Moran offers fruit tree pruning tips in BDN article

Renae Moran, an associate professor of pomology at the University of Maine School of Food and Agriculture and with the University of Maine Cooperative Extension, spoke with the Bangor Daily News for the article, “Early spring is still the right time to prune fruit trees.” “It’s still a good time to prune fruit trees, but people should try to finish up pruning their apples and pears before they break bud,” Moran said, adding that stone fruit trees such as plums, peaches and cherries can be pruned anytime in the month of April. “In my opinion, pruning is good for the tree.” The article also included pruning tips from UMaine Extension’s website. Left unchecked, trees have a natural tendency to grow too many shoots and large branches, which can impede sunlight from getting to the lower branches, the site states. Trees that are unchecked also can grow so tall that the fruit is difficult — or sometimes impossible — to harvest. Moran said the orchards look good right now, which bodes well for the possibility of having a good fruit harvest later this year. “This winter was good for the fruit trees. It was consistently cold. And when it’s cold, they can tolerate the subzero temperatures much better,” she said. “I’ve been noticing that the trees are tougher than normal.”