I'm afraid to prune my 3 year old Apricot tree!

16 years ago

I've taken classes, read on the web and I find I am still fearful to prune my apricot tree. I've had it done by "professionals" in the past but this time it's on my shoulders. I know they grow rapidly the first 5 years and mine is no exception. It's probably 10-12 feet now. I am following the new concept of "High Density Planting" - planting trees 3-4 feet apart and keeping them small with spring and summer pruning. What I see today is way too much foliage. Looking at branches that were cut a few months ago I see 2-4 new branches growing from those cuts. Each of those is full of leaves!! Do I cut each of those back by half? Do I completely remove some smaller branches? I believe it should be trained with open center. It is not currenly open in the center! I'm also concerned because there are 5 main scaffolds, 3 large 2 small. One of the large ones has a branch coming off it right down at the base, which I don't think is good. Here's a picture for you. {{gwi:100466}}

Any advice and encouragement would be much appreciated!! This is my second picture I successfully posted on GW. I have been wanting to learn how to post pictures and now I'm on my way!! Got good instructions off another forum; let me know if anyone wants that link.

Ginny

Comments (4)

villandry
16 years ago
@Ginny - You need to attack that tree immediately.

Do a spring pruning(cutting tip growth back) now to get the height down but still protect the bark from the summer sun.

Then, do a late summer/early fall pruning to open up the tree.

In late winter, you can do a corrective pruning for large branches.

Hope this helps.

btw, stop fertilising that tree. You have sufficient growth already.
marknmt
16 years ago
Ginny- If I may, I'd like to interrupt your thread to ask Villandry a question about the same subject, to wit:

Would it help to go in and remove some of that fresh vegetative growth, I mean to say, get rid of some of leaves? Should she go in and thin out each lateral this spring or would it be better done in late summer/early fall, or differently from either?

Thanks to you both-

Mark
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fruitnut Z7 4500ft SW TX
16 years ago
Ginny: Apricots in CA are susceptible to a fairly serious disease called Eutypa dieback. It is more likely to occur in coastal climates than inland but can be serious even in the central valleys. Control includes limiting pruning to July and August inland and August only near the coast. These are good times to prune for shaping or to control vigor. My only concern is that major pruning that time of yr can leave the tree susceptible to sunburn.

What I'd probably do is moderate pruning to open the center of the tree. Also shorten some branches by cutting to a less vigorous side shoot heading in the direction you desire. Do this every yr and you will have the tree under control. Don't worry about making the wrong cut. The tree will survive and grow another branch. Then you will have another chance to get it right. In most places in CA at lower elevations apricots bear nearly every yr. The rest of the country can only dream of such. So don't worry about getting the perfect shape...you will get fruit on any shape tree in the good locations.

You also might paint any freshly exposed branches with white latex paint to help avoid sunburn.

The Fruitnut
ginjj
Original Author
16 years ago
Thank you all for your ideas! I think I'm getting the idea. I just need to get my pruners and go to it! I like the reminder that short of butchering it (which I won't) I won't do any serious damage to my tree. By the way, I don't fertilize at all. I do put grass clippings down periodically, but no fertilizer. I do have great soil however as I've added compost whenever I planted anything over the past 30 years!

Thanks again!!
Ginny

I'm afraid to prune my 3 year old Apricot tree!

Comments (4)

villandry

marknmt

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I'm afraid to prune my 3 year old Apricot tree!

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villandry

marknmt

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fruitnut Z7 4500ft SW TX

ginjjOriginal Author

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