Pruning Apple Trees is Essential to Successful Fruit Production
The Apple Tree
Successful apple production starts with proper fruit tree pruning which is done on a yearly schedule in late winter or early spring. Depending on a person’s schedule and the number of trees to be pruned, trees can be pruned any time between the first part of January and the end of March.One determining factor will be if a person lives in a southern or a northern state.The reason this is important is that the trees need to be pruned before they start to show buds in the spring.So location to a degree will determine when you need to have pruning completed.If you have a couple of trees in the backyard you can wait and prune later just before the trees break dormancy.However, if you have a large orchard with many trees it may take you several weeks to complete pruning so you will need to start early enough to finish on a timely schedule.
There are a few important reasons to prune fruit trees yearly.The most important reason is to shape the tree so that sunlight reaches all parts of the tree canopy.Sunlight is essential for the production of high quality fruit.Having an open textured tree that is not too dense not only allows sunlight in, but also improves the coverage of pesticides used to control insects and diseases.The final key point is proper pruning techniques encourage new growth which is essential for fruit production in future years.The best quality apples are produced on branches that are 2-4 years old.
Here is a list of nine rules to follow to help with proper apple tree pruning:
1) Only have one main center trunk called the main leader. All other limbs grow off of this main trunk.
2) The tree should have a Christmas tree or pyramid shape, so that it is wide at the bottom and narrow at the top. Remove large branches in the upper part of the tree, since these can shade the branches below.
3) Two limbs cannot occupy the same space. If two limbs are growing too close side by side remove one. If two limbs are growing on top of each other remove one.
4) Remove limbs that are growing straight up from another limb, especially if they are very vigorous. These limbs are normally not very fruitful.
5) Remove any limb that is growing straight down from another limb. These limbs, called droppers or hangers, will be in the shade and produce small, poor quality fruit.
6) Remove any limb that is growing back to the center of the tree toward the main leader. The goal is to have all limbs growing out towards the perimeter of the tree.
7) Avoid heading back the ends of branches with hedging-type cuts. Instead, remove entire branches or side-branches.
8) Remove limbs growing steeply from the trunk (more than 45 degrees). These upright limbs shade the rest of the tree and will not support a heave crop load. They often split from the weight of the fruit.
9) Fruit grows on tree limbs that are two years old and older. After about 4 years the productivity and fruit quality declines, so aim to have most fruit produced on wood 2-4 years old. Therefore, older trees should be pruned to encourage new fruiting wood. Here are a couple of websites for reference if you want more information:
Training and Pruning Fruit Trees (N. Carolina):