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Growing trees can be a rewarding experience. They help keep the air clean by filtering harmful pollutants and they replenish it by releasing oxygen.
Trees act as a windbreak, reducing the chilling effects of winter winds, adding aesthetic value to our environment and they give us delicious fruit—like apples. Having an apple tree in the backyard requires basic maintenance, at least and pruning is part of the package.
So how do you prune an apple tree? Keep reading for a detailed explanation you can put to practice later.
Every year an apple tree will grow new shoots, and even old branches sprout new growth. They also create new flower buds that will open in the coming spring.
Knowing where the new growth starts will be important when it is time to prune. You can pinpoint where new growth starts by looking for the place where a ring of tissue circles the shoot.
The Best Time To Prune An Apple Tree
For so many people, autumn means picking fresh apples for apple pie. Apple trees produce fruit on old branches called spurs so these must not be cut if you still want more apples.
The good news is that apple trees do not require a lot of pruning to keep producing, unlike some other fruit trees.
The best time of the year to prune an apple tree is either in late winter or early spring. The reason is that during this time, it is easier to identify branches that are dead and need to come off.
At this time, the tree is still dormant and active growth hasn’t yet begun for the season. Cut scars will also have enough time to heal before spring arrives with multitudes of insects.
Summer pruning can also be done but with less severity to allow your apple tree to remain healthy.
How To Prune An Apple Tree
An overgrown apple tree takes up more space and produces less fruit than those that are regularly maintained. The upper branches can grow so bushy that they block sunshine from reaching the bottom branches.
Tools Needed For Pruning
1. Pruning shears: for small, easy-to-reach branches
2. Saw: for larger branches
3. Loppers: for small, out-of-reach branches
4. Rubbing alcohol: for disinfection
Sharpen saws and shears before use.
5 Steps For Overgrown Trees
Before pruning an apple tree, clean the saw, shears and loppers with rubbing alcohol. This is to prevent plant to plant spread of diseases. Then follow these steps:
1. Assess the apple tree
2. Cut off dead and diseased branches
3. Prune branches crossing each other
4. Remove higher branches blocking sunlight
5. Prune away any sprouts from the base.
1. Assess the apple tree
The first step in pruning an overgrown apple tree is to take a good look at the tree. Check to see if the branches have begun to bud.
Check for dead or damaged branches. Look at the size of the tree, the crowded spots and the long branches that need to be trimmed.
Now you can decide what needs to go and what can stay.
2. Cut off dead and diseased branches
You must have seen some dead branches during your assessment. They are easier to see in early spring because they’ll have no buds on them.
Use your pruning shears to remove them from the point where they join the trunk or other branches. Do not leave dead parts behind, they’ll rot and harm the rest of the tree.
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3. Prune branches crossing each other
Look for branches that cross over each other and remove the weaker ones. Prune the branch with no or fewer buds.
Some branches may have offshoots that grow across a branch above, remove them. Crossing branches may breed infections where they rub against each other.
Keep branches that grow upwards at an angle instead of those growing straight up or straight downwards.
4. Remove higher branches blocking sunlight
Apple branches thrive and produce better when each of them is exposed to enough sunlight. In cases where a branch is growing right above another, select the weaker branch for removal.
Removing upper branches encourages branches to grow outwards rather than upwards. In this spreading shape, it is easier to receive enough sun and harvesting is made easy.
Remove branches growing towards the centre of the tree. There needs to be space for light to pass.
5. Prune away any sprouts from the base.
This step is for removing suckers that sprout from the rootstock. These suckers grow from where the tree was previously damaged.
They almost always grow upwards and should be removed with pruning shears.
Now the tree can use all its resources toward producing more fruits.
Avoid pruning newly planted trees for the first few years until they begin fruiting, as well as young trees for the first couple of seasons they produce fruit. Pruning encourages leaf growth instead of fruiting, so it will delay fruit-bearing in juvenile trees.
Kinds of Cuts To Make During Pruning
The kinds of cuts you can make during pruning are of 2 main kinds:
1. Thinning cuts
2. Heading cuts
Thinning cuts are cuts made to reduce the number of branches on the tree. Thinning cuts increase the number of flower buds, however.
This is the more common cutting style in the pruning process since it is used to reduce the number of branches or to remove dead branches.
Heading cuts are used to remove only a part of the branch so that the rest is left on the tree. This type of cutting style encourages leaf growth because more shoots develop below the cut.
The heading cut trims branches and changes the direction in which the shoot or branch is growing, resulting in a denser leaf pattern.
Apple Tree Shape
Your apple tree is supposed to have a conical shape, with a wider bottom than the top. As you prune, maintain this conical shape by taking off more branches from the top.
For those with limited space, the apple tree can be shaped to adapt to a small space. A trellis can be used.
When a tree is pruned for a trellis, it is made to grow along a wall or trellis. This creates a flat tendril-like tree. This is not a natural growth pattern for fruit trees, but it can work for those with limited garden space.
In Summary,
Prune apple trees in early spring, when the branches have begun to bud but leaves have not formed. Remove dead and diseased branches since they will not have leaf buds.
Cuts off thin sprouts growing from the base of the tree from previously damaged areas. Wherever two branches cross over one another, remove the weaker branch.
If one branch is growing directly above another branch, remove the weaker of the two branches. Remove the upper branches so that each branch of your apple tree receives direct sunlight from above.
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