Fruit tree pruning: thinning an overgrown crown

What the price depends on

It’s priced per tree. A young apple twice a person’s height and a neglected pear with branches above the shed roof cost differently: height, branch thickness, how overgrown the tree is and whether a ladder can get to it all count. Labour rates are in the table.

Taking the branches away or chipping them is paid separately, as is pruning sealant for large cuts. That is set out in the offer.

Rather hand the job over? More here: hedge trimming in Warsaw.

When and how trees are pruned

Apples and pears are usually pruned in late winter or early spring, before the buds break and once the hard frosts are over. Cherries and plums are more often pruned in summer, after harvest: on stone fruit, winter wounds heal worse and the risk of diseases such as gummosis goes up.

Formative pruning is for young trees. A framework of a few strong branches is set up so the crown doesn’t get crowded and can carry a crop. A mature tree gets thinned: dead, diseased, crossing and inward-growing branches come out. Renovation pruning is for old, neglected trees, and it’s spread over several seasons.

Take off too much in one go and the tree answers with clusters of water shoots, upright growth that bears no fruit. Next year they have to be cut out all over again.

On safety. Tall trees are pruned from a ladder with a saw in hand, so nobody should be standing underneath: a falling branch is heavier than it looks. If branches touch power lines or come close to them, a general handyman doesn’t touch them. That gets reported to the electricity network operator.

How the pruning works

1. The handyman looks the tree over: its age, dead and diseased branches, when it was last pruned.
2. Dead, broken and diseased wood goes first, then branches that rub against each other or grow inwards.
3. A thick branch is cut in three steps: an undercut, a top cut a little further from the trunk, then the stub is removed cleanly. That way the bark doesn’t tear.
4. The final cut sits at the branch collar, leaving no stub and not flush with the trunk.
5. Large cuts get sealant where needed, and branches are stacked or taken away if that was agreed.

Common mistakes

• Stone fruit pruned in winter like an apple, so the wounds take ages to heal.
• Half the crown removed in one go, and a year later the tree is covered in water shoots.
• Long stubs left behind that dry out and rot.
• A heavy branch cut in one pass from the top, tearing away a strip of bark.
• Blunt, dirty secateurs carrying disease from tree to tree.

What to prepare

• Photos of each tree in full and close-ups of the branches you are unsure about.
• What kind of trees they are and roughly how old, if you know.
• Access to the trees: room for a ladder, clear beds and paths.
• A decision on the branches: taken away, chipped or left on the plot.
• A note if branches reach power lines, the roof or a neighbour’s fence.

Frequently asked questions

How to order

Describe in the app how many trees there are, what kind and what’s wrong with them, and add photos. Tradespeople near you will send offers with their own price and timing. Pick one by reviews; only that person sees your address.

You pay directly and the handyman issues the invoice. They stand behind their own work: if stubs or torn bark were left through their fault, they’ll put it right. Disease, frost cracks and old damage to the tree are not on them.

Prune fruit trees and can tell a water shoot from a fruiting branch? Create a tradesperson profile and take pruning jobs close to home. You work for yourself and pick whatever business setup suits you.