I have three apple trees and a pear tree. The pear tree is still small and I just prune out any branches that are growing back inwards towards the middle. On of the apple trees is still quite young and not putting out a lot of growth. I may take out a branch or two each spring. Then we have the two Northern Spy trees that I planted in 2009 from grafts of the last old orchard tree here. One tree is very productive but does not put out a lot of new growth. It focuses its energy on apples. I generally prune that one a bit at a time throughout the summer removing a branch here and there. The other tree, is a beauty queen. She focuses her energy on new growth and apples are an afterthought. Most of my pruning focuses on keeping this tree thinned out.
When pruning a fruit tree, first stand back and assess what the goal is. This tree is shaped well but always needs thinning in the interior. The first branches to remove is the "Three Ds". Anything Dead, Damaged or Diseased, The second consideration is any water sprouts. These are soft, fast growing branches that grow vertically straight up from old growth. They are usually at the site of something you pruned off last year.
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| Water Sprouts |
Take them off right above the collar of the branch which is the angled portion right next to the trunk. This will allow the tree to heal properly.
They are easy to spot because the bark will be bright and smooth. These branches are always very straight and will not produce any fruit this year anyway. I will, occasionally leave one if I want to fill in a bare spot, but most of them need to go. I save the longer ones because they are useful around the garden for staking things. You can even use them to weave a fence for your peas.
The third consideration, and one that requires more thought is any cross branches. It takes a little more thought because you usually have to make a choice of one branch vs. the other. Which will result in a better shape? You should always favor the branch that grows straight out from the trunk. Not up, not down, not to the left or right. Cross branches will rub against each other causing a scar on the bark and allowing insects and diseases to enter. They also cause congestion and limit air flow. I always wonder where they all come from. Presumably I cut them all out last year. Trees fill in very fast.
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| There are several choices to be made here. |
When I'm done I have a pretty good pile of branches, but the center of the tree looks airy and well groomed. Last year and this year I concentrated on "limbing up" to get rid of those branches that are always catching my hair, trying to poke me in the eye... They shouldn't be pointing down anyway.
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| Before and After |
Now I give it some time. I walk around the tree, maybe for a week or two, checking my work from every angle. The hardest pruning cuts to visualize are the Heading cuts. These cuts shorten a branch and cause it to send out a new shoot from that location. Here are some Heading cuts I made on the other tree last year. Then I went back and cut more a week later removing the top of the central leader.
Heading cuts, by their nature, occur on the outer edges of the tree. The trickiest ones are at the top, mainly because you can't see what needs to be cut when you are standing beside the tree. A tree will send growth hormone to the uppermost tips of the branches. So, if you have a tree with one central leader, and one of the side branches develops and starts to come out above the tip of the branches growing from the leader, that branch will get more growth hormone and eventually take over for the original leader. The other tree, shown above has a central leader (and not the original one) but the tree below has been pruned to a Modified Central Leader. The top sort of fans out with several main branches. This is most apparent from a distance. These branches to the right want to take over and must be shortened.
Because of the size of the tree, I have to use the old pole pruner. There is no way I could reach these even from a ladder in the center. I have to choose a good place to cut as well as a spot where the pruner will stay put. You should always cut a branch right above a bud that is facing in the direction you want new growth but in this case the side branch is already there and I just need to remove all of the tall branch.
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| Cut #1 |
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| Cut #2 |
Gone. Now the top has a more uniform shape from every angle.
While I have the pruner tangled up in there, I take the opportunity to cut two branches that are headed back into the middle.
Done.
And here is the Before and After from this angle.
This tree still has more growth on the south side (left of above photos). That is something I am working on over time. A few years ago the apple trees got a touch of blight and I had to take a lot of large branches out of the north side of this one. The tree has recovered it shape well but almost any plant or tree will put more growth out on the side that get's the most sun.
If you would like more, expert advice the blog link below from Cornell is excellent.
After pruning the trees, I applied a general dormant spray and a copper fungicide spray. The copper I bought chiefly for the pear tree. Back in 2024 it got some sort of leaf spot, the leaves bronzed out and the whole tree defoliated by the end of August. I used the copper spray last year and the leaves stayed green and healthy all season. I put both concentrates in the sprayer at the same time so the apple trees get treated as well. Last year was the first year I used this particular combination and I noticed a reduction in the sooty blotch on the apples as well. These sprays can be used up until the time of harvest, but I may spray a second time before they leaf out.
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