Many gardeners know only the winter cut and wonder why their apple tree grows wilder every year instead of calmer. The reason: a hard winter cut spurs the tree to even more growth. The summer cut does exactly the opposite.
It is the fine blade in the fruit-tree year. Instead of driving growth, it calms, steers strength into the fruit and keeps the crown open. Understand this one principle and you have a tool with which to tame vigorous trees and improve the harvest.
Why the summer cut slows growth
In winter the tree rests, all its strength in the roots. Cut then and you remove buds but not the reserves. The tree shoots all the more strongly in spring to make up the loss. That is why a hard-cut tree grows wilder every year.
In summer, by contrast, the strength is in the foliage. Cut now and you take working leaves from the tree, and with them part of its energy. That slows new growth, calms the crown and steers the remaining strength into fruiting wood and flower buds for next year.
What the summer cut brings
Four good reasons for the summer cut
- It slows vigorous trees
Ideal for strong-growing or over-fed trees that only shoot ever fuller from the winter cut.
- More sun on the fruit
Light in the crown colours the apples better and makes them sweeter. Shaded fruit stays pale and bland.
- It promotes fruiting wood
Where you slow the steep new growth, the tree tends to form short fruiting spurs with flower buds.
- It keeps trained forms
Spindle, espalier and other forms stay compact and in shape only through regular summer pruning.
How to prune in summer
Pull out water sprouts
The vertical, soft water shoots inside the crown are best torn out with a jerk rather than cut. From the torn spot the tree regrows more weakly.
Shorten competing shoots
Shoots that compete with the leader or the centre you shorten or divert onto a flatter side shoot. Flat shoots bear fruit, steep ones only grow.
Let light into the crown
Thin so that sun reaches the inner fruit. An upright hat of leaves over the apples may stay, it protects against sunscald.
Keep it moderate
Never take more than needed. Too much foliage at once stresses the tree and exposes fruit and bark to the full sun.
Work cleanly
Use sharp, clean secateurs and cut just above an outward-facing bud or to the branch collar. Clean cuts heal quickly in summer.
Winter drives on, summer slows down. To calm a wild tree, reach for the secateurs in July, not in January.
The core rule for the summer cut
Frequently asked questions
When is the best time for the summer cut?
High summer, around CW 28 to 34, once the strongest growth is over. The cut then reliably slows the tree, and the wounds heal quickly on the leafy tree.
What is a water sprout?
A steeply upward-shooting, soft shoot, usually inside the crown. It only costs energy and bears nothing. Tear it out young and the tree regrows more weakly there.
How much may I cut off in summer?
Much less than in winter. It is about thinning and calming, not clear-cutting. Too much foliage at once stresses the tree and risks sunscald on fruit and bark.
Does the summer cut slow every tree?
Vigorous ones above all. A weakly growing, ageing tree only gets weaker from summer pruning. That one you better stimulate in winter with a stronger cut.
Does this apply to my cherry too?
Cherries are the special case. They are preferably cut right after the harvest, for the sake of wound healing. Details are in Cherry harvest and summer pruning.
