Pruning Apple Trees
Most commercial growers prune their apple orchard during the winter months.
Farmers have more time on their hands in the winter, and the absence of leaves
makes pruning easy. You can however, prune your apple trees in the spring
before the flowers bloom. Pruning apples trees is essential to the health
of the tree, to maximize the size of the apples, and to make picking easier.
Too many apples on the tree results in plentiful, but smaller fruit.
For home gardeners, it is best to prune and trim apple trees from after harvest
in the fall to late winter. But, you can prune them any time before blooming.
After blooming begins, you risk knocking apples off the tree, reducing your
harvest.
Prune off suckers and small branches, especially those that grow straight
up from major branches. It is best to trim the tree so that major branches
arch up away from the trunk. These branches will eventually droop downward
somewhat. Top off the center (trunk) of the tree if you want to limit the
overall growth of the tree. Also, remove some branches where the tree has
grown too thick You want to leave plenty of room for the apples to grow,
allow air circulation, and light to penetrate to the leaves. It also allow
for more effective spraying of insecticides and fungicides.
Pruning is an annual event. Schedule it for early in the season before your
gardening chores get into full gear. Or, pick a sunny winter day and go out
and do some gardening!
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