AMES, Iowa – Iowa State University Extension and Outreach is offering workshops on fruit tree management focused primarily on tree pruning and branch training. Workshops will be held March 20-22. Participants will learn best practices and techniques for pruning and training fruit-bearing trees for peak performance.
“Fruit trees in Iowa should be pruned and trained in the spring,” said Patrick O’Malley, commercial horticulture specialist with ISU Extension and Outreach. “Most ideally homeowners should prune fruit trees, such as apple and pear, between late February and early April. These workshops will allow participants to learn techniques and best practices that they can take home and perform on their own trees.”
Locations, registration contacts and dates:
- March 20 – New Hampton, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Dean and Jane Grober home, 1140 160th Street. To register, contact Sarah Merrifield at merrifie@iastate.edu or 641-394-2174. Workshop fee is $15.
- March 21 – Crawfordsville, 1 to 4 p.m. Registration starts at 12:45. ISU-Operated Southeast Research Farm, 3115 Louisa-Washington Road. To register, contact Patrick O’Malley at omall@iastate.edu or 319-337-2145. Workshop fee is $5.
- March 22 – Waverly, 5 to 6:30 p.m. Registration starts at 4:30 p.m. Waverly Community Sharing Garden Orchard, 3rd Street SW and 7th Ave SW. To register, contact Tammy Curley at tcurley@iastate.edu or 319-882-4175. Workshop fee is $15.
“It’s important for fruit trees to be pruned annually to allow for a strong, stable structure and desirable shape,” said O’Malley. “If trees are not pruned properly, yields can decrease and over-pruning can lead to little to no flowering in the growing season.”
For more information or questions about the workshops contact Patrick O’Malley at omall@iastate.edu or 319-337-2145.