Pruning Apple Trees
Wednesday February 28, 2007
Growing apples sounds like a good idea, until you hear about all the pruning involved. If you’re timid about pruning in general, apple trees probably scare you to death. That’s why there are so many overgrown, under-productive apple trees out there. Unless your tree is declining or diseased, it’s not too late to bring it back. Here are the steps to prune an overgrown apple tree. Just keep telling yourself that it’s very hard to kill an apple tree by pruning it, but neglecting it is an invitation for problems. Get out there and hack away while your tree is still dormant and watch it thank you later this season.
Comments
I have pruned my apple tree into a Champagne glass shape. It produces very well, but your comments about thinning tells me I need to prune some more.
A Champagne glass – How festive and elegant! Thinning will help let the sun in, so all those apples can ripen.
Hi all!
G’night
I pruned my overgrown apple tree about 2.5-3.5 weeks after blooming…Have I put my tree in jeopardy? Do I need to seal all branches or just the larger ones or not at all…? Please help!
Your tree should be fine. Late winter is the optimal time to prune, since the tree is dormant and there’s less stress on it then. But you can make cuts anytime. The worst that will happen is slower growth and maybe less blooms this season. It’s better you get to it now than never. Just make sure it gets plenty of water as it leafs out and readjusts.
Don’t bother sealing the wounds. They say trees are better able to heal themselves if they’re left alone. Keep an eye out for problems and treat them quickly, if they should come up.
I’ve just figured out I have an apple tree in our back yard. We just moved in and the first and only fruit just dropped to the ground. It has some kind of fungus on the branches and quite a few are not prducing any leaves at all.
Is it ok to remove ALL dead limbs or should we just do a little at a time. Is it even possible to save this tree?
Apple trees should be pruned in late winter or early spring, while they are dormant. Pruning encourages the fruiting spur branches where the fruit it set. If you have a really old, uncared for tree, you could be doing some clean-up pruning for a couple of years, but you should start to see an improvement in the tree the first year.
It’s recommended that you not remove more than a third of a tree’s branches at one time. However, if the branches are dead, they’re only going to cause problems. So go ahead and remove the dead branches now, even though it’s not the optimum time. Save the maintenance pruning of the healthy branches for next spring. Here’s a pictorial to help get you started.
Old apple trees can often be revived. It all depends on how far gone they are and whether you’ll like the look of the tree once it’s pruned. It will also take awhile before you start seeing a good size harvest.
I have two mature apple trees in my yard. They do not get pruned every year so sometimes yeild many apples and sometimes almost none. They are very full with many small branches. I had someone come to shape the trees. He topped them straight accross so now they are flat and look like shrubs on the top rather than a rounded tree. When I look at the top I just see a sea of cut off branches – most less than 2″ in diameter. Do I need to worry that this will hurt or even kill my trees? When do I fertilize and how do I best help them recover from this?
Topping the trees was not the best idea, but it won’t kill them. It does sound like you have a lot of watersprouts or suckers that developed from the pruning and they should be cut out next early spring.
Fertilizing is also done in the early spring, before the leaves start to open. Use any granular fertilizer labeled for use on fruit bearing trees. They are usually somewhere in the 10-6-4 range. Broadcast it all around the base of the tree out to the ends of the branches, keeping it away from the trunk. The fertilizer bag should tell you how much to use based on the diameter of the tree’s trunk.
I have a Granny Smith apple tree which is around a year old. Some of the branches have no leaves on them and I think that they are dead. They seem to have some sort of disease which leaves a scaled effect on the branches. The parts of the tree without the scaled effect have new growth and leaves. Shall I cut off the branches which are diseased, and will this help the trees’ general health?
Dead wood can be removed from fruit trees at anytime of year. Prune these branches in gradually from the tips, to see if there is any green wood inside or if they are brown, brittle and dead.
I’m more concerned that you find out what is wrong with the tree. I can’t think what would cause a scale effect, but if you take a sample of the affected branches to a nursery or your local Extension office, they should be able to diagnose the problem. If it’s something that could spread, it’s best to catch it early.
Hi, I have an old apple tree which produced over 500 lbs of apples this year. I put over 50 lbs of wood ash on it and it towered up an additional 6-7 feet over the summer. The ash did an amazing thing for the production and general health of the tree. Can I cut down the top of the tree in fall to manage it.
That’s a lot of apple pie!
You can top the tree, although it might look a little odd if it’s wider than it is tall. But it won’t hurt the tree. Wait until the leaves drop and the tree is dormant.
