Apple Production & Pruning

Pruning an apple tree means improved production.

Pruning your apple trees is an important step in increasing the number and quality of apples your tree produces each year. If you neglect to prune your trees, you're likely to see slow or poor growth and delayed fruiting.

Planting

Immediately after planting, you'll want to prune the tree back to just 24 to 30 inches tall. This pruning helps bring the top of the tree and the roots back into balance. Pruning at this point also helps the tree form the primary branches of the tree, known as scaffold branches, which are important in improved apple production.

New Trees

One- and 2-year-old trees require pruning so the tree has just 4 or 5 main scaffold branches and one central leader. You'll also need to prune the tips of scaffold branches to keep them lower than the central leader. The pruning is critical in helping the tree create a strong, well-balanced framework of branches.

Mature Trees

February or March is the best time to remove undesirable limbs on established apple trees. Prune new growth by a quarter each year, and get rid of upright branches to make sure the central leader remains the highest point on the tree. This kind of pruning helps encourage branching, so you get more apples.

References

• Texas A&M University AgriLife Extension: Home Fruit Production - Apples

Resources

• North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service: Growing Apple Trees In The Home Garden