine path instead of a series of contemplative careful cuts.

Farmscape is currently steeped in the excitement of home orchards. We are offering both installations of brand new fruit trees as well as pruning and maintenance of existing trees and orchards. January and February are the ideal months in Southern California to prune deciduous trees, as their bare limbs make it easier to see the essential structure of the tree.

The proper pruning of a deciduous tree (a category that includes peaches, pears, apples, figs, apricots, etc.) can seem harsh and drastic, as sometimes around 50% of the wood is removed. Well-trained orchardists make aggressive cuts for a reason; their technique is derived from thousands of years of orchard work. The three main benefits of this aggression are size management, fruit production and quality, and the overall health of the tree. Most of my cuts fall in to one of two categories: thinning cuts, which remove a shoot or branch back to its base, and heading cuts, which removes the tip of a branch, usually at a dormant bud that will grow up and out from the center of the tree.

Pruning a tree is a constant series of decisions. Two branches may be competing for the same space and sun light, and I must decide which one is better angled or has a stronger attachment to the trunk and remove the other. Homeowners often leave their fruit trees untouched for a number of years, causing the size of a tree to be a bit overwhelming, the tangle of branches a forest of confusion. I suppress the tendency to rush, as every cut is an opportunity for a mistake. Once I start a cut, there is no going back. So even though I might make hundreds of cuts on a single tree, I must make a methodical decision about each one. I do most of my pruning close to the center of the tree, looking up into the canopy. It is easy to get locked in to a sort of tunnel vision. And this is where I make the mistake of zoning in and clear cutting my way to an unbalanced tree.

My number one principle for tree pruning is to periodically physically set down the loppers or saw and step back to look at the whole tree. I take a breath and take in the tree as a whole, making sure that the training and shaping I am giving it is conducive to what the tree needs. This not only gives me the perspective I need, but also gives my strained shoulders and neck a needed rest so my next cuts are relaxed and thoughtful and steady.

Cuts should be as clean and neat as possible to enable quick healing and keep out pests and diseases. Bad cuts occur when the bark tears or cell tissue is crushed by dull cutting surfaces or cuts made at difficult angles. My first approach to a branch is often confined, at a bad angle, and perhaps even impeded by another limb. My initial impulse is to stubbornly proceed and force the hurried and tricky cut. This usually results in a sloppy cut while at the same time harming tissue around the removed limb. So, again, I must take a breath, physically move myself around the tree and look at the limb from different angles. Usually I will find that moving only a few feet will give me clear and unencumbered access to the cut.

The more I prune trees, the more I find that my selfish impulse to force cuts and speed through decisions only hurts the tree, and in the end causes me more work. Just as in the garden, I realize that the tree is not the only one being trained. For how often in life do I obscure the larger picture and stubbornly try and force something to happen from only one angle. Gradually I am learning to step back and breathe deeply. I only wish my acceptance of the education was as swift as the thanks the trees show for the pruning as they burst forth with new leafy growth and the beginnings of their new and precious fruit.