Grand Marais, Minn. (02/11/2025)— Pruning apple trees during dormancy in winter is recommended to promote high quality fruit production. Learning how to properly prune apple trees gives growers the knowledge and skills to use pruning to maintain their desired tree shape and size, promote airflow and light to future fruit, and remove dead or diseased limbs. Local orchardists and backyard fruit growers are invited to attend a workshop on apple tree pruning in March.
The workshop will take place on Wednesday March 5th from 10 am-noon. There is no fee to attend, but advance registration is required. Registration is available at z.umn.edu/pruningworkshop. The workshop will begin at the Cook County Community Center in Grand Marais for an indoor learning session, followed by a hands-on outdoor portion at the Cook County Community Orchard.
Extension Fruit Educator Madeline Wimmer will present during the workshop, which will cover pruning techniques, decision-making, and best practices for tool care. Attendees are encouraged to dress to be outdoors, and to bring their own tools such as pruning shears, loppers, and hand saws if you have them.
Prior to the in-person workshop, Wimmer is also offering a webinar on apple tree pruning in February. Those interested in the workshop may wish to attend the webinar beforehand to gain additional background knowledge. The webinar is open to anyone interested in apple tree pruning, and will take place on Friday, February 28th from noon- 1 pm. Registration is available at https://z.umn.edu/pruningwebinar.
