How an Apple Grower Approaches Pruning | Nestor Isaac Garcia, by PollenPro on YouTube. 7 min 12 s.
- Video length
- 7 min 12 s
- Time to do it
- 1 hour
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Steps
- 9
What you need
Steps
Prune in late winter, while the tree is dormant and before buds break. Pick a dry day when the temperature is above freezing, not right after a hard frost.
Check last year's growth before you cut anything. Look at how much new shoot growth the tree made and how heavy the crop was, then adjust how hard you prune.
Remove the three Ds first: dead, diseased and damaged wood. Cut back to clean, healthy wood and take the whole branch off rather than leaving a stub.
Take out branches that rub against each other and any shoots growing straight up through the middle. Keep the centre of the tree open so light and air reach the fruit.
Head back long, drooping branches to an outward-facing bud. Make the cut a few millimetres above the bud, sloping away from it, so water runs off.
Watch for alternate bearing. After a very heavy crop year the tree carries fewer flower buds, so thin the fruit in summer and prune a little harder to push new growth.
Go easy on young trees. Give them a few years to establish before you do heavy shaping, and only remove broken or badly placed branches.
Match your approach to the tree in front of you. A vigorous, crowded tree needs more thinning than a weak one, and some varieties fruit on the tips of shoots rather than on short spurs.
Wear gloves and safety glasses and keep your free hand behind the blade. Clean and sharpen the blades with rubbing alcohol before you start and between trees.
Tips and common mistakes
Never remove more than about a third of the canopy in one winter, or the tree will push lots of weak growth instead of fruit.
Skip wound paint. A clean, angled cut heals better on its own than a sealed one.
Blunt pruners tear bark and leave ragged wounds, so sharpen the blade before you begin.
If you are unsure about a branch, leave it and look again next winter rather than cutting too much at once.
Questions
When is the best time to prune an apple tree?
Late winter, while the tree is dormant and before buds swell. Avoid cutting during hard frosts, and never prune in autumn because the cuts may not heal before cold weather.
Can I prune an apple tree in summer?
Yes, but keep it light. Thin crowded shoots and excess fruit in summer, and save big structural cuts for winter.
Why did my apple tree grow leaves but no fruit?
The canopy is probably too crowded, so flowers get shaded and set poorly. Open up the middle over a couple of winters and thin the fruit in summer.
This guide was drafted from the video's details and general task knowledge. It has not been checked against the full video. Check the video and relevant product instructions before following a procedure. Report a correction.
