Can anyone please advise if it is too late to prune apple trees? If
they are pruned in spring, rather than in autumn or winter, are they
likely to be more vulnerable to disease?

Thanks
Sue

Are they still dormant? If so you can prune them. The reason you don't
when they aren't dormant is because you cause them to "bleed" and the bugs
and diseases have an easier time to getting to them. The only time I would
prune them when they are close to breaking dormancy, is if the bloom so
early they get frosted and cant bear fruit. This is supposed to work on
peaches, apricots and that family, because they bear on new wood. If you
prune later in the spring, but just before breaking dormancy, the new wood
may put on blossoms a few weeks later in the season and give you a better
chance of receiving fruit.

I prune apple trees in February and early March.

Dwayne



"MikeH" wrote in message
...
Can anyone please advise if it is too late to prune apple trees? If
they are pruned in spring, rather than in autumn or winter, are they
likely to be more vulnerable to disease?

Thanks
Sue

(MikeH) wrote in message ...
Can anyone please advise if it is too late to prune apple trees? If
they are pruned in spring, rather than in autumn or winter, are they
likely to be more vulnerable to disease?

Thanks
Sue
Have a look at www.kenmuir.co.uk
There is an advice and tips section where you can read/download PDFs
on care for most species of fruit tree.

Cheers
Alastair

On Tue, 30 Mar 2004, Dwayne wrote:

Can anyone please advise if it is too late to prune apple trees? If
they are pruned in spring, rather than in autumn or winter, are they
likely to be more vulnerable to disease?

Are they still dormant? If so you can prune them. The reason you don't
when they aren't dormant is because you cause them to "bleed" and the bugs
and diseases have an easier time to getting to them.

I'm in the process of pruning now. I take the view that, if the sap is
rising then disease is less likely to attack than in the Autumn
(someone, no doubt, will correct me if I'm wrong!).

Actually the only thing I know which bleeds badly if you prune when the
sap is rising is the grape vine. Apple trees don't appear to bleed. At
least, mine don't.

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