I’m guessing my Apple tree is about 10 years old and appears to have never been cared for. Its now about 25 feet tall, too tall to reach the fruit at the top. Can I top the tree down to a more reasonable height?
Topping the tree shouldn’t hurt it. I’d suggest not cutting off half the tree in one try though. It may cause a little stress at first, so I’d suggest doing it while the tree is dormant.
The real problem with topping an apple tree is that it encourages lots of suckers at the top of the tree. If you don’t keep these pruned, they’ll eventually shade out the bottom of the tree and reduce the amount of fruit you get. But at least they’ll be at a level you can reach with the pruners.
I AM BRAND NEW AT FRUIT TREES….JUST BOUGHT THE RANCH…..APRICOTS GAVE NO FRUIT…..PLUMS ALMOST NONE….PEARS ALMOST NONE…..PEACHES AND APPLES AND WALNUTS A TON….
WHAT IS ADVICE FOR THE TIMING OF PRUNING APRICOT,PLUM, PEAR, AND ALMOND…..
AND WHAT DO I DO WITH PROLIFIC PEACH AND APPLE….ESPECIALLY IF I WANT LARGER FRUIT…..DO I NEED A PROFESSIONAL’SHELP OR CAN I GOT AT THIS MYSELF…..
IS THERE A FRUIT TREE PRUNING BOOK FOR DUMMIES?????
Howdy, you’ve bitten off a lot there. It’s not uncommon for young trees not to produce fruit. I’m actually surprised at the luck you had with apples and walnuts so early.
Apples and pears are usually pruned in late winter, while they are still dormant. Peaches, apricots and other “stone” fruits are done a little later (March, early April). I thinks it’s too much info to give here, so I’ll point you to a couple of articles. Colorado State has a good overview of pruning stone fruits. Clemson Extension does a good job demonstrating apple and pear pruning.
Unless you have full size trees, you should be able to thin the fruits yourself. Fruit thinning is generally done shortly after fruit set, although you can continue to thin during the season if necessary. When thinning by hand doesn’t seem feasible, some people use sticks to tap and shake the young fruits off. I’ve never been very good at that.
Thin most fruits about six to eight inches apart. Early ripening fruits can be pruned to up to 10 inches apart, since they don’t have as long a season to mature. I hope this helps.
Something (probably deer) damaged the trunk on my young apple tree about 1 foot from the ground. The tree is only about 6 feet tall and did not get any leaves this year, except at the bottom of the tree, below the damaged bark, There art new shoot emerging from there now. Can the tree be saved, and how?
I’m sorry to say, it sounds like your tree isn’t going to make it. If there are no leaves above the damage, the tree isn’t getting any water. The bark protects the phloem layer directly underneath it. This is the trees circulatory system. If the phloem is damaged on more than 50% of the tree’s circumference, the tree is effectively girdled and it’s not taking up water or nourishment above the damaged spot.
Since apple trees are grafted onto hardy root stock, the shoots at the bottom of the tree are most likely coming from the root stock and will not grow into the kind of apple tree your purchased. Sorry.
my 10 yr old apple tree has no blossoms this yr , what happened?
Assuming you’ve done maintenance pruning, it could have been a late frost.
I have a semi-dwarf Golden Delicious that yielded abundantly last year – probably two to three bushels. This year, no blossoms. I have two Gala, one Courtland and a Macintosh in the orchard, and they all have varying amounts of apples this year, but not a blossom on the the Golden Delicious. Any ideas?
I have a peach tree, cherry tree, and an apple tree that the dear have rubbed all the bark off of. They are very young trees (just planted last summer). There is no growth on the tops of the trees at all (assuming they are dead), but they have new growth and sprouts at the base of the trees. Can I just cut the whole top off and let the sprouts grow? Will this produce a good tree? Do I cut the sprouts and replant? I don’t know what to do and googling isn’t helping. I cannot find any answers. Thanks!
Rachel, it doesn’t look good for your trees. If there’s no growth on the top of the plants, they are indeed dead.
Unfortunately since most fruit trees are grafted onto hardier root stocks, the sprouts coming up at ground level are most likely shoots from the root stock and not the same as the fruit trees, or top portions, that you were trying to grow.
I have an apple tree that must be 50 or more years old. It has been neglected but is very beautiful and bears many small fruit. There are a lot of dead branches on the tree, many suckers and the main trunk and one of the main limbs is hollow and partially rotted. A tree guy told me to prune the dead wood and suckers and seal the trunk with foam. My landscaper/tree service said to leave it alone and just fertilize it. What say you?
