how to prune a young apple tree

Permaculture designer Chuck Marsh will teach you how to prune your baby apple tree.

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Category:

Howto & Style

Tags:

• Useful Plants
• permaculture
• apple tree
• pruning
• apple
• earthaven
• earth haven
• chuck marsh
• earthhaven

[usefulplants]

Where we are, in the mountains of North Carolina, we wait until late winter - just before the trees break dormancy, but after the last of the hard freezes, to avoid additional die-back. In your area, it probably doesn't matter.

[hsmuelle]

Thank you!!! When is the best time to prune, and is there a time of the year you should not ever prune?

[usefulplants]

@hsmuelle This video discusses pruning in the late dormant season, which will influence the new spring growth, so that's a good time to prune young trees. Early August is another good time to prune, especially for older trees, because the tree won't respond with a flush of new growth. I (Debbie) wouldn't prune in winter or spring, except to remove damaged or diseased wood.

[Woodsummer1]

Excellent video! One question though... why does Chuck cut the central leader back so much on the second tree? I didn't quite catch what that does for the tree or why you wouldn't want it to grow upwards as much as possible. Thanks! :)

[usefulplants]

@Woodsummer1 The goal with this cut is to influence the height of the next higher set of scaffold branches. For a semi-dwarf apple, 15-18" is a good distance. If you really want the tree to grow to its maximum height, you could just not prune the leader. I (Debbie) prefer to have more of the branches lower where I can access the fruit!

[rafishe]

Thanks Chuck...

[steveorbit]

Thanks!



[TheAnge164]

Thank you. Very helpful. I'm still scared of stuffing up the tree as I only have the one, and at two years old it only has three scaffold branches, but I'll give it ago. When winter comes. 

[cleaboy1]

Thanks. Really useful.

[TexPR1]

This is a really great video! Thank you so much! I do have a question though. I would like to know if I need to wait until all of the leaves have fallen off of the apple tree. I just planted this tree this past spring. I live in Central Texas, Zone 8 and our weather has been really goofy this year. We had a freeze a few weeks ago and the past couple of days have been in the 80s. Also we had a sever drought this past summer.

[TheChuckMarsh]

I wanted to begin the development of another set of scaffold branches at that point on the tree's trunk as well as to grow a more compact tree. ----chuck

[sillysociety]

Why did you prune the central leader 12" instead of just letting it grow?

[ambashells]

thanks that was instructive and simple to understand - i have an allotment with several apple trees on it and they're all over the place -i think i shall at least have a bit more idea of what i'm doing now - so thanks once again -chris

[caseyhalone]

is it best to wait until all the leaves have fallen off? its late sept now and they havent started turning color yet. I notice lots of my leaves have curled and have some type of bug eggs laid in them. should i be concerned? these trees were transplanted a year ago and are about 3 years old total. We are in North Idaho and can get some cold winters to be sure.