How to Prune Fruit Trees

by R. Sanford Martin

While the act of pruning is simple enough, knowing where and when to prune can confound even experienced gardeners. For more than half a century, Robert Sanford Martin's How to Prune Fruit Trees has been the go-to guide for pruners of all levels of expertise. As one reviewer noted, "This book simplifies what other books complicate. It has a small amount of text paired with line drawings that help break pruning tasks down into something you can easily understand." Martin has judiciously pruned his words to make his advice as clear and simple as possible. His guidance in the art of cutting back and thinning out has been responsible for the preservation of countless healthy trees and orchards. Maximize your fruit production-whether you are growing apples, almonds, plums, pomegranates, or any of over 40 varieties of fruit trees discussed in this book-by making the right cut every time.

In this enhanced edition, additional information from H. Thomas's «Pruning Made Easy» explores the treatment of roots, side shoots, sub-laterals, standards, cordon trees, and other aspects of plant care. Well illustrated and clear, this book will become your indispensable guide for year-round pruning success and should have a place in the library of both seasoned and amateur gardeners.

Genres: Gardening

112 pages, Paperback

Published September 2, 2013

Reviews

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just consulted this book for the umpteenth time (and in so doing, realized I had better give it a nod here on goodreads). What a succinct, perfect little book! Written originally in 1944, it is definitely worth hunting down. The writing is simple and straight-forward, with precise and concise explanations for everything -- all while not sounding condescending. The diagrams, all hand-drawn, are like the text: uncomplicated and easy-to-understand.

[Seth Nelson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Simple guide for pruning, very easy to understand.

[David Bernstein · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great book, having a page or two on the growing habits of specific fruit. The one caveat is that the information on how to plant trees and where to make thinning cuts is way out of date.