I have been working on pruning my fruit trees for about a week now. I did one major prune and now every time I walk past them I scrutinize them to see if I missed anything.
The little Gala apple tree that I relocated last fall is alive and well. I only took a handful out of this little guy but it will probably need some header cuts and if I don't work up the nerve to do it this year it can wait until next year. It is developing a nice open center vase shape all on its own.
The 4-in-1 pear tree also needed little pruning. I did do some header cuts on this one to encourage branching on the back side.
This mature Northern Spy needed a lot of thinning out. It is a nicely shaped tree. But I think I need to get a ladder out and remove one more branch. The one that I highlighted below is cruising straight up the center and beginning to outpace the main leader. Also I don't want that tight angle in there.
I need to walk around it a little more and make sure I am ready. You can always take out more but it is pretty hard to put it back if you change your mind.
Ditto here on your second sentence, and I certainly concur with your last sentence!
ReplyDeleteYour trees are looking lovely. We have very old apple trees here. I did some actual climbing and pruning when we moved here, as the trees had been neglected for years and years. Got the tops of the best tasting ones opened up, and major crossed branches out. The knees are not up to it now!
And gravity has gotten stronger
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