That’s a tough one. Usually I always recommend cutting out dead wood, since it just attracts problems. But I also believe that if something ain’t broke, don’t fix it. If it were my tree, I’d probably do a small amount of pruning each year and watch how the tree responds.
What about the suggestion of sealing up the hollow part with foam? Have you ever heard of that? Thanks for your advice.
I’m not very experienced with that. The only reason I’ve ever heard for filling tree holes is to stop the tree from collapsing on itself. They used to recommend sealing tree wounds, to stop decay and discourage insects, but then they found that trees did a better job of sealing themselves.
However if the hollow area is rotting, foam isn’t going to stop it. It would be better if you could remove the rotting portion, but it doesn’t sound like that’s an option. I guess I agree with the landscapers. Why stress a tree that has already learned how to compensate for its problems?
pruning really helps in making tress healthy…proper maintenance is the key…
I have an apple tree that had massive blossoms this spring, but it is now mid-July and i don’t see any apples! Any Ideas?
Do you have two types of apples that bloom at the same time, so they can cross pollinate? If it’s a young tree, maybe it just wasn’t ready to handle fruit set yet.
It could also be that there were no pollinators out when the blossoms were open. If it was cold or there was a lot of rain, the bees could have stayed away.
I have a dwarf apple tree that was planted this past spring. It bore some fruit (about 10 small apples) and seemed fine. Then, all of a sudden, a few days ago, all of the leaves have shrivelled up, and are drying out. I live in the desert, but the tree gets PLENTY of water. It survived June/July with 110 degree days…yet now, it has only been in the 90’s. What is the problem?
Usually when leaves suddenly dry up in think of fire blight, but that generally affects trees in the spring.
By any chance, was there weed killer sprayed in the area or did you do any digging near the roots?
If not, are there any other symptoms, like spots on the leaves or dark patches on the bark?
I want to ask what is the earliest time in the fall when I can prune apple trees. I travel in winter and prefer to trim in fall if possible. These are old trees, I would guess 40-50 years old with no pruning that I know of. They have a many large branches off their single or double trunks and are in severe need of pruning. I am located in NW Lower Peninsula of Michigan. The leaves will drop by the end of October I believe. Thanks
It really is best to wait until after a hard frost, to make substantial cuts to an apple tree. I would guess that since your tree is overgrown and unpruned, it’s not bearing a lot of fruit, so you could do a small amount of cleaning up in fall. But anything drastic could weaken it’s ability to get through the winter. If there is dead or damaged wood that you want to cut out, you can do that anytime.
Hi I have just purchased a house with 12 or so apple trees and 3 of them in the same area have hollowed out one so bad that its only just got the outer holding it up and open half away around, the other two arm so bad but have a hole right the way through the hole tree in the centre section. All these trees are next to each other is it spreading and should I just remove them and plant new. They do produce friut and good friut. ~Any ideas Cheers tony
Hollows in trees can be caused by a lot of things, but if there are several trees close by with the same problem, it’s probably some type of fungus or disease that is spreading. It’s impossible to say what with out inspecting the tree, but you might want to have someone look at it so you can stop it from spreading further. You’ll probably see more symptoms when it’s in leaf than when it’s dormant.
Trees can live and produce for years even though they have a hollow in them. But holes are invitations for other problems, so you don’t want things to get worse.
Our golden delicious tree,was never pruned by the previous owner. The tree is probably 20-25 years old. This past summer, the tree literally split in half, due to all of the (small) apples on it.
The half, that split, is horizontal to the ground, although it still seems to be alive. Should I cut this off at the split, or leave it, and give it a hardy pruning of its branches?
Thank you for your response!
Stan, that’s a tough one. Any kind of open wound is bad for the tree in the long run. Split trees can live for years, but if it doesn’t heal over, it’s an invitation for disease and insects.
You might want to contact an arborist. They can sometimes brace the two halves of a damaged tree, so that it can fuse back together. Otherwise I think I’d remove the spit section and focus on pruning and caring for the remaining portion of the tree.
My apple tree is 4 years old and produces apples all year round here in So. Cal. When is a good time to prune?
You generally prune in Jan/Feb, in Southern Cal.
You must have one of the low-chill varieties, like ‘Anna’. They might not go dormant, but they still tend to slow down, in the winter months. You probably don’t have to prune much, but a little regular pruning will keep it rejuvenated.
Can any one help I have recently moved & in the garden I have to mature apple tree which are in urgent need of pruning, I’ve been told the branches where touching the floor last year as the crop was so heavy.
Is it to late to pruning now? As they need doing urgently?
