When to Prune Apple Trees?

This page will provide you with in-depth information and recommendations on how to prune an apple tree. We don't deviate much from the standard basic bush form because that's what's cultivated in 95 per cent of gardens, allotment plots, and park gardens. We don't add unnecessary layers of complication. We keep things straightforward by adhering to several fundamental and primary concepts. You may make the task of pruning an apple tree as difficult as you want it to be.

The only distinction we make is between trees that have recently been planted, trees that are in their second year, and older trees. If you adhere to the fundamental guidelines that are outlined below, you will be able to cultivate an apple tree that is robust, well-shaped, and capable of bearing an abundant harvest of fruit.

Best Time To Prune Apple Trees?

Apple trees should ideally have their trimming and pruning done in the months of November, December, or January.

If you prune after these months, you could potentially impede the plant's growth, resulting in a smaller overall harvest in September and October.

The removal of dead branches and the prevention of disease, both of which can destroy an apple tree within a year, are the primary reasons why pruning is essential.

• When November, December, or January rolls around, it's time to prune your apple tree.
• Eliminate any branches that are dead or dying because they will result in less foliage.
• The disease can be prevented or eliminated by removing dead branches through pruning.
• Never, ever, ever prune during the spring months since doing so will significantly lower crop yields.

How To Prune A New Apple Tree

This part of the guide will walk you through the process of pruning an apple tree that you just recently purchased and planted. First, determine whether the tree is one or two years old by counting its rings. You ought to be informed of this either when you purchase the tree or when you read the labels that come with it. If you don't already know, a good rule of thumb to follow is that a tree that is one year old will have no more than six side branches, typically two or three. A tree that is two years old will have five or more side branches at this point.

Pruning A New One-Year-Old Tree

After it has been planted, wait until winter to prune a young apple tree that is one year old. The average height of the tree is approximately 150 centimetres or 5 feet. However, this might vary. When planting the tree, you should trim it to a height of approximately 90 centimetres or 3 feet above the ground. This may seem cruel, but after that, the tree can focus all of its energy on developing branches at the ideal height. The cut should be made just above a bud, and it should be angled so that any water that accumulates on the top will flow away from the bud.

Our recommendation for making the tree look more presentable, cut back any branches that are longer than around 5 centimetres or 2 inches. That's it for a tree that's only a year old.

Pruning A Two-Year-Old Tree

As was discussed in the last section, an apple tree that is now two years old should have had its first pruning when it was just one year old. This applies to new trees that are two years old and either bare-rooted or cultivated in containers, as well as trees that are already established in your garden.

It is essential to do proper pruning on a tree that is two years old because this work will determine the fundamental structure of the tree for the remainder of its life. Even though we show you a tree that exists in the actual world in this part, your tree will be unique. If you understand the overarching goal that this pruning phase is working toward, you should be able to apply it to practically any apple tree as long as it is pruned properly in the first year.

• It would be best if you pruned such that you have 3 to 5 primary branches coming off the main trunk. There should be four main branches. When you have more than this, the tree structure will become congested and difficult to navigate. If you have fewer, it will be difficult for the tree to grow balanced, so be sure you have enough.
• Maintain a consistent distance around the main trunk; your goal should be to have the principal branches equally distributed around the tree. If you have four main branches, for example, they should each point in one of the following directions: left, right, forward, and backward. It is quite improbable that this can be accomplished exactly, but you should strive to choose the primary branches that are the greatest fit for this criterion. At this point, you will need to choose the three primary branches that will work best to establish a sense of equilibrium all around the tree.
• The correct spacing up of the main trunk should be your goal; ideally, you should aim for branches that are spaced approximately 10 centimetres or 4 inches apart up the trunk. Maintain a distance of at least 75 centimetres (2 feet 6 inches) between the ground and the lowest branch. It is preferable to be slightly higher. Once more, this is the ideal situation, but for most trees, a compromise will be necessary.
• If any of the major branches grow practically vertically, it will produce crowding of the centre of the tree, which is something that should be avoided at all costs. Major branches should be growing in an outward direction, not an upward direction. If this is happening with a main branch, then that branch needs to be pruned to an outward-facing bud. The cut needs to be performed fairly close to the main stem to coerce the branch into growing outwards rather than upwards.

Keep in mind that the description that was just provided is ideal and that practically all trees require a compromise. The final point, which is about having branches that point in different directions, is perhaps the one that is the most significant.

How To Prune Older Apple Trees

It is only really sensible to specify the principles behind pruning an apple tree once it has reached three years of age or older. This is because there will be so many variances in different apple trees that it is necessary to describe the rules. Age, the history of past trimming, and size are just a few of the characteristics that come into play here. But even a novice can do a decent job of trimming an apple tree if they keep the fundamental concepts in mind throughout the process. These core beliefs are as follows:

