When to prune fruit trees
The best time to prune your fruit trees depends on the type of tree. Find out more about when to cut.
05.03.2025
Overview: When should I prune my fruit trees?
- Two possibilities for fruit tree pruning, depending on the type of tree: February to March or July to August
- Prune pome fruit trees such as apple, pear and quince in late winter (February to March)
- Stone fruit trees such as peach and cherry are better pruned in summer
- Note the prohibition on pruning from 1 March to 30 September, though smaller maintenance cuts are permitted
- Always cut fruit trees in temperatures above -5 degrees Celsius
Many pome fruit trees such as apple and pear are best pruned in late winter. During this time, the nutrients are still in the roots of the tree, which means the cut surfaces heal quickly in spring and the risk of tree diseases is reduced.
Vigorous stone fruit trees such as peaches and cherries, on the other hand, are better cut in summer.
According to the German Federal Nature Conservation Act, it is permitted to carry out major pruning work on fruit trees up to the end of February. So a mild day in late winter is ideal for pruning fruit trees.
The Federal Nature Conservation Act prohibits major work on trees and shrubs from 1 March to 30 September.
Simple maintenance pruning is permitted all year round, as long as no birds are nesting in the tree.
Pome fruit trees such as apple and pear are best pruned in late winter, for example in February.
If you do not prune your fruit tree, you are impairing its growth and vitality. The crown gets too little light and the risk of pest infestation, tree diseases and breaking branches increases.
Pruning fruit trees – when is the best time to do it?
You should prune fruit trees regularly. This promotes healthy growth and a productive harvest.
Depending on the type of tree, the ideal time for pruning fruit trees is between late winter and March or between July and August in the summer. Depending on the fruit tree variety, the right time of year is late winter or summer.
Below you can find out when it’s best to prune – thanks to a practical pruning calendar for pruning trees for your garden year.
Pruning calendar: apples, plums, and everything else
The pruning calendar is intended to give you an initial overview of when best to prune your fruit trees, which pruning time works as a second option and when fruit trees can be additionally pruned as required.
Download pruning calendar
We have compiled the important months for fruit tree pruning in a PDF table so that you can easily keep track of them.
preparation
Before you start pruning fruit trees, it is best to have suitable tools and protective equipment ready. We give you some practical recommendations for high-performance equipment.
When pruning fruit trees, your cutting tool should always be sharp so that the cut surfaces on the tree are smooth and can heal well. It is also important for working safety that you care for your loppers and hedge trimmers correctly.
The STIHL PG 30 Bypass secateurs, for example, are suitable for smaller pruning work. For larger pruning tasks, it is better to use STIHL PB 10 Bypass pruning shears or a STIHL GTA 26 battery-powered garden pruner, which can make pruning fruit trees easier.
Working with high-performance power tools is fun and allows you to broaden your skills, which is great if you can rely on effective and safe protective clothing.
Always wear your personal protective equipment when working with STIHL power tools. Find out more in the owners manuals for your product. Before using your power tool for the first time, fully familiarise yourself with it and ensure that it is in flawless condition before each use.
On request, your STIHL dealer will be happy to prepare your power tool for its first job, and will also advise you on models and sizes of protective clothing that you can try on at your leisure. Please remember that personal protective equipment is no substitute for safe working.
The best pruning time for all fruit trees
When you should prune fruit trees depends on the tree species in your garden. Below is a list of a few popular pome and stone fruit trees and how to give them optimal tree maintenance.
For pome fruit trees such as pear, quince and apple trees, pruning is best carried out in February or March. If you want to restrict overly strong growth, you can also get the secateurs out in summer.
For the exotic varieties of fig tree, pruning takes place from March or April onward. However, be sure that all frosty conditions are over.
Hazelnuts are best pruned in winter, in January or February. You should thin hazelnut trees at least every 2 to 3 years.
Cherry tree pruning should be done directly after harvesting in summer, i.e. between June and mid-August. Cuts heal faster in summer and your tree will be less susceptible to fungal infestation and tree diseases.
You prune kiwis in the summer and then when they bear fruit. For stems that are bearing or have borne fruit, trim back to four buds behind the last fruit. In late winter, shorten these cut-back stems again and thin them out slightly.
The following berries are fruit shrubs, which means they form multiple woody stems and no trunk. For summer-ripening raspberries, the fruit-bearing stems are thinned out in summer; for autumn raspberries, all stems are removed close to the ground after harvesting.
February and March are suitable times for pruning blackberries. Another round of cuts should then be made in July or August.
Cut blueberries back in February or March. The autumn period after harvesting is also suitable for pruning. You can also trim blackcurrants and gooseberries in February or March or in summer after harvesting.
The Mediterranean olive tree, which is very tolerant of pruning, is best cut in February or March after overwintering.
March and April, when new shoots are forming, are ideal for development pruning of apricot and peach trees. Summertime, after harvesting, is ideal for trimming stems back.
Plum trees – and damsons, as a subspecies of plum – are in the category of stone fruit trees that are best pruned in summer. If pruned in July or August, the cut surfaces of stone fruit trees can still heal well before the onset of the cold season.
A suitable time to prune lemon treesis in late winter or early spring. If you prune in February or March, your lemon tree has the chance to grow back strongly again.
When should I prune fruit trees that bleed sap?
When pruning fruit trees in winter, you will sometimes notice sap leaking from the cut wound due to high root pressure. This may be referred to as “bleeding”. In fruit-growing, this most commonly occurs in grapevines and walnut trees. This “bleeding” is by no means equivalent to a human wound.
A sharp tool accelerates healing.
However, there is a risk that bleeding branches will dry out not only at the cut surface, but all the way into the main branch.
To avoid bleeding, prune susceptible fruit trees, such as walnuts, immediately after leaves appear in spring during your routine garden maintenance. As the tree is fully in leaf by then, the leaves evaporate the water and nothing is discharged from the wounds. However, this special case only applies if bleeding is very heavy; normally, the specified cutting times apply.
The right tools for fruit tree pruning
In what temperature should I prune fruit trees?
At temperatures above -5 degrees, there is basically no case against pruning fruit trees even in frost. However, if there is heavy frost, you should postpone pruning the fruit tree in case the wood cracks and the tree suffers more major damage. Remember that young fruit trees are more susceptible to frost.
Ideally, choose a dry, cloudy day for pruning fruit trees.
Now all you need is the right tools and protective equipment before you can cut your fruit trees into shape!
