> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.primalfruits.net.au/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Pruning as you go - URL: https://www.primalfruits.net.au/pruning-as-you-go/ - Published: 2026-07-22T15:04:08.000Z - Updated: 2026-07-22T15:04:08.000Z - Author: Cyrus Roussilhes Pruning a food jungle is a bit like giving your backyard a haircut and a pep talk at the same time. But before you decide on a style let's understand the power of choice. You can let one single tree take up the room of an entire garden, just like that famous cashew tree in an Indian community that spreads across 4000sqm all by itself. Do you want one big tree or in the same space 1200 manageable fruiting trees? In the wild, heavy winds and hungry birds prune trees for us, but stepping in with secateurs lets us take the steering wheel. On the easiest scale tip pruning stops the main branch from zooming straight up, waking up side buds and tricking the plant into growing bushier much faster. Trimming also fixes the shape and forces the tree to focus its energy on making juicy fruit instead of wasted leaves. When you snip, never waste those green bits because chop and drop is nature's best free fertiliser. The flowers and tiny baby fruits you cull are absolute nutrient powerhouses for the soil. Pruning is also your main weapon for disease control. If you spot things like gall wasp or anthracnose, chop out the sick bits straight away. You can still compost diseased prunings safely by sealing them in a black plastic bag out in the hot sun for a few weeks to bake the bugs and spores away before adding to the main pile. Different plants have their own rules on the chopping block. Figs, mulberries, and grapes pump out mountains of fruit when you hack them back hard on new wood, while in general, berry canes need their old spent stems removed after harvest so the new growth can shine. In reality berry canes come in two main types, floricane and primocane. Knowing which type you have makes pruning much simpler. Floricane (Summer Fruiting) - These canes grow leaves in their first year, sleep through winter, and fruit in their second summer. Once a cane fruits, it dies forever. Examples: Marionberry, Boysenberry, Loganberry, Willamette, Chilcotin, and most standard blackberries. Pruning rule: Cut out only the old, brown, dead stems right down to the dirt after harvest. Keep the fresh green canes untouched because they will give you next year's fruit. Primocane (Autumn Fruiting) - These canes grow from the dirt and produce fruit at the top of the stem all in the same season. Examples: Heritage, Autumn Bliss, and Prime-Ark blackberries. Pruning rule: Cut every single cane flat to the ground in late winter. Fresh new shoots will pop up in spring and fruit by autumn. If you are not sure what type you have, wait until late winter. Any cane that turned completely brown and dry is finished and can be chopped off at ground level. Understanding what each cut will do to your plant is key and as you gain more experience this will mean little worry or thinking hard is no longer necessary. Here are a few more pruning Techniques to try and what they do. Thinning Cut whole branches all the way back to the main trunk. This clears out the crowded middle of the tree so sunshine and fresh air can pass through. Good airflow keeps leaves dry and stops mold and disease from taking over. Crown Reduction Trim back the topmost branches on a mature tree to drop its height or spread. This keeps a big tree manageable in a backyard without messing up its natural shape. Crown Lifting Chop off the lowest branches that hang down near the dirt. This lifts the bottom of the tree so you have clear space underneath to walk past, park, or grow shade loving plants. Espalier and Topiary Train and trim stems so they grow completely flat along a fence, wire trellis, or wall. Topiary is trimming bushes into neat shapes like balls, cones, or hedges to save space. For more production and overall health try these... Sanitary / Clean-up Pruning - Cut away dead, broken, or sick branches as soon as you spot them. Getting rid of diseased bits like fungal spots or gall wasp keeps the rest of the tree healthy and stops pests from spreading. Renewal / Rejuvenation Pruning - Hack old, woody stems right down to ground level over a couple of seasons. This tricks the plant into firing up fresh new shoots that produce far more fruit than tired old wood. Coppicing means cutting a tree right down to ground level every few years so lots of fast, straight stems pop up. Pollarding means cutting branches back to the top of a short trunk each year to keep the tree small and leafy. Root Pruning means to trim back the outer roots of pot bound plants when repotting or moving them. Snipping tangled roots forces the plant to grow fresh feeding roots and keeps potted trees healthy in small spaces. Tool hygiene means disinfecting secateurs with methylated spirits or rubbing alcohol or my favourite, hydrogen peroxide between trees stops you from accidentally spreading viral and fungal diseases from one plant to the next. Think about cutting angles and position. Always cut at a 45 degree angle about 5 millimetres above an outward facing bud. The angle sheds rainwater off the cut so it does not pool and cause rot, while the outward bud keeps new growth heading away from the middle of the tree. Very important is removing rootstock suckers on grafted fruit trees. Any shoots popping up below the graft union must be chopped off immediately too. Rootstocks are wild and vigorous, and if left alone they will starve and kill off your good fruiting variety. Weather timing can be important, so avoid heavy pruning right before a hot summer heatwave or a cold winter frost. Chopping back a canopy exposes tender inner leaves and bark that can get sunbaked or frostbitten overnight. Remember shade is amazing for Perth. Sunburn protection is necessary to consider when you do a heavy structural cut or crown reduction, the newly exposed main trunk can get severely sunburnt in hot climates. Slapping on a coat of diluted white water based paint protects the exposed bark until new leaves shade it again. Snipping away takes very little effort, clears a busy mind, and feels like great mindfulness. Grab your tools, because pruning is good fun and you definitely should not leaf it to chance.