Better now than to wait any longer. It won’t hurt the tree.
i have about ten apple trees i planted that are about 5 to 6 years old now. I prune them every winter and fertilize them as well. i have never had any of my apple trees get blossoms on them. it is very frustrating, what do i do.
Clint, full size apple trees can take several years to start setting fruits, but dwarfs and semi-dwarfs should at least be blossoming. I’m not really sure why they’re not blooming.
Sometimes trees under stress, like drought the season before, won’t set fruit. Also make sure you’re not pruning off the fruiting spurs when you prune.
Any other ideas out there?
We had a very windy day here yesterday in N.Y. and this morning I noticed a large branch down from our 3 year old, seemly healthy, apple tree. It was a lower branch, about an inch in diameter, covered in leaves and blossoms, but completely hollow. On closer inspection I noticed 2 neat little holes on the branch – almost like it had been drilled into.
I have 3 questions. Why would the branch be hollow when it looked so healthy? Should I be worried about the rest of the tree? Should I prune the broken branch to the trunk or leave it the way it broke?
Thanks!
There are some borers that attack apple trees, but they leave behind saw dust. Usually clean holes like that are made by birds, like woodpeckers, who are looking for the insects that live under the bark. And it sounds like your branch has been dying back for awhile now, so there were probably insects taking advantage of it.
I’d look for other symptoms, to try and figure our what went wrong with the branch. Look for frass (insect droppings), sawdust or signs of disease or injury. I don’t think I’d be too worried about excess damage throughout the tree, since it is growing well. You would have noticed dead, dry or hollow limbs when you pruned it.
Sometimes it’s just a girdled branch or a lightening strike that causes a portion of a tree to die. But trees can live a long time, even when their centers hollow out. Their water and nutrients travel just below the bark. Keep an eye on the tree this season and make a clean cut where the branch broke off, so it doesn’t invite further problems.
my one plum tree has a few wilted branches on it and i noticed that there are alot of pin holes all over the tree, i sprayed it with maliathon, there is saw dust at the pinholes, how do i get rid of burrowers. any suggestions?
Hi. I bought an apple tree last year about 7 ft tall. this spring it still has no leaves except on 1 branch and some coming up from the bottom. should i give it some more time, lop off the top, or simply purchase another?
Kodi, your tree should have leafed out by now. The shoots coming from the bottom of the tree are either suckers or they’re growing from the root stock, so you don’t want to lop off the top and let them grow.
Usually nurseries have at least a one year guarantee on trees. Check where you bought it. They may be able to give you a replacement for free.
My Mom has a apple tree that is three years old. The first year it had about three apples that matured. Most fell off before full growth. The second year there were hundreds, but there again the vast majority fell off. Although we did get enough for one pie
This year AGAIN there are hundreds. What should I do to ensure getting the most fruit. Prune back the flowers so there won’t be as much fruit. Although we are beyond that point. I thought maybe pick off some of the apples now to give the others room to grow. It water in the summer whenever it doesn’t rain (we’re in PA).
After ready your site on pruning I thought maybe it needs some of the smaller pruned.
Thanks for your help.
I have 2 Granny Smith apple trees. I purchased them a little over a year ago. 1 is perfectly fine and I noticed the other one has 1 branch that shoots up from the trunk that has brown leaves. The tree is about 6 to 6 1/2 feet tall. The trunk v’s and the right side of the v is the part that has me worried. Should I just prune that part of the tree or do I need to do something else. Please help. Trees have not produced yet.
In addition to the first comment… The branch on my apple tree has branches that come off of it and the leaves on them are all turning brown. The rest of the tree is green and has new leaves coming in. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Clint, I don’t know of any insecticides for plum borers. But you should be able to scrap away the bark by the hole and actually find the borer. Use a tweezers and yank him out. Also, they tend to attack stressed trees, so next spring be sure your tree is well watered.
Joni, most fruit trees take a few years before they set a large crop. I just did a piece on “June Drop” which is a natural process where fruits trees drop a portion of their fruit set, once they’re sure they are going to have enough that grow to maturity and set seeds. I think your mother’s tree is just young and needs time to build its strength before maturing a large crop of apples.
But you’re right, once it starts holding onto most of its fruit, you’d be wise to thin out the excess, leaving about 5-8″ between fruits. This is done in the beginning of July, to produce larger, sweeter fruits and to lessen the weight on the tree.
Ginger, it sounds like it could be fire blight, a bacterial disease. Definitely cut out the browned branch. You should take it to your local Cooperative Extension for a diagnosis. They may recommend using a copper spray next spring, to prevent its recurrence.
