apple tree restoration-thinning smaller branches

Having first removed a number of the largest branches, now I'm taking out some of the smaller ones where they are overcrowded. the principles are the same. Note that this style of pruning leaves plenty of fruit buds and fruit spurs, these are the bits about the size of a cigarete butt which you san see sticking out of the side of the branches.

be careful with ladders

Category:

Education

Tags:

• prune
• pruning
• thin
• thinning
• branches
• apple
• tree
• trees
• orchard
• garden
• fruitwise
• stephen
• hayes

[manawake]

thanks stephen, these video's really help.... when is the best time to prune an old cooking apple tree? also does hard pruning result in less fruit in first year? and id a feed of benfit? thanks. jon. ireland

[stephenhayesuk]

Hi John

All apple trees can be winter pruned from leaf fall to the emergence of new leaves, in northern Europe anyway thats November to March. Winter pruning is the main formative and regulatory pruning, summer pruning is something else which probably you can forget about an old cooking apple tree.

In my first pruning video I discuss BALANCE which is the most important concept in pruning. A balanced tree should fruit every year, a tree badly out of balanced due to long neglect--->>

[stephenhayesuk]

--->(continued) a tree badly out of balance due to long neglect might fruit less the year after a necessary restoratove prune, but not necesarily. My friends Helen and Andrew found that these trees produced fewer but larger and better fruits the year after the pruning shown in these videos, as I expected.

If people slaughter the tree by hacking it back all round, fruiting WILL be set back a year or 2. Its not necessary to do this. My first pruning video explains why.

BALANCE

[stephenhayesuk]

Hi again Superwolf.

what you cite you have learned from books and videos is essentially what I practice. I'm just sharing my practice and philosophy gained from books and experience as an enthusiastic amateur over the last 20 years since so may people have asked me to.

Sounds like you have done it right. 40% is a lot of wood to remove, I would hesitate to take off more than 40% in any given year, but I don;lt say iot woudl kill the tree if you went up to, say, 60%.

kind regards

[superwolf76]

This is helpful, Mr. Hayes. Thanks for being one of the only ones in the world who has uploaded videos on helping out an old tree that has been neglected. I know one is supposed to not overdue pruning on a neglected tree, but what if the tree is extremely full of overcrowded branches and old, tall and multiple watersprouts? Should one still be conservative and prune over several seasons two achieve desired "look"?

[stephenhayesuk]

Thanks. i think there is a strong case for removing no more than 40% of the wood in any one year. However, dead wood doesn;t count as it is effectively not part of the tree anyway. I'm not saying you can never take more than 40%, especially watershoots.

i believe if you follow these general princinples and maintain a sense of proportion you will be OK. Just don't go round the whole tree mindlessly with a chainsaw like so many so-called professionals do.

[catfish222banjo]

awesome stuff! many thanks!

[manawake]

should i feed after pruning? potash i hear is good? thanks. john

[manawake]

stephen you are so kind to give of your time and thank you so much for your reply. kind regards. john

[superwolf76]

Over do, not overdue. Duh. Anyhoo, I have been pruning already on some tall, open centered trees and I have done (more or less) exactly all that I have learned through reading and videos. Take off dead and diseased, watersprouts, inward facing, crossings or rubbings, downward facing and overcrowding, plus lowering the overall height a bit, but I'd say it needed it and I took off around 35% t0 40%. To me, it isn't overdone, but I can't help but feel it might be. Want to do it right. Thanks!