Like all fruit trees and bushes, apple trees need pruning when you want them to maintain their shape and have them bear quality fruit. Pruning is an absolute must for all fruits from apples to grapes and berries. Since I'm writing this article early January, most of us don't feel too much urgency about the matter yet. Nevertheless, one of the major pruning seasons is late winter, just before the tree starts a new growing season.
Why do we need to prune an apple tree?
When left to their own devices any tree or bush will grow wild. Moreover, for us as fruit gardeners we will end up with many unproductive branches, heavy with foliage and expanding in each direction. Some might like that sight and for regular trees it might look nice, but the fruit of such a tree is small and of a poor quality. Un-pruned apple trees use all the nutrition to maintain small branches and leaves. Next to the decline in fruit quality, the tree will also be more prone to wind and storm damage. With this many disadvantages, trimming our apple trees is really the most viable option. So what is and how do you prune effectively without killing the tree.
With pruning, balance is the key to success - Here is how to find it.
Proper pruning is a balance act between the natural tendency of the tree to grow, and your desire for good and tasty apples. The fact that finding that balance will benefit the health of the tree as well as it will satisfy your liking of good tasty apples makes proper pruning an even more exciting challenge. And don't worry; pruning apple or other fruit trees correctly is not difficult at all, if fact it's something that you want to start with right from planting time.
What NOT to cut away.
In order to do a good job with this annual pruning session, we need to make sure we are talking about the same thing when we discuss the process. So let's talk a bit about the anatomy of the tree. First, we have the Leader, which is the main trunk and scaffold branches surrounding it. Now for good pruning all others should be pruned off, ensuring that the cut make is vertical and clean with no ragged edges.
Seedlings often grow suckers around the bottom of the trunk. Anything that is less than 30 inches from the ground should be removed. Sometimes you find a strenuous growth that seems to be competing with the leader. We call them waterspouts and they have to be cut away to ensure healthy growth.
Scaffolds and apple tree pruning
Scaffold branches should be spaced at least 6 inches from each other and be growing evenly around the leader - unless your tree is against a fence. In this case you won't be able to have a scaffold branch where it will growth into the fence. They need to be growing at about a 60-degree angle from the leader. Where scaffold branches are less that this, you can gradually train them to grow more horizontally by using a notched stick or a purchased spreader.
Late winter is the best time to prune your apple tree
Annual pruning should be done in late winter, just before the tree begins to bud. With apple trees, fruit forms on last year's growth. Scaffold branches will form other growth of course and this can be left unless it becomes too top heavy. Minor branches that grow downward, cross over another branch, or point towards the center of the tree should be removed. Any dead or diseased branches should also be cut off.
If you need to cut off a large branch then painting the cut end that is left with a sealer will help it to heal and keep disease out. Pruning your apple tree is rewarding. It's a great to see you harvest grow year by year and at the same time to keep the tree within manageable dimensions. Happy harvesting..
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