Can I prune apple trees now?
 

Hi

I have read conflicting advice about pruning apple trees, it's a bit of
a minefield! Some say to prune in the winter/dormant months, other
advice is to prune midsummer - which is preferable? I have several
eating apple trees which have been kept small over the years before we
moved here. Last year the trees put on quite a bit of growth and I want
to cut them back to keep them manageable and not to end up with any more
tonnes of wasted apples as we can't possibly eat them all! There are
tiny apples forming now as the blossom has finished - will it harm the
trees to be cut back now and what is the best way of doing it?

Do the same rules apply for bramley trees and victoria plum?

Thanks!
Lynda

"Lynda Thornton" wrote in message
...
Hi

I have read conflicting advice about pruning apple trees, it's a bit of
a minefield! Some say to prune in the winter/dormant months, other
advice is to prune midsummer - which is preferable? I have several
eating apple trees which have been kept small over the years before we
moved here. Last year the trees put on quite a bit of growth and I want
to cut them back to keep them manageable and not to end up with any more
tonnes of wasted apples as we can't possibly eat them all! There are
tiny apples forming now as the blossom has finished - will it harm the
trees to be cut back now and what is the best way of doing it?



Thanks!
Lynda
__________________________-
Don't prune now~~wait another month and then only prune this seasons
growths, back to two or three buds. These will form new fruiting spurs.
Winter pruning causes strong growth and is used for this purpose and
for shaping.
Winter prune for growth~~ Summer pruning for fruiting.
Bramley can be treated as all apples though it ignores any attempt to
keep within bounds. Totally ignores the rootstock and takes more space than
it deserves!!. A real thug.
Best Wishes Brian.

"Lynda Thornton" wrote in message
...
Hi

I have read conflicting advice about pruning apple trees, it's a bit of
a minefield! Some say to prune in the winter/dormant months, other
advice is to prune midsummer - which is preferable?

I do all my pruning when the tree is dormant (Feb 15, weather permitting).
No excess "bleeding" and it will be healed up before the bugs and diseases
are out and are trying to get into my trees. I prune out any dead wood,
suckers from the ground, and limbs that grow straight up, toward the center
of the tree, and toward the ground.

I have several eating apple trees which have been kept small over the years
before we
moved here. Last year the trees put on quite a bit of growth and I want
to cut them back to keep them manageable and not to end up with any more
tonnes of wasted apples as we can't possibly eat them all!

You thin the apples out to keep from getting an excess and lessen the
chances of getting damage to the trees from the heavy fruit. I dont
remember on apples, but I was told that peach trees need to be thinned to
one peach every 4 inches and no doubles.


Do the same rules apply for bramley trees and victoria plum?

I prune all of my trees (peaches-2, plums-2, apples-4, & pears-2) and my
roses at approximately the same time of the year. When you prune a tree you
do it to eliminate problem areas. You also do it to shape the tree into
something you like. I like to stand back and look at the tree I am getting
ready to prune and imagine what I want it to look like in 10 years. Then I
start pruning to make it do what I want. I do it by pruning just above a
bud that is pointing the direction I want the limb to grow.

Have fun. Dwayne

Thanks!
Lynda

In article , Brian
--- writes

"Lynda Thornton" wrote in message
...
Hi

I have read conflicting advice about pruning apple trees, it's a bit of
a minefield! Some say to prune in the winter/dormant months, other
advice is to prune midsummer - which is preferable? I have several
eating apple trees which have been kept small over the years before we
moved here. Last year the trees put on quite a bit of growth and I want
to cut them back to keep them manageable and not to end up with any more
tonnes of wasted apples as we can't possibly eat them all! There are
tiny apples forming now as the blossom has finished - will it harm the
trees to be cut back now and what is the best way of doing it?



Thanks!
Lynda
__________________________-
Don't prune now~~wait another month and then only prune this seasons
growths, back to two or three buds. These will form new fruiting spurs.
Winter pruning causes strong growth and is used for this purpose and
for shaping.
Winter prune for growth~~ Summer pruning for fruiting.
Bramley can be treated as all apples though it ignores any attempt to
keep within bounds. Totally ignores the rootstock and takes more space than
it deserves!!. A real thug.
Best Wishes Brian.



Hi Brian

The trees actually have small apples forming on them right now - if I
wait another month will it be a problem to cut back the branches, and
how do I identify this year's growth and buds? I am a novice with apple
trees as you will no doubt have guessed!

When we moved here, the Bramley tree which is obviously quite old and
pretty big, was full of apples but I think too full, they weren't
staying green for long and were rapidly turning yellowish, we had a
frantic time trying to cook them and preserve them. We had a few large
branches lopped off in the winter as it was overgrown looking and not a
good shape and I will thin out the fruit a bit to try and get fewer and
better apples, I hope that works. I will thin out the fruit on the
other trees too.

