When to Prune Apple and Pear Trees

The dormant window

Late winter, just before spring, is ideal. By then the worst cold has passed, lowering the chance of cold injury to cuts, while the tree is still dormant so you can shape spring growth.

Central-leader training

1. 1Choose the leader — After planting, select one vigorous shoot near the center to be the central leader (the main trunk).
2. 2Remove competitors — In spring or early summer, remove upright shoots near the leader that compete with it for dominance.
3. 3Head the leader — In the following dormant season, head the leader by about one-third and tie down or remove competing shoots to encourage a strong, tiered framework.

Protect fruiting wood

Apples usually flower on spurs or on shoots from two-year-old wood, so the aim is to renew and space fruiting wood rather than remove it all.

Sources

Reviewed 2026-07-18. We cite university Extension, government, and established horticultural sources — and never invent pesticide rates or dangerous treatments.

• University of Minnesota Extension — Pruning and training apple trees — Train apple trees to a central leader; head the leader by one-third in the dormant season and remove competing shoots.
• Oregon State University Extension — Prune apple trees in late winter — Late winter just before spring is the best time to prune apple trees, reducing frost-damage risk to cuts.
• University of Maryland Extension — Training and pruning apple and pear trees — Apples bloom on spurs or shoots from two-year-old wood; trees are trained to a central leader with scaffold branches.

Keep going