Open-Center Pruning for Peach Trees: Creating a Wine-Glass Shape

Open-center pruning creates a short trunk with 3–4 main limbs radiating outward like a wine glass, allowing sunlight into the center for fruit production. Start at planting by cutting to belt height. For a mature tree, top at 6 feet and prune annually to maintain light penetration (4+ hours daily on interior branches).

An unpruned peach shades its center, yielding less fruit.