Summer pruning and protection from insect damage
Summer pruning is an effective way to improve fruit tree health, increase crop quality, and reshape your tree. When carried out in early summer, it improves light penetration to leaves and fruit, enhancing colour, flavour and overall fruit quality, while also supporting growth for the following year.
Late summer pruning is ideal for more significant tree restructuring. At this stage, after producing blossom and fruit, the tree naturally begins to slow down for winter, reducing the risk of excessive regrowth after pruning.
As part of our professional fruit tree pruning service, we also help protect your trees from common pests such as apple sawfly, codling moth and plum moth using environmentally-friendly pheromone traps.
SPECIAL OFFER: Book a summer pruning session and receive free pheromone traps, supplied and installed to protect your fruit trees from insect damage.
Send us a photo of your tree (email enquiries@realenglishfruit.co.uk), and we will reply with a tailored quote for professional summer pruning, including expert advice and pest protection.

Fruit trees are now emerging from dormancy, and so early March is the last period in which new trees can be planted bareroot.
Some types of fruit trees can be winter pruned.
Newly-planted trees need special care. Remember to remove all grass and weeds in a circle one metre in diameter around the trunk. Grass inhibits tree root growth and its effect is particularly strong on young trees.
This is a good time of year to graft trees. Contact us if you need help with grafting!
Trees in blossom or bud have to be protected from frost.
Do not carry out any form of pruning on plums, peaches, nectarines and apricots at this time of the year, as it may result in infection by “peach leaf curl,” a fungal disease. If you had trouble with this disease last year, make sure no old leaves are still underneath the trees, as these will produce the spores which may initiate another infection. If you can stop the leaves from becoming damp or wet, that will further reduce the chances of infection. Watch a video tutorial on how to protect against peach leaf curl.

Useful links
Garden orchard encyclopaedia
This website presents information on the entire spectrum of fruit trees for the garden. Click here to see the Garden Orchard Encyclopaedia index. Below are links to some of our most popular sections:
- month-by-month overview of tasks in a garden orchard
- fruit tree varieties
- how to plan a new garden orchard
- how to plant fruit trees
- how to prune fruit trees
- how to make an espalier
- how to deal with fruit tree diseases
- how to look after older trees
- how to save a blown-over tree
- thinning
- training fruit trees as espalier, fan, cordon or stepover
Fruit Tree Video Channel
The videos published on this website illustrate the critical stages of fruit development, from the period from blossom to fruit formation, in a chronological sequence throughout the year. Click here to see the videos currently available.




