Apple tree pruning advice

[Kayleigh]

Originally Posted by Hedera

If it's a dessert apple you may get away with shortening that long slanting branch and hope it sends some shoots upwards into a more tidy position. Do it in January when dormant, as well as cutting back the others a bit. Cheers!

Thanks for all of your help..
I have put this thread in my folder now so will use it as a future reference.

Elaine

[Cotham Marble]

Even a plant based on dwarfing rootstock will tend to go 'upward' if grown in a competitive position - and certainly the photo seems to show some fairly 'tight' planting.

My inclination would be to grow this particular specimen as an espalier and rather than major pruning, pull the tops down and tie into the fence. With a gentle bend in the lead stem and large axial, side growth should break quite readily and the fence quickly cover.

CM

[metalfish]

I don't know about winter pruning but I've worked on an apple orchard in summer. The trees weren't allowed to grow higher than an arm stretch & the form was like an umbrella, but this ws commercial growing for good crop yeild.

In June, when the apples are a couple of cm's across you want to thin them- to 7 apples for the lenght of finger tip to elbow, take out the smallest/ damaged or poor growers. This means the tree can concentrate its efforts into less apples so they'll be bigger/ healthier.

Then when the apples are a couple of weeks off ready you can take out any branches/ twiggy growth that's shading the apples- sunshine on their skin ripens them & makes them sweeter- and anything growing vertically (known as water shoots, I don't know why) as these won't produce fruit.

Also if you are storing your fruit don't try storing your 'king fruit' these are the apples with a lump a bit like a nose where the stalk attaches. There's nowt wrong with it but that lumpy bit is easily damaged/ knocked off & it'll rot.

Winter pruning is different, vertical growth can be half/ two thirds cut through & benyt downwards to become a fruit making branch, beyond that I don't know.

To be honest we were paid piece rate to summer prune ( 20p a tree) so you went fast to earn your money and no matter how inexperienced people were the tree was always fine & always made a good crop the next year

[Kayleigh]

Originally Posted by metalfish

I don't know about winter pruning but I've worked on an apple orchard in summer. The trees weren't allowed to grow higher than an arm stretch & the form was like an umbrella, but this ws commercial growing for good crop yeild.

In June, when the apples are a couple of cm's across you want to thin them- to 7 apples for the lenght of finger tip to elbow, take out the smallest/ damaged or poor growers. This means the tree can concentrate its efforts into less apples so they'll be bigger/ healthier.

Then when the apples are a couple of weeks off ready you can take out any branches/ twiggy growth that's shading the apples- sunshine on their skin ripens them & makes them sweeter- and anything growing vertically (known as water shoots, I don't know why) as these won't produce fruit.

Also if you are storing your fruit don't try storing your 'king fruit' these are the apples with a lump a bit like a nose where the stalk attaches. There's nowt wrong with it but that lumpy bit is easily damaged/ knocked off & it'll rot.

Winter pruning is different, vertical growth can be half/ two thirds cut through & benyt downwards to become a fruit making branch, beyond that I don't know.

To be honest we were paid piece rate to summer prune ( 20p a tree) so you went fast to earn your money and no matter how inexperienced people were the tree was always fine & always made a good crop the next year

Thanks for that will wait till its fruiting then get the pruners out you have given me a bit of confidence now to have a go..
I don't intend storing the fruit as I think it looses flavour any left overs will be coked and in the freezer..