I prune my apples and peaches in late winter before pink bud stage. The ideal
of pruning is to remove any branches growing inward or directly upward (also
known as waterspouts) and to shape the tree like an upside down umbrella. That
way sun can reach the inside of the tree as well as the outer tree foliage.

A simple search at www.google.com will bring up tons of websites. Try to find a
Cooperative Extension in your local. Put you county and Cooperative Extension
into the search engine and it will come up.


On Mon, 02 Jun 2003 21:26:44 -0700, 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