Home › Folsom jobs › Fruit trees

Fruit Tree Pruning in Folsom

Need fruit tree pruning in Folsom? Peaches, plums, apples, apricots? If the backyard orchard has gotten away from you, call (279) 256-3385. We'll line up a local tree trimming company in Folsom to go over the trees and book the visit.

Call us now (279) 256-3385

What the problem looks like in Folsom

Fruit trees are great, until they aren't. Without pruning they shoot up tall, tangle inside, and bear fruit way out of reach. Maybe you've seen one of these.

• Branches so high you need a ladder to pick.
• Straight, skinny shoots standing up all over the tree.
• Fruit that's small and hard to reach.
• A dead limb with last year's leaves still hanging on.
• Branches that cross and rub each other.

Good news. Good news from a UC Master Gardener sheet: a fruit tree is hard to kill with pruning. Timing matters, though, and apricots and cherries have special rules.

Two seasons for fruit tree pruning in Folsom

UC sorts fruit tree pruning into two windows: dormant winter and summer.

Winter work happens while the tree is dormant. It shapes young trees and gives them fresh energy. Summer work slows growth down and keeps the tree small.

Most fruit trees do fine with one main winter job. Add a light summer trim if the tree wants to run away.

What a good cut plan looks like

1. Look at the tree from all sides. Find the crowded or lopsided spots.
2. Cut out dead, sick and crossing branches first, back to the next main branch.
3. Remove water sprouts. These are the fast, upright shoots with few buds. UC says they hardly ever make fruit. Cut them back to where they grew from.
4. Open the middle a bit so light gets in.
5. Stop. Step back and look again.

UC recommends keeping fruit trees short enough to care for without a ladder. A short tree is easier to pick, spray and net. Folsom summers are hot, so smaller trees also need less water to stay green.

Cuts go just outside the branch collar. No stubs. And skip the wound paint. UC says dressings don't speed healing or block decay.

Why apricots and cherries wait until July

These two are the odd ones. Inland yards like Folsom's get one window for apricots and cherries, and UC puts it at July through August.

The reason is a fungus called Eutypa dieback, which gets in through fresh pruning cuts. UC says its spores are released when it rains, mostly from fall through spring. During cool weather a pruning wound can stay open to infection for 6 weeks or more. In warm weather it's about 2 weeks.

So a dry July cut closes fast and gives the fungus little chance. A rainy January cut is an open door.

What does Eutypa look like? Single branches whose leaves fade, shrink or wilt in spring or summer. Later the limb dies, and the dead leaves often stay on. If you see that, tell the pro. For a sick limb, UC says to cut in summer and go at least a foot below the canker.

A year in a Folsom orchard

Here's how the seasons might look for a mixed backyard orchard.

• Winter: peaches, plums, apples and pears get their main shaping, while they're dormant.
• July: apricots and cherries get their one cut of the year.
• August: a light summer trim on trees that want to run. UC says summer pruning controls growth.
• Fall: skip apricots and cherries, since rain carries the Eutypa spores.

UC's two seasons, winter and summer, are the frame. Smaller trees also need less water, so keeping the tree short pays off in July.

Sunburn after a summer cut

A summer cut opens the tree to the sun. UC says older trees can be hurt when pruning suddenly exposes bark, and that sunburned bark invites wood-boring pests. Folsom's July and August highs average 94 degrees at Folsom Dam.

The fix is cheap. UC says to paint newly exposed bark with white interior latex paint, mixed half and half with water. Don't use exterior paint. Leave some leafy branches low on the trunk too, since they shade the bark.

What fruit tree pruning in Folsom costs

Smaller, well-kept trees land at the low end. A tall, tangled apricot lands at the top. The pro gives you the actual price after seeing it, before work begins.

Ask whether the price covers hauling off the branches. Some folks keep the prunings for the chipper or the green bin.

Why call us for tree trimming in Folsom

You've got fruit trees and a short window. We'll find a local pro, book the visit, and make sure the pro knows it's an apricot or a peach. That matters, since the timing is different. You can compare a second quote too.

Tell us whether you have a few trees or a dozen. A bigger orchard can mean a bigger quote, so say so up front, and mention it if the trees sit on a slope.

How tree trimming in Folsom goes

1. Call (279) 256-3385 or send the request form.
2. Tell us which fruit trees you have and how big they are.
3. We match you with a nearby pro and pick a good month.
4. The pro visits and quotes.
5. You say go, or you shop around.

Related: pruning by month, summer heat and tree stress, and Tree Trimming in Folsom.