Professional fruit growers use several different pruning and training methods for training apple and pear trees: Central Leader, Modified Central Leader, and Open Center or Vase Shape. In these instructions we will address the Central Leader and Open Ceneter Methods.

• Central leader: Used mainly with apples, European pears and plums, and dwarf cultivars, this method yields trees with single, upright trunks. The main limbs should be spaced about 8 inches apart and extend in all directions around the trunk so that no limb is directly above another. If you looked straight down from the top, the limbs should resemble a spiral in which no two branches are at exactly the same level on the trunk. To maximize sunlight penetration, prune the limbs so that those at the top of the tree are shorter than branches under them.
• Modified central leader: In this system, trees are trained to a single, upright trunk with evenly spaced limbs until they reach a desired height, usually 6 to 10 feet. At that point, you prune out the leader and maintain the tree at that height. All fruit trees can be trained to this form, and it’s especially useful for keeping fruit within picking distance of the ground.
• Open center (also called vase shape): Peaches, nectarines, sour cherries, apricots, Asian pears, and Japanese plums produce easy-to-reach, high quality fruit when pruned to this form. In this style, you select four or five well-placed main branches and then prune out the central leader. This technique limits the height of the tree and creates a spreading crown. You can use this method with any fruit tree, especially those that normally grow too tall to harvest comfortably.

Detailed instructions for the Central Leader and Open Center methods on following pages.