LESSON PLAN Rigor/Relevance

Framework
Area and/or Course Horticulture 6
C D
5

Knowledge
Assimilation Adaptation
4 _______ ___X____

Lesson Title Pruning Fruit Trees 3

2 A B
No. Periods 2 (73-minute periods) 1 Acquisition Application
_______ _______

1 2 3 4 5
Teacher Goal(s): Application
1. Students will determine the types of fruit trees
common the their area
2. Students will be able to communicate how, why, and
where to prune various types of fruit trees

Objectives:

The student will be able to (TSWBT). (Oregon Skill Set numbers in parentheses at the
end of the objective statement.)
1. Identify and explain the optimal time to prune fruit trees (Plant 01.03)
2. Justify the reasons of pruning fruit trees (Plant 03.03.05.b)
3. List the situations to prune out of trees to optimize fruit development (Plant 03.03.05.b)
4. Organize and justify the steps in removing material (EL.HS.RE.05)
5. Perform pruning tasks on mature and young fruit trees (Plant 03.03.05.b)

State Standards met by Objectives:

Subject Strand Eligible Content
1. Plant 01.03 Apply knowledge of plant physiology and energy
conversion to plant systems
2. Plant 03.03.05.b Demonstrate proper techniques to control and
manage plant growth through mechanical, cultural
or chemical means
3. Agriculture 02.01.01.02 Increase reading skills through reading challenging
material
4. Agriculture 06.02.04.01 Identify general workplace safety hazards
5. English EL.HS.RE.05 Match reading to purpose--location of information,
full comprehension, and personal enjoyment.

Knowledge: 1=awareness; 2=comprehension; 3=application; 4=analysis; 5=synthesis; 6=evaluation

Application: 1=knowledge in one discipline; 2=apply knowledge in one discipline; 3=apply knowledge across disciplines; 4=apply knowledge to real-world predictable situations; 5=apply
knowledge to real-world unpredictable situations
Materials, Equipment, Audio-Visual Aids: References:

http://www.lawn-and-gardening-tips.com/fruit-
1. Hand Shears
tree-pruning-instructions.html
2. Pruning Saws
http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/hort/hil/ag29.html
3. PowerPoint
4. Pruning Apple Tree document http://www.ehow.com/how_14668_prune-fruit-
trees.html (ORTHO BOOKS, 1989)
5.
Anticipatory Set/Introduction/Motivation/Interest Approach:

Review Yesterday’s Lesson:

The steps in pruning will be reviewed to check for student understanding when removing
different size limbs. Questions that will be asked: What type of tool do we use for ¼“, 1½”, and
larger than 1½”? What angle should our cuts be at? How close to the nearest bud should the cut
be?

Set:

Bring in two different apples which came from the Molalla orchard. One apple is from a pruned
tree and is larger in size. The other apple is from a tree of the same age, but has never been
pruned back and the apple is much smaller.

What are the reasons behind the size difference?

Transition (Use Objective):

