If you want a bumper crop of those sweet, juicy fruits every year, your mirabelle plum tree needs a little TLC in the form of an annual pruning. Without a good thinning out, sunlight can’t reach the blossoms or the developing fruit, which means a much smaller harvest for you. A little help from your shears goes a long way in helping the tree reach its full potential!
Why Your Mirabelle Needs a Trim
Mirabelle trees are part of the plum family, and they have a unique way of growing. Instead of reaching for the sky, they tend to spread out like a large shrub. They are also incredibly fast growers! Because they get so bushy so quickly, timing your pruning is key. If the branches become too dense, air and light can’t circulate, leaving you with fruit that won’t ripen properly by the time fall rolls around.
The Best Time to Prune
Generally speaking, there are two windows for pruning a mirabelle:
- In the fall, after the harvest
- In the spring, before the blossoms appear
Mirabelles usually bloom between April and May. To give your tree the best start before its big spring growth spurt, I recommend pruning in February or March. While some folks prune in the fall, most garden experts suggest skipping a winter cut. Pruning in late fall or winter can leave the tree vulnerable to fungal diseases. Your best bet? Stick to a spring cleaning for your tree!
How to Handle Maintenance Pruning
Once your tree is past its initial five-year “training” phase, you’ll move on to what we call maintenance pruning. This should be an annual tradition. Start by cutting out any dead wood. Next, look for branches that are crossing over each other or growing inward toward the center of the tree—those have to go!
Take a step back and look at the overall shape, too. Any “water sprouts”—those thin branches shooting straight up into the air—are just energy suckers and should be removed. Finally, don’t forget to snip off any suckers growing out from the base of the trunk or the roots.
