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Pruning apple tree
koyukano
Posts: 72
in Fruit & veg
Hi all, just after some advice. I am sure I read somewhere that when pruning apple trees during the winter, you should reduce the new growth on branches, particularly where the growth has been vigourous as that can lead to a weaker tree in the long term.
I have a spartan apple tree in my garden, it is 2 year old, planted it in February 2020 as a one year old tree, this year the central leader has shot right up, whilst side branches have had a bit of new growth but not muich in comparison to the growth of the central leader.
I have pruned the new growth on the central leader by half, as I was sure that was the correct thing to do to ensure a stronger tree in the long term. I was expecting that this years growth will be a lot of growth in branches immediately below where I cut the central leader this winter but that the central leader will continue to grow back again this year.
However I then had doubts and did a bit more reading last night. Will the central leader continue to grow this year, or I have I now permamently changed the future structure of the tree from a cone shape to a modified central leader shape as per the photo below??
Ideall I just hope that my cut of the central leader would make the central leader thicker and more robust rather than growing a lot quickly but being weaker in the long term. However if I have changed the end shape of the tree I will probably avoid doing this in the future as I have 5 apple trees I have recently planted in my garden.
Sorry for the long post, any advice would be much appreciated
I have a spartan apple tree in my garden, it is 2 year old, planted it in February 2020 as a one year old tree, this year the central leader has shot right up, whilst side branches have had a bit of new growth but not muich in comparison to the growth of the central leader.
I have pruned the new growth on the central leader by half, as I was sure that was the correct thing to do to ensure a stronger tree in the long term. I was expecting that this years growth will be a lot of growth in branches immediately below where I cut the central leader this winter but that the central leader will continue to grow back again this year.
However I then had doubts and did a bit more reading last night. Will the central leader continue to grow this year, or I have I now permamently changed the future structure of the tree from a cone shape to a modified central leader shape as per the photo below??
Ideall I just hope that my cut of the central leader would make the central leader thicker and more robust rather than growing a lot quickly but being weaker in the long term. However if I have changed the end shape of the tree I will probably avoid doing this in the future as I have 5 apple trees I have recently planted in my garden.
Sorry for the long post, any advice would be much appreciated
0
Posts
Here is some useful information for formative pruning of young apple trees.
https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?pid=164
Bee x
A single bee creates just one twelfth of a teaspoon of honey in her lifetime
- "As a result of the initial pruning the tree often produces a very strong topmost shoot. If the topmost shoot is too vertical and dominant, remove it completely cutting above a wider-angled side branch instead"
ThanksThere is more on pruning almost every month in GW magazine.