How to Prune Untrained Apple Trees
The sweet taste of a fresh apple is one of the hallmarks of autumn. There are numerous varieties of apple trees, and they tend to be very “pruning friendly,” meaning they respond to a variety of pruning methods. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
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Understand your tree. Different fruit trees fruit on different wood. In the case of apples, apples flower and fruit on short twigs, known as spurs or old wood. So when pruning, it’s ok to prune back last year’s new growth.
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Prune younger trees for shape and strength. For older trees, prune for shape and producing quality fruit. The predominant shape should be that of an upside down ice cream cone (wide at the bottom), with a central trunk. As with most fruit trees, the best pruning time is late winter/early spring, while the tree is dormant. Remove no more than 15% of last year's growth when pruning.
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Prune away all suckers (new long branches) that grow from the rootstock near the base of the tree. This applies to both young and old trees and should be done throughout the season. Note that suckers can actually sometimes appear a few inches away from the base of the trunk.
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Prune for the 3D’s: dead, damaged and diseased. This should all be carefully removed. Also prune out branches that rub or chafe against each other. This can damage bark and invite disease and insects.
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Prune at a slant away from the tree. Cut at a slant, angling away from the tree so water does not run into the tree’s center. Depending on the size of branch you made need to use pruning or lopping shears, or a pruning saw. Remove all debris and cuttings.
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Tips & Warnings
Avoid harmful pruning practices. These include topping the tree, cutting branches way back with tipping, ripping the bark or wood when cutting away a branch, cutting a branch flush to the trunk instead of outside the ridge and stub cuts, where the cut is made straight up and down instead of at an angle to the tree.
