In article , Luca
wrote:

I planted 2 liberty apples, a lapin cherry and an Italian plum about
two months ago. They all seem happy, the apples even bloomed, and my
wife and I spotted several tiny apples growing. Beginners luck. ;-)

When I purchased the trees I was told not to prune any of them for
this season. Browsing the internet I have found quite the opposite
advice (do the 1st pruning right after planting), so I was wondering
who is right, or if there is a more general rule.

Also, can anyone recommend a good book on the subject?


TIA,
Luca
zone 6b

See if you can find a Lewis Hill book about pruning. He's a good writer and
knows his stuff.

Pull the little apples off your new trees. They suck too much energy off
of young trees. Don't let them produce fruit yet. They need to grow first.

And *don't* fertilize the trees later than mid season. They need to go
dormant for winter and if you feed them too late in the season, they'll still
be trying to grow when they should be shutting down for the winter.

Jan