How to Prune Old Apple Trees in Late Spring
A well-cared-for apple tree has an average life expectancy of 20 years. If you have planted a grove of trees, you will likely notice that your apple trees begin producing less and smaller fruit at around 10 years of age. In order to get the maximum production from your apple trees, you will need to prune the branches carefully to minimize damage to the tree and keep it aesthetically pleasing. Does this Spark an idea?
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Instructions
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Check the weather forecast before beginning to prune. You will want to make sure that it is not raining or snowing and that temperatures are at least 50 degrees during the day. Late spring can bring a lot of high winds, which provide dangerous conditions for tree pruning. You will want to make sure there is no threat of these high winds before proceeding.
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Inspect your tree carefully. You will be looking for dead limbs. Because your apple trees are in full bloom, these will be easy to discover, as these branches will not have any blooms. In addition, you will want to check for branches that are criss-crossed or protrude upward or downward rather than outward. You will also want to check for limbs are are weak, damaged or diseased. Finally, you will need to prune a slight bit of new growth away so that sunlight and air can get to the mature blooms.
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Mark the branches that need to be cut with cloth tape. Tie the tape tightly around the branch at the location it is to be cut. This should be past the branch collar, which is a wrinkly looking section of bark near the tree limb base. Cutting the branches past this collar will cause damage to the tree because the cells the apple tree needs to heal itself are contained in this collar.
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Put on safety goggles.Start from the top of the tree and work toward the bottom. You may require the use of a pole pruner to do this. A pole pruner is simply a long pole with a blade attached and is designed for pruning tall fruit trees. For branches that are more than 3 inches in diameter, you may want to use a hacksaw. Be sure to take any cut branches down from the tree and haul away.
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Prune away any suckers. A sucker is a shoot that appears near the base of the tree and appears to be the stem of a young seedling. Leaving these unchecked will cause nutrients to be drained from the larger tree. Cut off as close to the ground as possible and remove the sucker.
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Follow this same pattern of pruning your apple trees each year in late spring. The second year after pruning, you should notice an increase in the size and amount of your apples. By taking proper care of your trees, you will increase the lifespan of your orchard and provide bushels of tasty fruit for applesauce or delicious cider.
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