Gardening : Fruit-Tree Pruning Means Less Is More : Gardening: Proper trimming is necessary to insure full production from fruiting trees.

The most important job in proper fruit-tree care--except for the basics of watering and feeding--is pruning, says Jim Barry, certified arborist and horticulture instructor at Cal Poly Pomona. It is also the most difficult job to learn to do properly.

We are talking about mature deciduous fruit trees, not citrus trees. Citrus trees require only occasional pruning to remove deadwood, to shape and to open up the interior of the tree.

By deciduous fruit trees, we’re referring to peach, plum, nectarine, apple, pear, persimmon, almond and a few others. All except apple and persimmon trees should be pruned yearly to rejuvenate the fruiting wood (parts of branches that bear the fruit). Pruning is done while trees are dormant--anywhere from late December through the middle of February. This is the key to decent fruit production.

Because the main goal of pruning is to renew fruiting wood, a gardener must be able to locate and identify the wood on each type of tree. For instance, peaches are produced on last year’s wood, while apricot and plums are produced on 2- or 3-year-old wood.

The pruning of fruit trees is difficult to learn because they are all approached differently. You don’t prune a peach like a plum, or an apple like an apricot.

By far the best way to learn to prune is to attend a demonstration.

Barry said attendance at the demonstrations will also help gardeners with the secondary goals of fruit-tree pruning--controlling the height and shape of the tree and removing dead, diseased or surplus branches.

Two fruit-tree-pruning demonstrations are taking place in the Southland this month. They are quite popular, so get there early.

The first of these demonstrations will be Jan. 14 at South Coast Botanic Garden, 26300 Crenshaw Blvd., Palos Verdes Peninsula; phone (213) 772-5813.

The demonstration, scheduled for 2 p.m. in the auditorium, will be led by Jean Natter, a horticulture instructor at Cerritos College and a garden columnist.

The pruning demonstration will be held in an auditorium rather than out among the trees because last year’s demonstration was so popular that the area around the trees was crowded. Many people complained that they couldn’t see or hear the demonstrators properly.

Natter’s demonstration will include a lecture, diagrams and slides. She will offer pruning techniques for apricot, peach, nectarine, plum, apple and almond trees. Although the pruning of citrus is not a crucial item, Natter will cover the topic because it has been so popular at past demonstrations.

After the demonstration will be a question-and-answer session. The demonstration is free; however, there is a charge to get into the South Coast Botanic Garden.

The second demonstration, the one in which Jim Barry is involved, will be Jan. 20 from 1 to 3 p.m. at the Fullerton Arboretum. The arboretum is at the northeast corner of the Cal State Fullerton campus, at Yorba Linda and Associated Road in Fullerton; phone (714) 773-3579. Admission is free, but donations to the arboretum are appreciated.

Barry’s demonstration is more “hands on,” utilizing the extensive fruit tree orchard on the grounds. It will feature Barry; Dr. Alden Kelley, a certified arborist; Rico Montenegro, associate director of the arboretum, and various tree experts from the Tree Society of Orange County. The demonstration is co-sponsored by the arboretum and the society.

The demonstration will open with a presentation on fruit-tree-pruning fundamentals. The audience will be divided into small groups for the actual tree-pruning demonstrations.

Because the arboretum has a nice selection of the various deciduous trees, spectators will get a good look at the particular trees they are interested in pruning.

If you are unable to attend one of these demonstrations, Barry said the next best thing for learning proper pruning techniques is a good book.

He likes “Pruning, A How-to Guide for Gardeners” from HP Books, and a small, locally produced book titled “How to Prune Fruit Trees” by Sanford Martin. Both should be available at Southland nurseries.