Most of us enjoy one or more of the nut trees presented in this \’How To Guide\’ for pruning almond, hazelnut, pecan, pistachio, and walnut in our landscape. Almost all of the pruning techniques presented have a tool requirement consisting of only pruning shears or saw. Any special tool required will be presented within the article. All of the pruning methods presented are considered easy.

ALMOND

As we all know pruning is the removal of unwanted limbs or leaves so they will not retard the growth of a tree. Pruning has to be done correctly on any tree or it could be damaged or grow incorrectly. Almond trees are a bit trickier than the other nut varieties, however, with a little practice anyone should be able to do it.

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Select a pruning tool which is sharp to prune an almond tree. Make sure your tool has been cleaned and disinfected to prevent the spread of unwanted diseases.

2. Start your pruning from the center of the tree. Cut off any dead or broken branches that are growing towards the center of the tree. If any branches are rubbing each other, cut one of them. Cut branches that are growing towards the south or sunlight. This prevents the tree from growing lopsided. Remember, trimming the center branches allows more sunlight to penetrate to the center of the tree. Exercise caution when cutting branches, make sure not to cut to near the bark of tree and leave a little stub. If you cut too close it will hurt the tree and possibly cause fungus to grow.

3. Now prune the outside of the tree. Cut off about half of the branch, which will encourage growth. Cut at the bud of the branch on the tree and make sure you are trimming the tree in a shape that promotes upward growth.

4. An optional method to ensure that you have vertical growth is to tie down the outside of the tree branches with a rope. Wrap the rope around the tree about 2 fee from the top and tie the branches. Ensure that the branches are all going in the same direction. Don\’t forget to remove the rope during the blooming season.

5. Almond trees are pruned once a year. Late winter or early spring before the blooms start is the best time for pruning.

HAZELNUT(FILBERTS)

Although they are called a tree, they are closer to a bush because of the many stems and growth is only 10 to 12 feet high. Hazelnuts, also known as Filberts, are very hardy as well as being most self sufficient, resistant to most insects and tolerant of poor soil. They are high in nutrients and have a healthy oil. A good source of income.

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Clip away any dead branches in the spring, before the growth starts. Normally, the leaves will all fall off before winter, so it is a little hard to tell. Any branches that have been snapped from snow and ice should be removed.

2. Prune out bug-eaten leaves and remove any leaves that might be carrying bug eggs. Normally, hazelnuts are not bothered by pests, but there are occasions when an infestation occurs. You can spray them down with an organic insecticidal soap spray if necessary.

3. If you desire a cleaner base trim up the trunk. This optional and not necessary for nut production. Make sure all your cuts are at a 45 degree angle to repel rain water.

4. Remember nuts are produced on new wood each year, so cut back approximately a third of the leggy branches to force a bushier growth.

5. After 12 years of growth cut the bush down to ground level. To ensure nut production do not prune all your bushes at once, stagger the cutting to a few bushes a year. Your cutting should be done in the early spring when is getting started. The bush will rebound quickly.

PECAN

This is my most favorite nut, the pecan. The pecan tree is native to North America and is grown mainly in the southern United States. Not only are they holiday classic pie, there\’re also a wonderful and tasteful addition to salads, desserts, cheese plates and the old standard trail mixes. This tree needs space because it can attain heights of 150 feet.

Pecan tree is not self-pollinating; therefore, one needs to have 2 trees in order to produce nuts.

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Use an anvil type pruning shear with pecan tree. Check the pecan tree for damaged or dead wood which must be removed annually. Cut off damage wood at the intersection with the main branch.

2. Before you start to prune your tree immerse pruning shears in a 1:10 solution of bleach water to disinfect to prevent the spread of disease to healthy parts of the tree.

3. Pecan trees like to sprawl so cut off the low growing limbs at their intersections. This pruning will ensure you can walk under the tree.

4. Remove suckers and water sprouts. These branches grow toward the ground and will thrive if not removed.

5. To improve light and air circulation to the tree\’s canopy thin out interior branches. Make sure to remove any branches that are rubbing other branches.

6. To stimulate new growth cut back old wood.

Remember pecan trees need full sunlight to grow. They are hardy growers and require annual pruning so they do not grow out of control.

PISTACHIO

Technically pistachio trees are actually classified as a fruit tree and pruning fruit trees produces a higher quantity of fruit at the same time controlling the growth of the trees. Generally, an open cut system that allows sunlight to reach the bottom branches is preferred. This produces more fruit.