Thanks for the advice!

Lynda
--
Lynda Thornton

In article , Lynda Thornton
writes
In article , Brian
--- writes

Don't prune now~~wait another month and then only prune this seasons
growths, back to two or three buds. These will form new fruiting spurs.
Winter pruning causes strong growth and is used for this purpose and
for shaping.
Winter prune for growth~~ Summer pruning for fruiting.
Bramley can be treated as all apples though it ignores any attempt to
keep within bounds. Totally ignores the rootstock and takes more space than
it deserves!!. A real thug.
Best Wishes Brian.


The trees actually have small apples forming on them right now - if I
wait another month will it be a problem to cut back the branches, and
how do I identify this year's growth and buds? I am a novice with apple
trees as you will no doubt have guessed!

This year's growth will be smooth unbranched growth at the ends of the
twigs - two feet or more by the end of the season. Little knobbly
sidegrowths are the fruiting spurs - check some of the places where
apples are already sprouting and you'll see what to look for.

When we moved here, the Bramley tree which is obviously quite old and
pretty big, was full of apples but I think too full, they weren't
staying green for long and were rapidly turning yellowish, we had a
frantic time trying to cook them and preserve them.

They should last for a long time simply stored in boxes in a cool, not
too dry, place - Bramley's season is from November through to March.
Are you sure it's a Bramley? - there are very many apple varieties.

Having too many apples shouldn't cause them to ripen too quickly, but
would cause them to be smaller than otherwise.
--
Kay
"Do not insult the crocodile until you have crossed the river"

In article , Kay
writes
In article , Lynda Thornton
writes
In article , Brian
--- writes

Don't prune now~~wait another month and then only prune this seasons
growths, back to two or three buds. These will form new fruiting spurs.
Winter pruning causes strong growth and is used for this purpose and
for shaping.
Winter prune for growth~~ Summer pruning for fruiting.
Bramley can be treated as all apples though it ignores any attempt to
keep within bounds. Totally ignores the rootstock and takes more space than
it deserves!!. A real thug.
Best Wishes Brian.


The trees actually have small apples forming on them right now - if I
wait another month will it be a problem to cut back the branches, and
how do I identify this year's growth and buds? I am a novice with apple
trees as you will no doubt have guessed!

This year's growth will be smooth unbranched growth at the ends of the
twigs - two feet or more by the end of the season. Little knobbly
sidegrowths are the fruiting spurs - check some of the places where
apples are already sprouting and you'll see what to look for.

When we moved here, the Bramley tree which is obviously quite old and
pretty big, was full of apples but I think too full, they weren't
staying green for long and were rapidly turning yellowish, we had a
frantic time trying to cook them and preserve them.

They should last for a long time simply stored in boxes in a cool, not
too dry, place - Bramley's season is from November through to March.
Are you sure it's a Bramley? - there are very many apple varieties.

Hi Kay

Well I think it's a Bramley, it certainly produced some monster sized
cooking apples that tasted like bramleys, but I'm no expert, I just
wouldn't have expected any other kind of cooker I suppose. What other
types might it be out of interest? I thought the tree might be under
stress being so large and not having been pruned for many years, but
still full of apples - can that not reduce the quality of the fruit in
general and make them less likely to last well? Just guessing really!

Thanks
Lynda

In article , Lynda Thornton
writes

Well I think it's a Bramley, it certainly produced some monster sized
cooking apples that tasted like bramleys, but I'm no expert, I just
wouldn't have expected any other kind of cooker I suppose. What other
types might it be out of interest?

Dunno! I'm no good on cooking apples. But scanning through the Scotts
catalogue for large yellow cookers gives Arthur Turner, george neal,
grenadier, Charles Eyre, Warners King, Edward VII, Encore just for
starters. And that's ignoring all the greens, reds, green with red
flush/stripes, yellow with red flush/stripes ..

But if it looks, tastes, feels like a bramley, that's a good bet, since
it's the most widely planted.

I thought the tree might be under
stress being so large and not having been pruned for many years, but
still full of apples - can that not reduce the quality of the fruit in
general and make them less likely to last well? Just guessing really!

I wouldn't have thought so - the main effect is to reduce the size of
the apples, but if the apples are still large, then it sounds as if it's
perfectly happy with that quantity. When we lost our apple tree in the
1987 'hurricane', we had 400lbs of windfalls to deal with ;-) ... just
from the one tree.

Keeping the apples whole is by far the best way of preserving - if you
cook them, you'll either have to freeze them, or put even more effort
into bottling them.

A good way of getting through a glut of apples is simply to juice them.
--
Kay
"Do not insult the crocodile until you have crossed the river"