Pruning under nets

June 2019 | Susie Murphy-White | Future Orchards®

Protective netting changes the orchard light environment and can therefore change how pruning decisions affect fruit quality and canopy renewal. This Future Orchards® resource by Susie Murphy-White focuses on pruning strategies for orchards grown under nets.

The practical challenge is to maintain productive fruiting wood without allowing the canopy to become too dense. Under reduced or redistributed light, poorly positioned shoots and ageing wood can increase shading, reduce colour development and make spray penetration and labour access more difficult.

The resource encourages pruning with a clear objective: preserve light distribution, renew fruiting sites, control vigour and keep the canopy compatible with the orchard system. Decisions should be assessed by their effect on both current crop and future renewal rather than by the amount of wood removed alone.

For growers using hail or protective netting, the presentation provides a reminder that canopy-management rules may need to be adjusted to the modified orchard microclimate.