Area residents attend tree pruning workshop

By TOM STANKARD

tstankard@yourdailyglobe

Hurley - While snow fell outside, close to 50 area residents attended an apple tree pruning workshop led by Rebecca Krans Saturday morning at the Iron County Courthouse hosted by the 46th Parallel Planters and the Range Master Gardeners.

Krans, a Michigan State University Extension consumer horticulture educator, said tree pruning is a horticultural practice involving the selective removal of parts of a plant, such as branches, buds, or roots.

She said the goal of pruning apple trees is to produce strong, healthy and attractive plants.

Krans said growing fruit trees can be a fun hobby for beginners and master gardeners alike. When choosing a location to plant apple trees, she said to avoid planting trees at low elevation and to pick a location on hillsides.

Before pruning a tree, Krans said to assess the tree by imagining how the tree is going to look after pruning.

When it's time to prune the tree, Krans said to find and remove dead or damaged branches that are close together and branches that are growing inward or toward the center of the tree.

Krans warned to prune only as much as necessary.

Krans said the best time to prune apple trees is during the dormant season - late fall or winter. Although, she said dead branches can and should be removed at any time.

To prune a tree, she said to use various garden and tree cutting tools designed for the purpose, such as hand pruners, loppers, or chainsaws.

Krans said to keep pruning tools as sharp as possible and to clean them often.

Krans then took the audience out to the apple orchard next to the courthouse to let them try what they learned first-hand.