The homeowner with a backyard fruit tree usually prunes for one reason: the tree is too big. The branches are hanging over the fence. The canopy is blocking the sun from the garden. The height has grown past the point where the fruit can be reached from a ladder. So the homeowner cuts it back. Hard. And the tree responds with a flush of vigorous, vertical water sprouts that produce no fruit, crowd the interior, and put the tree right back where it started within two seasons.

Fruit trees in Santa Cruz, CA, and nearby cities are generous. Given enough sun, decent soil, and a little water, most of them will try to produce something for you. But the difference between a tree that tries and one that thrives year after year comes down to one thing: consistent orchard maintenance.