Apple Pruning & Watersprouts

Pruning apple trees in late winter ensures healthy plants and fruits later.

Apple and crab apple trees (Malus spp.) often produce watersprouts, which are lanky, fast-growing shoots that arise after main branches have been pruned. Watersprouts grow from roots close to the soil surface or the trunk flare. Generally, watersprouts are undesirable and should be removed.

Time Frame

Apple trees should undergo annual pruning maintenance while they're dormant, immediately prior to new growth. Depending on climate, that time frame varies between late winter and very early spring before flower buds appear or tiny leaves emerge. Recurring watersprouts may be removed year-round, like dead branches.

Function

Watersprouts serve no good purpose from a horticultural standpoint. They are a response to pruning, in which nearby dormant buds sprout to replace the branch removed. When watersprouts grow from roots or the trunk flare, they are an asexual way for the tree to reproduce, making new tree trunks or creating a thicket of new trees.

Benefits

A watersprout can be beneficial when you need to replace a tree or develop a new trunk. Remove all competing sprouts so that only the strongest, best-formed and best-located watersprout remains. This watersprout receives energy from the roots to grow larger and become a primary trunk or main branch.

Expert Insight

If you retain a watersprout to develop into a main side branch, choose a sprout that creates a wide crotch with the original trunk. Sprouts that grow at a 45 to 60 degree angle from the trunk tend to become the strongest, and you may hang a weight on a smaller-angled branch to train it to grow at a wider angle in the first year.

References

• Weekend Gardener: How to Prune an Apple Tree; Hilary A. Rinaldi
• North Carolina State University: Pruning and Training Fruit Trees: Michael L. Parker

Resources

• University of Wisconsin, La Crosse: Training and Pruning Apple Trees; T.R. Roper