• Do not remove any fruiting spurs when you prune your apple tree. If you look at the tree's structure when it is bare of leaves in the winter, you can tell the difference between the stem development from the current year and growth from previous years. In addition to that, you will be able to recognise fruiting spurs (stems from which fruit will be produced in the summer). Don't really prune the fruiting spurs if you want the most fruit output possible. There is a page on our website that provides detailed, up-close photographs of a three-year-old tree and explains in great detail how to distinguish between fruiting spurs, the stem development of the current year, and previous growth. To view the photographs together with the descriptions, click here.
• Aim for a form similar to a wine glass; the fundamental concept here is to train the branches to grow away from the central trunk in all directions. The rationale for this is to maintain a level of ruthlessness in the tree's core, which promotes healthy air flow and lessens the likelihood of fungus infections.
• Pruning should be done carefully and in phases; if you severely prune an apple tree, it will battle back with a vengeance the next spring, especially older, more established trees. They will respond by sending up new shoots, particularly in regions where they have been severely pruned back. These clusters of little stems will almost definitely not result in fruit production, and the surrounding region will get crowded as a result of their presence. If you are dealing with a tree that has become too large for its space, you should thin it out and prune it over a period of at least two years, preferably 3 or 4 years.
• Eliminate any branches that are crossing or touching one another. If two branches are allowed to cross one another, the natural movement of the wind will force the branches to rub against one another, which can expose the bark to infections. To prevent this from happening, remove one of the crossing branches.
• Take remove the sick wood; when you're pruning an apple tree, be on the lookout for any wood that might be infected. This should always be removed, and the healthy wood should be cut back into it. Burn the wood that is infected.
• After you're finished, you should clean up the area around the tree's base by removing any branches, fruit, leaves, and other debris that may have fallen. In the event that they are not removed, they serve as a breeding ground for a wide variety of fungi-borne diseases and pests.
• Have fun with it and take something useful away from it; there are a lot of books and articles on the issue that claim to offer flawless solutions to the problem of keeping your apple tree in control. In point of fact, each apple tree is distinct from every other apple tree, and the knowledge and skills you've gained over the course of the past few years should serve as your guide.

Why should you prune apple trees?

When you examine an apple tree, you will be able to identify the many kinds of shoots and branches that are present on the tree. There are shorter fruiting shoots that are twisted and very ancient, while longer fruiting branches with densely packed leaves rarely bear fruit. On the other hand, there are shorter fruiting shoots that produce blossoms and fruit for multiple years in succession. Both of these are quite significant.

Although we desire shoots that will bear fruit for our apple harvest, it is the leafy shoots that are responsible for carrying out photosynthesis and nourishing the tree. This allows the apple tree to produce fruit that is huge and delicious. When trimming apple trees, the primary objective should be to strike a healthy equilibrium between the development of vegetative and generative wood.

During pruning, you should remove any branches that are diseased or damaged, and you should also consider thinning the crown, as this can assist in making harvesting easier and avoiding disease. It is necessary to prune away the older branches to make room for the development of fresh fruiting wood.

Equipment Needed To Prune Apple Trees

• The tools necessary to prune an apple tree are determined by the height of the tree as well as the thickness of the branches to be removed. However, there are three pieces of "equipment" that are required at all times, and these are as follows:
• The secateurs that you use ought to be sharp so that you don't end up crushing any stems or little branches instead of cutting them cleanly. Produce sure your secateurs can make a clean cut by practising on a little piece of wood before you start cutting anything important. If they don't, you'll either need to obtain a new set or have the ones you have sharpened (difficult nowadays).
• You should give your secateurs a thorough cleaning to get rid of any diseases, pests, or spores that might be on them. Clean up between each individual tree you prune, even though it's a tedious task, because it's highly vital, especially when you're working on more than one tree. To clean them, first, give them a thorough washing in water with soap, then give them another thorough washing with bleach, then give them a thorough washing under running water, and then dry them off with a towel.
• Both information and time are essential; to acquire knowledge, you should first read this essay carefully before beginning. In terms of how much time it takes, it takes five minutes to prune a young tree that is only one year old, but it can take several hours to prune an older tree that has become overgrown, and the process may need to be spaced out over 3 or 4 years.
• A day with little to no precipitation is ideal for pruning, even though tools aren't strictly necessary. When you trim stems and branches on a rainy day, you greatly increase the likelihood of infection infiltrating the cuts you make.

The items mentioned above are all that is required for young and smaller apple trees, but for mature trees, you will almost certainly require more robust cutting equipment and a way to reach higher branches. If this is the case, then you need to think about how nimble you are and how well you can handle being at high elevations. To prune larger apple trees, in addition to the tools indicated above, the following items are necessary, provided that you are sufficiently agile and capable of scaling a ladder:

• A carpenter's saw or a pruning saw; for information on the cleanliness standards, read the section on secateurs above. Either one will be adequate for the task. You are free to choose either option. Even though they are more expensive, we would like to use a pruning saw.
• A ladder is required in the event that the tree in question is quite tall. It is usually best to cut a branch when you are at the appropriate height; not only will this make the cleanest cut, but it is also the safest option. Without getting into the specifics of all the safety precautions that should be taken when using ladders, you should, at the very least, make sure that the ladder rests on level ground and is safely attached to a sturdy branch on the tree.
• Chalk is optional, but if a tree is very unruly and out of control, it's usually preferable to identify the main branches that need to be cut by placing a piece of chalk at the location where the cut is going to be made. The next step is to take a step back (after getting off the ladder, of course!) and think about whether or not the cuts that have been suggested are indeed what you desire.

Problems you might spot

When you are trimming an apple tree, you may discover evidence of disease or damage to the tree.

Cankers and lichens are two common problems that can reduce the productivity of apple trees. When it is possible to do so, these should be eliminated or taken out.

Frost can cause fissures to appear in the bark of a tree. Even though this is more of an issue in the spring, you might reduce the amount of damage done to your apple trees by covering them with horticultural fleece, shade netting, or even just regular bed sheets.

It is essential to have a solid understanding of the phenomenon known as biennial bearing, in which apple trees produce many apples in one year but virtually any in the following year. This is quite normal and does not indicate that your apple tree is in poor health in any way.

Conclusion

If they are properly cared for, apple trees can produce dozens or even hundreds of apples each year. If you follow these easy steps for trimming your apple tree, you will encourage growth, improve its health, and improve the flavour of your apples overall.