1. Identify and explain the optimal time to prune fruit trees

2. Justify the reasons of pruning fruit trees
3. List the situations to prune out of trees to optimize fruit development
4. Organize and justify the steps in removing material
5. Perform pruning tasks on mature and young fruit trees
Strategy – Includes Teacher
Activity, Student Activity,
Questions/Answers and
Objectives
Objective #1
(Q) When is the optimal time
to prune fruit trees in the
Willamette Valley?
Students will be asked to vote
on Summer, Fall, Winter, and
Spring.
(A) Winter when the tree is
dormant.
(Q) Who can tell me what
dormant means?
(A) When the plant is not
growing
Students will be provided with
a list of trees, and asked to put
the trees in order of when they
should be pruned. They are
allowed to work in groups and
discuss, Why they think each
tree comes before another or
last:
- Plum
- Pecan
- Cherry
- Peach
- Apple
The Correct order is:
1. Apple
2. Pecan
3. Cherry
4. Peach
5. Plum
The reason behind the order is
that the latest blooming trees
should be pruned first along
with the older trees
Subject Matter Outline/Problem and Solution (Application
Points Lace in Throughout Lesson) (Modeling, Guided
Practice, and Content)
“When we Prune”
Trees respond very differently to dormant and summer pruning.
Dormant pruning is an invigorating process. During the fall,
energy is stored primarily in the trunk and root system to
support the top portion of the tree. If a large portion of the tree
is removed during the winter, while the tree is dormant, the
tree's energy reserve is unchanged. In the spring, the tree
responds by producing many new vigorous, upright shoots,
called water sprouts, which shade the tree and inhibit proper
development. Heavy dormant pruning also promotes excessive
vegetative vigor, which uses much of the tree's energy, leaving
little for fruit growth and development.
Historically, much of the vigorous, upright vegetative growth
has been removed during the dormant season; heavy dormant
pruning results in a yearly cycle with excessive vegetative
growth and little or no fruit production.
Timing of dormant pruning is critical. Pruning should begin as
late in the winter as possible to avoid winter injury. Apple and
pecan trees should be pruned first, followed by cherry, peach,
and plum trees. A good rule to follow is to prune the latest
blooming trees first and the earliest blooming last. Another
factor to consider is tree age. Within a particular fruit type, the
oldest trees should be pruned first. Younger trees are more
prone to winter injury from early pruning.
Summer pruning eliminates an energy or food producing
portion of the tree and results in reduced tree growth. Pruning
can begin as soon as the buds start to grow, but it is generally
started after vegetative growth is several inches long. For most
purposes, summer pruning should be limited to removing the
upright and vigorous current season's growth; only thinning
cuts should be used. To minimize the potential for winter
injury, summer pruning should not be done after the end of
July.
Objective #2
(Q) Why is it important to
prune fruit trees?
Teacher will place student
responses on the board
(A) To increase fruit
production, maintain proper
shape, yield high quality fruit,
increase the longevity of the
tree, and prevent disease
The teacher will ask students
to draw a healthy fruit tree in
their notes and label the most
important parts.
Students will draw trees with
large trunks, leaves, branches,
and fruit, providing the
instructor with a chance to
discuss the importance of
maintaining strong branches
through pruning, increasing
photosynthesis through
pruning, and to remove small
branches which could break
and damage the tree.
(Q) How would pruning young
trees differ from pruning old
trees?
Students will be asked to read
through the “Pruning Apple
Trees” document and answer
the questions.
“Why we Prune”
Growers often neglect the annual training and pruning of fruit
trees. Without training and pruning, however, fruit trees will
not develop proper shape and form. Properly trained and
pruned trees will yield high quality fruit much earlier in their
lives and live significantly longer.
A primary objective of training and pruning is to develop a
strong tree framework that will support fruit production.
Improperly trained fruit trees generally have very upright
branch angles, which result in serious limb breakage under a
heavy fruit load. This significantly reduces the productivity of
the tree and may greatly reduce tree life. Another goal of
annual training and pruning is to remove dead, diseased, or
broken limbs.
Proper tree training also opens up the tree canopy to maximize
light penetration. For most deciduous tree fruit, flower buds for
the current season's crop are formed the previous summer.
Light penetration is essential for flower bud development and
optimal fruit set, flavor, and quality. Although a mature tree
may be growing in full sun, a very dense canopy may not allow
enough light to reach 12 to 18 inches inside the canopy.
Opening the tree canopy also permits adequate air movement
through the tree, which promotes rapid drying to minimize
disease infection and allows thorough pesticide penetration.
Additionally, a wellshaped fruit tree is aesthetically pleasing,
whether in a landscaped yard, garden, or commercial orchard.
1. Goals and Timing
There are two goals when pruning an apple tree:
1. Initially on young trees to encourage a strong, solid
framework
2. On mature trees to maintain shape and encourage fruit
production
The best time to prune apple trees is in late winter or very early
spring before any new growth starts.
The only growth you ever want to prune or remove during the
 summer months, when the tree is actively growing, is a sucker.

On young and old trees, remove all suckers that grow up from
the rootstock. The best time to do this is during the summer
when suckers are least likely to resprout. You can either prune
them off, or you can use Sucker Stopper which is a chemical to
discourage any suckers from re-growing

Objective #3 “What to Prune”

(Q) How do we know what
limbs and situations to remove
from the fruit tree?
Students will use their
assigned reading to determine
situations to remove from fruit
trees and the teacher will
review the definitions of:
When pruning just about anything, including apple trees,
here is a list of situations you always want to prune out.
A. Suckers
B. Stubs or broken branches
C. Downward-growing branches
D. Rubbing or criss-crossing branches
E. Upward growing interior branches
F. Competing leaders
G. Narrow crotches

