"Glen Able" wrote in message
...
Hello again!

My new garden has 4 apple trees which I've finally gotten round to looking
at. (I'm assuming they're all apples, when we looked round the house in
Feb, one of them still had lots of fruits tenaciously clinging on!)

I guess I should snip off all the little weedy shoots that're coming out
all
over the shop, and clear the thick weeds/grass round the base, right?
One's
also covered in ivy, is that a bad idea?

Currently they have a 3-5 foot trunks, which branch outwards almost
horizontally several feet, and then there's a dense mass of 10'+ vertical
shoots. This seems to suggest they were heavily pruned some years ago and
then neglected, perhaps? Anyway, this doesn't seem like the textbook
shape
at all but, unfortunately, textbooks only seem to say, 'Do this in year 1,
that in year 2 etc.' and not how to deal with someone else's mess

So, if someone could give me some tips on how to proceed, then that'd be
great.

thanks in advance...
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Tell us a bit more. And take no offence at anything I say, Pse.
The tree has a bole, - that is the vertical trunk which is the name mostly
in use.
("Oh! to be in England now that Aprils' there, for, whoever wakes in England
sees some morning, unaware ..... That the lime tree bole is in tiny
leaf.....") etc. etc. is not quite correct.
The bole of a tree is, generally, never in leaf. It is there to carry and
feed the branches.
From the trunk the branches grow outwards, They grow horizontal, or
uppish like the pear/apple, or downish like the cone shape, a good example
of which is the fir tree.
You write of 3-5 feet trunks. That's a very big old tree, that is. if you
mean the diameter of the trunk (bole).
If you meant 3-5 feet vertically up the trunk from the ground then that's a
very young tree 4-5 years old.
In spring ( that is, now) .
Speaking of a quite young tree, at this time, (Spring), soft pithy small
branches are shooting upwards from the branches already extant. They grow
quickly. You "spring prune" them now. You cut them off (generally,) at the
second node outwards from the original branch from which they have suddenly
appeared, careful though, lots will be growing out from the start of the
growth from the branch will have a darker coloured peel then suddenly it
immediately looks new and much lighter. If so, count two nodes out from
there. It is very obvious, so don't worry.
Right! - that's your spring pruning. Fruit should appear on those two nodes
next year's summer and autumn, and this method keeps all the fruit nice and
compact on the tree and the tree branches don't bolt and get all scraggly.
Now for winter pruning. this is designed to tidy up the tree and shape it
to your requirements.
Cut out all deadwood and branches shooting into and /or across the inside
area of the branches.
You aim to get plenty of light in there so try for a shape like a wineglass
or an ordinary "wild" tree, bit by bit, year by year. Don't worry, its
easy, just look at the tree and you will easily see what requires to be
done. I did seven young plum tress three days ago and it took me half an
hour. Mind you!, plums are well known for following the pattern of new
pappy shoot branches quickly growing vertically at this time of the year.
Doug.
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