What Is a Fruit Spur?

Description

• Fruit trees have long branches. Spurs form in the axils of the leaves that grow on those branches. The axil is where the leaf petiole -- the slender stem of the leaf -- meets the twig or branch of the tree. The spurs are usually thick and short -- in the case of peach trees (Prunus persica), they are so short that they are almost unnoticeable, according to the University of California Alameda County Master Gardeners. Peach trees are hardy in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 5 through 9. As the spurs produce fruit, they usually become crooked, which is one way to tell them apart from other branches. Apple trees (Malus domestica), unlike most other fruit trees, have long spurs that often produce their own branches. Apple trees are generally hardy in USDA zones 3 through 8, although this varies by cultivar.

Fruit Buds

• You can't tell if a branch is a fruit spur by looking at the buds. Often, the fruit buds look just like leaf buds. Sometimes there will be a slight difference -- the fruit buds may be pointier, or wrinkly. In some fruit trees, the fruit buds cluster so thickly along the fruit spur that you need to thin them, or else the fruit will be crowded and won't develop properly. This is often the case with pear trees (Pyrus communis), hardy in USDA zones 5 through 7.

Pruning

• Fruit trees need pruning, but each is different. Inexperienced home gardeners often accidentally prune off the fruit spurs. The best way to avoid this is simply to see which branches bear fruit and avoid cutting them back. Vertical branches that grow straight up from the lateral branches will not bear fruit; you should prune these to open up the tree -- air flow is essential for avoiding fungal diseases.

Selected Fruits

• In apple trees, fruit develops on spurs that are two years old or older. The spurs are long, crooked and sometimes branched. Plums also produce fruit on 2-year-old spurs, but the spurs are shorter in length and end in a point. Plum trees (Prunus spp.) are hardy in USDA zones 2 through 9, depending on the species. Apricots (Prunus armeniaca) have short spurs that will bear fruit for about three years, after which you can prune them off the tree. Apricots are hardy in USDA zones 5 through 7.