A. Suckers
B. Stubs
C. Down-ward growing
branches
D. Rubbing or criss-cross
branches
E. Upward growing
interior branches
F. Competing leaders
G. Narrow crotches.
H.
The teacher will provide the
definitions to students by
taking them outside and
having the draw the definition
and label on the diagram.
Objective #4
(Q) What are the steps in
removing plant material from
young and old trees?
The teacher will still be
outside with the students from
Objective #3 and show
students the step by step
process of removing plant
material.
(Q) Why do we remove plant
material from young and older
trees?
(A) To encourage growth,
decrease disease, improve fruit
production.
As a review from previous
lessons the teacher will have
out several pruning tools and
ask the students to stop the
lesson if:
1. incorrect tools are
being used
2. improper cut angles
are about to be made
3. Cuts are being made in
improper location to
nodes or buds
The teacher will purposely
make mistakes so the students
are able to stop the lesson and
correct the actions, just like
should happen when students
are sent out to prune school
trees
“How to Prune”
All fruit plant pruning begins with the three D's: Remove all
dead, damaged and diseased wood, as well as limbs that may
rub on another, causing damage.
 Step 1
Know what all fruit trees need: pruning to make the most of
sunlight, to set and ripen tasty fruit, to renew and repair the
tree. Develop your annual, dormant-season pruning plan for
your specific fruit trees - apples need different pruning than
peaches and figs.
 Step 2
Get the right-size pruning tool for the job, and keep it sharp so
you can make clean cuts angled to shed water and absorb
sunlight. If you must force a bypass pruner around a branch,
switch to a lopper; if the lopper is too small, go for a pruning
saw.
 Step 3
Prune roots and tops at planting time to establish your tree's
proper shape. Read up on your trees. Are they right for an
open-vase shape (with the main trunk cut down below the side
branches) like peaches or a strong central trunk with branches
like apples?
 Step 4
Establish your tree's most productive shape in the early years of
the fruit tree's life, and always keep in mind its ultimate size.
Select the three or four strongest branches to form the canopy
and remove all the others - including any attached to the main
trunk at a narrow angle.
 Step 5
Maintain the basic shape of your fruit tree by annual, dormant-
season pruning so each main branch adds enough stems to keep
the canopy of leaves that is essential to abundant, healthy fruit.
Remove any new branches that grow at odd angles and any old
branches that are damaged or diseased, and prune the tree
Objective #5
Students will have the steps on
a piece of paper to follow the
demonstration and use as a
guide when pruning
individually. Depending on the
amount of students in the
class, each group of students
(3-5) will be assigned to a tree
and asked to prune the tree
and follow the guidelines from
class and the reading
overall to control its height and harvestability.
 Step 6
Take a deep breath and snip or prune the flowers and fruit off
your trees in the first two seasons! It'll be hard, but ultimately
the tree will be more rewarding. Leave the flowers on in the
third year and let a few fruit ripen to let you know what's
coming in future years.
 Step 7
Watch your mature fruit tree to see if it thins itself - some fruit-
fall is desirable as well as inevitable. In bumper crop years,
wait until after the last freeze and after the natural fruit drop to
thin out the crop more if needed. A select crop will ripen
sweeter.
 Step 8
Reclaim a worthy, old fruit tree with scaffold pruning done
over two dormant seasons. Make a few large cuts the first year
to thin the crown, to let light in and to lower the tree's height
overall - and finish the job the second winter.
Closure/Summary/Conclusion (Tie in Objectives)

Before the class is dismissed, students will discuss what went wrong and what went right when
pruning the fruit trees. Were any mistakes caught before they happened? How many people
made improper cuts? Who can tell me why we prune fruit trees?

1. Identify and explain the optimal time to prune fruit trees

2. Justify the reasons of pruning fruit trees
3. List the situations to prune out of trees to optimize fruit development
4. Organize and justify the steps in removing material
5. Perform pruning tasks on mature and young fruit trees

Evaluation: (Authentic forms of Evaluation, Quizzes, or Written Exam)

Group evaluation of pruning techniques (each student will evaluate their group members on their
1. Ability to follow directions
2. Proper cuts being made
3. Group participation

Assignments: (Student Activities Involved in Lesson/Designed to Meet Objectives)

1. Students will prune Apple Trees to demonstrate the application of pruning knowledge
2. Daily calendar/notebook

Lesson Reflection

This lesson went over the one day period of pruning, but students enjoyed being outside and
working in the orchard. I forgot to review safety again the first day outside, and I will definitely
be stricter with the safety rules in the future. Overall the lesson worked well, and a good follow
up lesson would be leaving one of the un-pruned trees for students to compare and contrast the
differences in fruit development, tree health, and disease.