12 Fruit Trees You Can Still Prune in Early Spring, and How?

Spring has arrived, and if you’re behind on pruning your fruit trees, don’t worry—you’re not alone. While winter is the ideal time to prune your fruit trees while they are dormant, things don’t always go as planned. If you didn’t get around to it, you might be wondering—can you still prune now, or is it too late?

The short answer? It depends. Some trees can still handle a late-winter or early-spring pruning. Even though they’re gearing up to bloom and fruit (those blossoms don’t last long!), a well-timed pruning session won’t ruin your harvest—provided you know which trees can take it. The key is to move quickly before the growing season kicks into full gear.

Before making any cuts, though, be sure you’re pruning the right ones. Some trees will bounce back just fine, while others are better left untouched until next year. Let’s break it down…

Warning! Safety When Pruning Fruit Trees

No, I am not talking about you falling off the ladder (though, do be careful!) I am talking about safety for your fruit trees… There are a few rules you must absolutely follow.

• Always use tools with sharp blades.
• Always sterilize the blades before and after every individual tree.

Always cut branches just above the node, that swollen part at the base where they attach to another branch or to the trunk.

Always give neat cuts; otherwise, uneven wounds will invite both water and pathogens in. If you are not sure you can straight away, cut a few inches above where you should prune, then cut again.

So far, so good. Now…

General Rules for Pruning Fruit Trees

There are a few general rules when pruning fruit trees, which you should apply to all the varieties we’ll see soon.

• Respect and follow the natural shape of the tree; don’t try to shape it into what it doesn’t want to be.
• Look at the tree from a distance first.
• Walk around it and check it from all sides.
• Go under it and inspect it from beneath, examining what the inside of the crown is.
• No weird angles! You don’t want branches that stop and turn 90° or anything like that; branching should be soft and at low angles.

Next a note on the 3D’s, as we call them in the trade: dead, diseased and damaged wood. These are always the first branches you need to cut; your fruit tree does not need them, and then you can see which branches you have left to work on. By “damaged”, we mean “severely damaged”.

And now, let’s see which one you can prune. I have a few surprises for you.

1: Apple Tree (Malus domestica)

And here’s the first surprise for you… You can still prune apple trees in March or early spring, but hurry up! It will soon be in bloom.

How to do it? Follow these instructions…

• Aim to cut no more than 1/3 of the branches (even less with apples).
• Start from the center and move outwards.
• Aim for a central leader (main central branch), if you are forming a young tree; this will give it a pyramidal shape.
• Cut any dead, diseased or damaged wood first.
• Prune competing central leader branches.
• If necessary, cut extra scaffold branches (main branches starting from the trunk); you should have 3 to 5 maximum.
• Cut all suckers.
• Cut branches before an outward and upward pointing bud or stem.
• Cut downward and inward branches.

That’s it!

2: Olive Tree (Olea europaea)

Olive trees are usually pruned after you harvest them; but you can stretch the season into early spring and even April in colder climates. But they do need a good trim every single year! So, whether you grow one for its fruits, or as a wonderful decorative specimen, here is what to do.

• You want your olive tree to have two to three, distinct outward and downward cones with an almost empty center; like leafy lilac blooms…
• Cut off all dead, diseased and damaged wood.
• Cut most suckers, and absolutely big ones. However, you can leave smaller ones every 2 feet or so (50-60 cm) on branches that do not split or have secondary branches for about 1 meter (3 feet). They will help bring the sap to the tips.
• Cut all crossing and inward pointing branches.
• Cut competing branches, choosing the upper one over the lower one, or the one that goes towards an empty place against the one that goes towards a crowded place.
• Cut all root suckers coming from the base of the trunk.
• Cut before an upward pointing stem or bud. It will bow down naturally, especially as the olives grow.

Moving to the next…

3: Persimmon Tree (Diospyros virginiana)

Ok, you will see persimmons growing for a long time and only maturing in fall on your tree. But it will flower soon, so, if you haven’t pruned it in winter, you only have March to do it. And here is how to.

• Aim to have a broad and round crown.
• Cut all dead, diseased and damaged wood.
• Thin out crowded areas, crossing and inward pointing branches, starting from the center.
• Persimmon trees tend to grow a bit too tall; if yours is doing it, trim the top branches.
• Prune water sprouts and suckers.
• Try to keep as many new branches as possible, because that’s where your persimmons will grow.
• Never prune more than 173 of the branches.

