Pruning in frost

I have never before pruned in frosty conditions. A few weeks after refusing to prune a customer's apple tree last year, she produced this article from the Daily Telegraph ...

By RHS Diary

3:30PM GMT 14 Jan 2011

Comment

"It is fine to prune fruit trees in frosty weather. If it's when you have most time, prune hardy foliage plants now, too."

This goes against everything I was taught at college and all the advice out there on the www. Would be really interested to know what the rest of you do? I ask the question now as I'm in the middle of pruning an orchard of apples (with nothing else I can think of to do in that garden at the moment!) and there could be a bit of a frost tonight.

I live in the heart of the world famous Agen prune country. The product is protected under european law (just like champagne and Parma ham.)

The orchards are a flurry of activity at this time of year as the farmer co-op to help each other. We also see an influx of migrant workers (we have a Portuguese couple in our gite at the moment) to help do the pruning.

I did a series of interviews with local prune (plums in English) back in 2009 - French soft fruit farmers suffer price crash - and my neighbour promised to let me watch the pruning process. I'll see if I can do this in the next couple of weeks and I'll ask them their views on frosts and winter pruning.

One sad side to this, and might explain how they balance the timing of the pruning and the fight against disease, is the use of mist and atomiser sprayers in late winter and early spring to combat fungal diseases.

Claire Brown said:

Interesting as Plums shouldn't be pruned in the winter, because they are in the prunus family and can get silver leaf.

i've always been told (and worked to) not to prune when plants are actually frozen, but that if they just cold and there is frost on the ground, that's different (not that you'd want to walk on any frozen grass to get to them).

Replies

PRO

Phil Voice January 26, 2012 at 8:33am

IMO not a problem Jane.

Deciduous trees will be dormant (although with this year's mild winter the sap could be rising and buds opening).

We are surrounded by plum orchards here and the farmers continue to prune right up until after bud burst, regardless of weather.
Select Gardens January 26, 2012 at 8:40am

I agree, most tree and shurbs which are fully hardy can be pruned now IMO
Claire Brown January 26, 2012 at 9:03am

Interesting as Plums shouldn't be pruned in the winter, because they are in the prunus family and can get silver leaf.

i've always been told (and worked to) not to prune when plants are actually frozen, but that if they just cold and there is frost on the ground, that's different (not that you'd want to walk on any frozen grass to get to them).
Sean Busby January 26, 2012 at 9:07am

Yep, I'd say it's fine.

Apple trees should be pruned in the winter months, and that's when we're most likely to see frosts/snow. With the temperature fluctuations we're having at he moment it may be 10 degrees one day and frosty the next, so go for it.
Jane Heath January 26, 2012 at 5:54pm

Thanks all of you, I guess I was just seeking reassurance - and I got it! In time too for a long happy day in the orchard!

But like Claire, I would never undertake anything from the Prunus family now - that can wait for a warm sunny day in May.
Gary Hedges January 26, 2012 at 6:53pm

Pruned an orchard last year when it was -16 and a foot of snow on the ground, (Scotland).
Had a bumper crop of apples this year.
Mark Watson January 26, 2012 at 7:06pm

Yep, you are right Claire

Claire Brown said:

Interesting as Plums shouldn't be pruned in the winter, because they are in the prunus family and can get silver leaf.

i've always been told (and worked to) not to prune when plants are actually frozen, but that if they just cold and there is frost on the ground, that's different (not that you'd want to walk on any frozen grass to get to them).
andy @Doughty Garden Maintenance January 26, 2012 at 7:14pm

I look after two orchards and I was pruning apple and pear trees when it was -15 degrees last winter, trees produced loads of fruit. No harm whatsoever to the trees,
PRO

Phil Voice January 26, 2012 at 7:29pm

I live in the heart of the world famous Agen prune country. The product is protected under european law (just like champagne and Parma ham.)

The orchards are a flurry of activity at this time of year as the farmer co-op to help each other. We also see an influx of migrant workers (we have a Portuguese couple in our gite at the moment) to help do the pruning.

I did a series of interviews with local prune (plums in English) back in 2009 - French soft fruit farmers suffer price crash - and my neighbour promised to let me watch the pruning process. I'll see if I can do this in the next couple of weeks and I'll ask them their views on frosts and winter pruning.

One sad side to this, and might explain how they balance the timing of the pruning and the fight against disease, is the use of mist and atomiser sprayers in late winter and early spring to combat fungal diseases.

Claire Brown said:

Interesting as Plums shouldn't be pruned in the winter, because they are in the prunus family and can get silver leaf.

i've always been told (and worked to) not to prune when plants are actually frozen, but that if they just cold and there is frost on the ground, that's different (not that you'd want to walk on any frozen grass to get to them).
Sean Busby January 26, 2012 at 9:13pm

Rule of thumb is tree fruit with stones shouldn't be pruned until spring/summer, eg plum, peach apricot etc. Apple (Malus) can have a secondary pruning in summer.

Claire Brown said:

Interesting as Plums shouldn't be pruned in the winter, because they are in the prunus family and can get silver leaf.

i've always been told (and worked to) not to prune when plants are actually frozen, but that if they just cold and there is frost on the ground, that's different (not that you'd want to walk on any frozen grass to get to them).