I have an apple tree that must be 10 or 12 years old. When I bought the house, I did nothing in the garden for the first 2 years. The tree was leaning and had developed a bent trunk about 4 to 5 feet from the ground. It is growing horizontally. About a year ago, I tried pruning it. There is now about a six ft. vertical branch growing from the main bent trunk. Should I cut off the vertical branch? Should I cut down the entire tree and start over? How do I keep the branches on the bent trunk under control? They can’t grow much more because of space. I don’t mind the bent trunk.
Thanks for all responses.
Apple lover, that’s an interesting predicament. Does the new branch that’s growing upward have any side branches? If t seems to be branching out, you could make it your new central leader and eventually get rid of the horizontal branch. If it’s just growing straight up with no lateral growth, it’s probably a sucker and can be removed.
If you wind up keeping the bent trunk, you might try removing the lower branches and letting the tree grow out to the sides and above the bent trunk. Keep an eye on the trunk in case it starts to sag under the weight of maturing fruit. You can always brace it from beneath.
we have been pruning a apple tree, that had lots of blackberry bushes growing up it. now that we have got all of them cut at ground level, do we need to pull all of them out of the branches? this is very a over grown tree with hundreds of large and small branches, should we get rid of alot of the small ones? it hasn’t been taken care of will we kill it by triming to much?
should you trim your trees every fall. i think i trim mine to much.i’m not getting any fruit or blossoms, i got smi dwarfs and i keep them trimmed to about 7 feet.
Clint, some pruning each year is good. Just don’t take away too much. Just make sure you’re pruning to buds and not just pruning for size.
Around may time my apple tree lost all the leaves on the tips of the branches for about 10 inches the tree is healthy and fruiting as has done in previous years. Any ideas?
Sherri, get as many of the blackberry branches out of the apple tree as you can. They should start dieing off on their own and come out more easily. You want to get some sun and air into the apple tree branches.
You won’t hurt the apple by pruning it, but it would be wise to leave the renovation pruning until next winter and then follow up yearly until the tree is back in good shape.
Dale, it’s hard to say without looking at the tree. If the problem didn’t go any further, I’d say some type of insect or animal was chewing. But it it’s progressing, you’ll need to look more closely at the tree. Scale, a type of sucking insect that looks like little bumps on the twigs, often starts at the tips.
If the leaves are starting to look dry all over the tree, it could be fire blight, a bacterial disease, could be the culprit. These can all be controlled, but you need to pinpoint what it is.
My 50 yr old apple tree has fallen over. I had noiticed it sagging with the weight of apples, but we had a load of rain and the soil couldnt cope and it has rolled in the ground. The shape was quite ornamental, and in a way i can imagine a great shape coming from the ‘new’ position, but it needs a major trim to give it a chance. what should i do?
it is full of nearly ready apples and we are pretty much in mid summer.
help
Mark, can you support the tree so that it doesn’t fall any further? You don’t want all the roots disturbed or the top of the tree will start to die off. If you can somehow brace the tree until it has re-established itself, it should be fine.
You can do some pruning now, if necessary, but don’t wait too long. You don’t want a lot of new growth when a frost hits.
If it looks really questionable, you should consider calling in an arborist. They can work wonders.
i wanted to try and start some peach trees by seed, anybody have any good suggestions. I tryed last year but none of them sprouted.
I have to prune some very tall apple trees for production. I know they should be at least 10-15 ft shorter than they are. This would involve cutting branches/leaders that are 4-6 inches (at least)in diameter. I know I should wait until they are dormant. How will cutting branches this big affect the tree?
Neegle, I don’t know what would happen if you tried to prune now, but if you can wait until they’re dormant, here’s a piece by Lee Reich that talks about just what you’re asking. He says, talk a deep breath and cut.
Clint, I think since most peaches are grafted, some of the pits are viable. But that’s not to say they all aren’t. It can be done, but you won’t get the same quality fruit as the peach that you plant. (Of course, it could be even better.)
Here’s a short how-to from Colorado Extension.
I live in N. California and have a 17 year old apple tree that hasn’t been pruned in probably 15 years.
Some once-small bushes planted below the trees grew out of control (about 15 feet tall and 10 feet wide) underneath and up through the tree. I chopped off the bushes at the ground back in March, but didn’t attempt to remove the roots. The result is that the apple tree only has light growth in the center, but it has really long branches that hang to the ground all the way around the tree, and it’s probably 25 feet tall.
The apple tree produced a lot this year, but all of the fruit were wormy and small.
How should I handle pruning this, and do you have any idea why the fruit came out that way?