4: Cherry Tree (Prunus spp.)

Here’s a big surprise! We are all expecting those famous cherry blossoms to be in bloom soon, but you are just about in time to prune it now! And you’ll still enjoy its floral spectacle and sweet fruits soon. On the other hand…

• Cherries do not need heavy pruning!
• As usual, cut all dead, damaged and diseased wood.
• Thin out overcrowded areas.
• Cut all water sprouts and suckers; they won’t produce anything anyway!
• Trim for height; they tend to grow tall, so cut long and upward branches at the top.
• Cut before outward and upward pointing stem and buds.
• Do NOT overcut; cherries blossom and fruit on “spurs” (short stubby branches) and old wood. Aim to prune 20 to 25% of the wood at the very maximum.

5: Pear Tree (Pyrus spp.)

Here’s another classic fruit tree you can prune in late winter but also early spring: pear! Do you want to know how?

• You want your pear tree to have a very open crown.
• If you are shaping it, aim to keep one strong central leader.
• Cut all dead, diseased and damaged branches, as usual…
• Thin out dense areas, cutting competing, crossing and inward pointing branches.
• Make sure the center of the crown is spacious and well ventilated.
• Cut all suckers and water sprouts.
• However, do not cut spurs (short and stubby branches), because pear trees fruit on them.
• Always cut before outward and upward pointing buds or stems.

6: Fig Tree (Ficus carica)

You can still prune fig trees in early spring, and the problem is not so much that they would suffer much if you do it later. They will withstand any cutting at any time, but you won’t! The trouble is that their leaves are highly urticating, so you need to hurry before they grow back. And here is how:

• You can be quite free when pruning fig trees; they adapt to many shapes.
• However, long sleeves and gloves; its sap can burn your skin!
• Cut all dead, diseased and damaged wood.
• Aim to cut one third of the shoots that grew the year before.
• Prune two or three mature branches, making space for sunlight. Cut them back to about 2 inches (5.0 cm).
• Cut all the shoots that are growing where you don’t want them to go, like over the fence, or to your neighbor’s…
• Tie in all the new shoots, so as to keep the fig tree in shape.

Yes, it’s very different from most other trees.

7: Peach Tree (Prunus persica)

You can only prune peach trees in March if you live in a cold region; they can blossom very early (as early as February in hot countries!). If you see any flower buds, then you are too late and you will have to wait till next year. But in case there are none, here’s what you need to do.

• Aim to have a round crown.
• You should cut about 40% of the branches (yes, it wants really heavy pruning!)
• Cut all dead, diseased and damaged branches, as usual.
• Next, cut the top half of last year’s growth.
• Cut any inward and downward pointing branch or shoot.
• Cut all branches that are above a 45° angle.
• Cut all crossing branches and shoots.
• Keep the crown very open, to allow sunlight in.
• Thin all dense areas.
• Cut before an upward and outward bud or stem.

So, heavy pruning for peaches, but how about nut trees?

8: Hazelnut Tree (Corylus avellana)

You can grow hazelnuts as shrubs (which is their natural “shape”) or form them into trees… In both cases, you can quite safely prune them in early spring, but we need to make a distinction…

As a shrub:

• Cut all dead, diseased and damaged branches.
• Select a few healthy main branches to keep; 3 to 5 for an average sized one, up to 7 for a big one; they shouldn’t be pointing inwards.
• Cut all the others to the base, thinning out the shrub. This usually means cutting 1 to 3 of the main branches.
• Aim to have a vase-like shape.
• Cut back excessive growth to keep it in size.
• Aim to cut about ¼ of the shrub, but 1/3 is fine if you want to thin it or reduce its size.

As a tree:

• If you are training your hazelnut to grow into a tree, first of all, choose one upright healthy shoot and cut all the others. Allow it to have 3 to 5 scaffold branches. After you have done this.
• As usual, cut all dead, diseased and damaged wood.
• Cut all suckers.
• Cut low lying and drooping branches.
• Thin dense areas.
• Prune long branches into size and keep it in shape.
• Every year, you should cut about 1/3 of the older branches, which become unproductive.

Moving on to our next fruit tree…

9: Citrus Trees like Lemons, Oranges, Grapefruit etc. (Citrus spp.)

