- 1). Prune damaged parts of your fruit tree in spring, after the threat of frost is past and the damage is clearly evident. Wait at least four months before you trim any frostbitten areas of your tree. You can, however, whitewash your tree immediately to prevent sun damage to exposed areas, such as the trunk.
- 2). Sterilize your cutting tool with a mixture of bleach and water. Use 1 part bleach to 9 parts water, then soak a clean rag and wipe the blades of your tool after each cut to prevent disease and pathogens.
- 3). Prune the top leaves and branches of your tree if they received a medium amount of damage, but wait until spring. Cut branches back to the trunk, leaving the branch collar, which is a bulbous area where the limb connects to the trunk. Cut all dead areas back to living wood.
- 4). Prune the top leaves and crown limbs of your tree if they received a severe amount of damage, but wait until spring. Search for sprouts at bud joints that occur at leaf axils and cut your tree back to the highest sprout.
- 5). Water your tree judiciously after you prune it, because the tree will be smaller than it was before damage occurred. Irrigate your tree less frequently than you did previously and use less water until the tree has fully recovered its former size.
- 6). Reduce the amount of nitrogen fertilizer you apply to frost damaged trees until the tree recovers its former size. The Cooperative Extension of Ventura County, California, advises that frozen trees do not respond well to any type of plant food designed to stimulate growth.
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