Why You Should Never Let a Fruit Tree 'Go Wild,' According to Experts

Cultivating fruit trees is a rewarding journey that provides you with fresh, homegrown produce and can even help you connect with nature. However, proper management is essential for healthy, productive trees. While it's tempting to let them "go wild," not pruning them can lead to lower fruit quality and increased vulnerability to pests and diseases.

Ahead, experts discuss the drawbacks of letting your fruit tree grow unchecked—and what you can do instead to ensure a healthy, vibrant orchard.

Decline in Fruit Quality

In the short run, newly wild or unpruned fruit trees might produce a greater number of fruits, says Jonathan Foster, a horticulturist at the University of Maine Cooperative Extension.

However, the fruits are typically smaller and lower quality than the larger, tastier crop of a managed tree. “Over time, unmanaged fruit trees—particularly apples—tend to decrease fruit production and may eventually stop altogether until rejuvenation pruning occurs," he says.

An Unsuitable Canopy

The canopy of a fruit tree should have a well-shaped, balanced structure for better sunlight penetration and proper airflow.

“Wild, unpruned trees often develop problematic branches that cross, rub against each other, or weaken under a heavy fruit load,” says Foster. These branches are likely to break in heavy winds or cause mechanical injury to the tree, which can introduce infection.

“Densely packed canopies are also more susceptible to fungal pathogens because of the moist, still air that gets trapped among the leaves—conditions that promote spore proliferation," he adds.

Difficulty Harvesting

An open, well-spaced canopy greatly facilitates the harvesting process. However, unpruned fruit trees often grow tall and dense, making harvesting quite difficult. Proper pruning helps keep the tree manageable and ensures that the fruit is easily accessible.

A Weakened Structure

Pruning will create the proper structure for a tree. “Structural pruning is done mostly when the tree is first planted," says Mary Godinez, owner of Cross Keys Farm. "As the tree ages, light adjustments are made to keep good structure; the majority of the pruning keeps the tree producing fruit.” 

If the structure is left unchecked, it can become weakened and unruly. “It's much easier to prune and train a tree when it is 5 feet off the ground rather than when it's 15 feet high,” she adds.

Overproduction of Suckers

A sucker on a fruit tree is a shoot that originates from the root system or the base of the trunk below the graft union. An untrained tree tends to produce a lot of suckers.

Having too many of these suckers can be harmful because they compete with the tree for vital resources such as sunlight, water, and nutrients. They grow quickly and straight up, filling the interior of the tree and blocking light, which is essential for fruit production. "Once the suckers are well established, the tree slows its growth," says Godinez.