Pruning Apple Trees
Imagine a pole (trunk) stuck in the ground. And you want branches to come off that central pole upwards. So the first branch starts off around 24-36 inches from the ground and goes out toward the West (pick any direction you like).
The first objective is to get approximately 4 branches all going out towards a single point on the compass spreading out from the trunk. (it could be 2 or 3 branches but get them going in different directions) Get them as close together in height as you can. They don’t have to spiral up - one from the other but they should be spaced as far apart as possible.
Approximately 24-inches about that group you want another group of branches heading outwards but here’s the trick. Imagine you’re the sun looking *down* on the tree. You want every branch to be in the sunlight so you do not prune one branch to be on top of another branch. They all have to be offset one from the other in order to maximize the light.
Continue this upwards until your tree is as tall as you’re going to make it based on the dwarfness of the tree.
Then cut off the growing tip.
Here’s the problem.
If you start from a nice young tree whip - 4-5 feet tall, you can easily create this shape because you’re in charge of the initial pruning.
If you purchase a larger tree, the nursery should have started this process for you but this has often not happened properly.
If in doubt, buy a smaller tree. It’s cheaper and you get to prune it properly. Your fruit bearing won’t be any different in terms of time to harvest but your eventual care will be much easier and future harvests will be much higher.
Pruning Apple Trees To Get New Growth
Beginner gardening folks sometimes don’t realize the nature of pruning and what it does to a plant. See this video if you don’t understand the two basic pruning cuts and what they do. You're going to need this information when it comes to the ongoing pruning of apple trees in your backyard.
With a 4-5 feet tall tree, we’re going to cut it down to 3-4 feet in late winter before the buds have started to form.
This is going to force the tree to produce a large number of new shoots at the growing tip of the plant - in the top 6-18 inches of the plant.
When this new growth is 3-4 inches long, decide which one of the shoots is the most vigorous and upright and will be allowed to grow up to become the main leader of the tree - the point that grows up rather than out.
Leave this main “leader” and remove all shoots that are within 4-6-inches of it (nothing above is left - and only remove 4-6 inches below - anything more than 6-inches is left). Taking away the “competition” lets the tree know that this is the new leader and all the energy will go into growing this branch straight up instead of sharing it with the other options.
The new shoots or branches that are below this 6-inch mark become the side shoots because they won’t be as vigorous as the main leader won’t be as upright and will be easier to train.
When these side branches are 6-8 inches long, they can be “adjusted” gently with clothes pins or small bits of wood to bend them (carefully) into position to face more outward than upward. Remember the direction and orientation of the branches (see above for orientation of pruning and establishing the scaffold).
You now have your first scaffold layer.
Let the leader grow up 24-inches above this first scaffold - this first series of branches off the main trunk and then repeat the process.
Cutting off the leader when the plant is dormant, discovering the main new shoot, removing all others to 6-inches below the leader and then training another 4 branches outwards.
Repeat this until the tree is as tall as you want it to be.
More information besides pruniing apple trees can be found here.
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