INSTRUCTIONS:

Before we begin, you will need pruning shears, saw, latex paint, water, paint brush and a ladder.

1. Examine your tree and select 3 to 5 branches you want to use as your scaffold branches. They will become the primary structure of your pistachio tree. Chose branches that are equally spaced around the tree, but not directly opposite to one another. The lowest branch should be 24 to 32 inches above the soil. April is the best time to choose the scaffolds of the first growing season.

2. Cut all branches that are lower than the lowest scaffold. Because the upper branches will shade the trunk of the tree, you can completely remove these branches. The tools you need will depend on the size of the branches and may include pruning shears or a saw. If the branches are thin enough, you can snap or pinch them off.

3. Pinch or cut any remaining branches that aren\’t scaffolds to a distance of 4 inches to 6 inches from the trunk of the pistachio tree. In June, prune the scaffolds to a length of 2 feet to 3 feet, which promotes side branching. Leave lateral shoots to help shade the trunk of the tree.

4. As the tree grows taller choose secondary scaffold branches and maintain the open-center structure. Depending on the growth of tree it can be pruned two to three times a year.

The above instructions are for young pistachio trees. What follows now are instructions for mature pistachio trees.

INSTRUCTION: (MATURE)

1. Determine if the tree is structurally sound. In order to compensate for issues caused by lack of pruning, you must have a strong trunk.

2. Thin out non scaffold branches. Cut any upright shoots or branches sprouting from the center of the tree to approximately 4 to 6 inches. The scaffolds need shade to grow, so thin the branches only until you see some sunlight on the scaffolds. Too much thinning will result in limbs being burnt.

3. Remove any branches higher than you can reach on a ladder. Once the pistachio tree is at your desired height, maintain it by cutting the branches to that height any time you prune the tree.

A word of caution, if the tree you are about to prune isn\’t healthy, drastic measures may be called for. Cut off every branch except for one healthy branch no higher than 6 feet from the soil. This is a drastic measure and may kill some trees. If new buds grow in the next season, cut off the branch you left.

Remember to protect exposed cuts in a tree by mixing 50 per cent white latex paint with 50 percent water and brushing the paint on any exposed areas of the tree.

To prevent the bark from splitting when you cut a branch, start your cut on the bottom of the branch and finish it from the top of the branch

WALNUT

The walnut tree is a multipurpose tree. A lot of us enjoy the nuts, others are partial to shade it offers and then the wood for finer pieces of furniture or the romantic fireplace. Also, walnut trees are drought resistant, needing only moderate amounts of water and, last but not least, they only require occasional pruning. Rule of thumb, using the least amount of pruning to correct a problem is the best.

The only tools you need are pruning shears and pruning saw.

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Before you grab your pruning shears, determine if the walnut tree really needs pruning. With a walnut, a defect, if given time, will correct itself.

2. It is best to prune your walnut tree during the first few years after growth before it reaches approximately an overall height of 17 feet. One can mange its shaped while it is still small.

3. Select a dominant leader to function as the main stem and then remove all additional leader stems. The chosen stem receives the nutrients that all it to grow upright and straight.

4. Trees that are badly deformed, use a severe form of pruning called coppicing. Cut the tree off near the ground, high enough above any grafting s, to enable new sprouts to grow. Only one sprout is to remain.

A word of caution, make sure to prune your walnut tree when it is dormant, usually in the early spring.

Most walnut trees will grow tall and straight without any human intervention; therefore, only prune your walnut tree if it is absolutely necessary.

References:

University of California: Kern County–Almond Tree Pruning

University of Florida: Pruning and Training Deciduous Fruit Trees

Texas A&M Extension: Proper Pruning Techniques

As a retired aerospace engineer I transferred my technical writing skills to informative articles encompassing my new hobby, gardening and landscapeing. This transition coupled with expertise advise and guidance I received from the knowledgeable staff at http://www.tnnursery.net has been invaluabl

As a retired aerospace engineer I transferred my technical writing skills to informative articles encompassing my new hobby, gardening and landscapeing. This transition coupled with expertise advise and guidance I received from the knowledgeable staff at http://www.tnnursery.net has been invaluabl

Author Bio: As a retired aerospace engineer I transferred my technical writing skills to informative articles encompassing my new hobby, gardening and landscapeing. This transition coupled with expertise advise and guidance I received from the knowledgeable staff at http://www.tnnursery.net has been invaluabl

Category: Advice
Keywords: walnut,pistachio,almond,hazelnut,filberts,pecan,pruning,how to guide,whole nursery,online nursery