"SG1" wrote in message
...
We have an apple tree with a few main stems and a few suckers (soon to
go). My aim is to make the tree fan shaped, with only one stem and a darn
sight less branches than now.
My problem I have never pruned an apple before. Any advise other than
ground levelling is welcome & sought.
Jim in warm Toowoomba (the fire is on at the moment)

i was quite worried before i ever pruned anything, too! in fact, you'll find
it's all quite logical once you start.

you need to choose which will be the "main" stem & then you have to choose
branches or buds to be the other remaining branches. be aware that you're
normally looking for outward-facing buds to be the new branches - at any
rate when you have your shape in mind, prune down to the buds that will grow
into branches facing where you want them to grow to, & do this on every
branch. prune off everything you really don't want. voila!

you can also rub off buds growing in the wrong place - much easier than
pruning them later (same with suckers).

my best advice is to step back often & check you're making the right shape
overall! it's easy to go too far if you are micro-focussing :-)

normally, the only things you'd prune this time of year are roses & grape
vines; so unless the "rules" are different in qld, wait until early spring
is better, that way the tree will be growing again & will recover easily. at
this point, there will be flower buds too probably - not to be confused with
leaf buds. leaf buds are pointy & flower buds are round, so that is quite
simple too.
kylie