Early spring is a good time to prune citrus trees, in fact, they will withstand a light trim all year round and… Well, you may feel like a Japanese gardener when doing so, because they have such wonderful shapes and “personality”. Oranges tend to be rounder than lemons, for example, which can look wild at times, nevertheless, follow their nature, as we said…

• Cut all dead, diseased and damaged wood.
• Absolutely cut all suckers, and careful, they have very long and pointy thorns!
• Never cut more than 25% of the branches as you prune them.
• Cut any crossing and inward pointing branches.
• Prune off low lying branches.
• Thin out the canopy.
• Always cut before an upward and outward looking stem or bud.

It’s quite easy in the end…

10: Pomegranate Tree (Punica granatum)

Now, you may be able to prune pomegranate trees in early spring, but there’s a problem… These fruiting beauties can blossom at any time from late winter to summer. On the other hand, it will be easy for you to spot if they have flowers on! If they are not in bloom, then you can go ahead.

Pomegranates are, like hazelnuts (and olives!) naturally shrubs, but most of us grow them as trees, and this is a problem, because they tend to go back into their natural shape! If you want to stop them from doing so, follow these steps:

• Start by pruning off all the root suckers at the base! Yes, it’s the exception that confirms the rule. You won’t even be able to get to the other branches otherwise.
• Also prune any shoots under the canopy.
• Now you can get close, cut all dead, diseased and damaged branches.
• Look at the crown, you may find suckers there too. It’s very vigorous and you know what to do: cut them off…
• Now thin the crown, cutting crossing and inward looking branches.
• Finally, shorten overgrown branches, to keep the crown in shape.

And the next one is…

11: Mulberry Tree (Morus spp.)

You must have seen mulberry trees cut very severely, with stumps of the main branches. This is called pollarding, but you won’t get any fruits if you do it – and they look ugly. It was done to grow lots of fresh branches packed with leaves, to feed to stock or silkworms. But if you want it to get its black, white and red berries, then you will need to prune it in a different way, and if you want shade, you’ll need to keep it with a large crown as well. They are very flexible indeed, and they can stand many types of “trimmings”.  You should prune it after frost but before the new bids emerge, so, in warm regions, spring may be a bit too late.

So, here’s how to prune a mulberry tree to get both fruits and shade.

• You want your mulberry tree to have a low and wide crown.
• Aim to cut no more than 1/ of the branches.
• Cut all dead, diseased and damaged branches.
• Thin out dense areas.
• If the mulberry tree has become too tall, cut about 1/3 of the top branches, focusing on last year’s growth.
• Cut inward and crossing branches.
• Cut overgrown branches which are too long.
• Cut before an outward and upward pointing gem or branch.
• Seal major wounds with a sealant; mulberry trees tend to “bleed” after pruning, they lose sap.

And that’s all! Now, our final fruit tree for you to prune in spring…

12: Loquat (Eriobotrya japonica)

Loquat is not a very common fruit in stores and markets, but many have it mainly for its decorative purpose, thanks to its large, glossy oval leaves. In any case, if you have one of these trees from Japan and Asia, you can enjoy both, and early spring is by far the best time to prune it. In fact, you must wait till the last day of frost is fully behind you. On the other hand, you cannot wait too long; you must act before new buds appear. You have that window of a few weeks between the end of dormancy and the start of new growth.

Get the time right, follow these instructions, and your loquat will give you both fruits and beauty.

• Aim to give your loquat tree a very balanced shape, almost symmetrical.
• Cut all dead, diseases or damaged branches.
• Thin out the center of the crown; its dense foliage can prevent ventilation.
• The tree should be 8 to 12 feet tall only (2.4 to 4.6 meters); if it is over this height, cut the top branches.
• Cut any suckers and water sprouts.
• Loquats fruit on one year old branches. So, be very light on last year’s branches. You can cut them back by 6 to 12 inches (15 to 30 cm), to encourage new growth, but nothing more.

Spring Pruning Can Be Fun – If You Know How to Do It

Spring pruning is much more fun than fall or winter pruning; the weather is milder, we are in a better mood, days can be sunny, flowers are starting blooming… It’s just a pleasure. As long as you know how to treat your fruit trees, you will also get great crops later on – and now you know how to…