Pruning Dilemma

[Martin109]

I have managed to plant my little orchard of various fruit trees just in time over the past couple of weeks, but now I have a dilemma about pruning.

Pruning of apples and pears should be done in winter, and I've got a selection of 1 year maidens, and a few 2 year olds all now budding nicely, a couple a bit further on.

Should I just leave them, and hope to remedy things next winter by pruning them for the first time then, or should I go ahead and prune late, if late is better than not at all?  Perhaps I should snip the maidens, and leave the older ones??

[Basil]

Leave them.  I wouldn't prune at all this late as they are establishing themselves.  Give them a year to settle in and then show them who is boss.

Hang on.  Second thoughts.  If you've only just put them in, the root system won't really be up to speed yet.  A light prune won't hurt.

But do they really need it?

[Ian H]

If the buds have started blowing then leave till next year.

[Martin109]

Thanks, I'll  leave them alone.