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Carebear,

Here's what I would do: I would take off the top three limbs (you're right, they might split in the future) and three of the lowest limbs and then judge whether any more would go by how evenly they radiate from the trunk. You're going for an evenly spaced (more or less) arrangement like spokes on a wagon wheel, although at different heights. This would remove a lot of growth, and yes, apples. But at it's early age, this would be a good thing as it will put growth into the remaining leaves and limbs. (I would be tempted to leave a couple of apples though! Your choice!) Cut back by one third of the length of LAST year's growth. You can find where last year's growth started by tracing back from the growing tip to a knotty looking part of the normally smooth limb. This will force the limb to start sending out more limbs and will serve to keep your trees low and compact while also establishing future fruiting spurs or tips. All this will get your limbs down at a reasonable height for you on into the future. You will have a pitiful looking thing after you do all this, but it will pay off in coming years when you don't have to hire the fire department's ladder truck to come help you pick and prune.

my humble opinion,
Herbert

I agree with Herbert's assessment. The initial cut removing the top three limbs I think I would do during the summer, as dormant cutting could cause new growth around the cut and the tree will try and produce new vertical leaders which will lead to more pruning out next year. The rest of the pruning he suggests would be done when dormant. Al

Thanks for your response Herbert and Al. I guess I am just scared to lop off the top of the tree. If I do this now I will be cutting off more than 1/3 of the tree at once including lots of apples but I guess I don't have much choice. My next question is once I cut off the top will that be the tallest that my tree will get? I was hoping to maintain it at about 8-9 feet maximum as I am also wanting to use this as a privacy tree as well from my neighbour's windows that border my yard. Herbert, how should this tree have been pruned that it wouldn't have turned into a pitiful tree?

Thanks!
Carrie

How tall the tree gets depends on a number of factors including what rootstock it is on (do you know?)and how vigorous the variety is. Fruiting helps dwarf the tree and pruning after growth has started also helps dwarf so you are probably doing OK. Thin the apples but you still might need to support the thin branches with boards as the apples grow.

Carrie,
I know it looks pitiful now but it's young and in training. I have had a similar experience with my 3 year-old Mutsu. The lower limbs, which had been nibbled by deer, are smaller than the ones about six feet off the ground, which are thicker and more robust. I'm attempting to keep the upper robust limbs shortened to give the lower ones a chance to catch up and exceed the uppers. This has worked well on my Fuji, which suffered the same fate from the stupid deer. I'm looking to have a low-ish open centered tree which is a good way to get a height that is easy to maintain and gets sun into the interior of the tree. When you cut off the upper 3 branches, just remember that you are now directing the growing energy into the remaining well-spaced limbs. They will catch up and you will have what you want. I also use metal fence posts driven into the ground at strategic spots around the tree, and copper wire to pull, bend, and shape my trees into what I want. I periodically check them so they won't girdle the limbs. It took many years to get to the point where I felt comfortable about pruning but when I let things go, I would always regret all the energy the tree out into something that was too tall or too long. I sacrificed fruit early on in order to get a nice open, spreading, and evenly spaced tree and this year it paid off!

Herbert

Once the top of the tree is removed, perhaps the tight strapping could be eliminated. Unless your tree is planted in very sandy soil it should not need staking anymore. If the tree can flex without loosening the roots in the soil, it will help to stiffen up the trunk and increase its caliper. Al

Thank you for all of your helpful advice! I have decided I am going to lop off the top three branches today but I have one more question/concern before I take the plunge. I have been reading a lot about pruning on the internet and it has been suggested that I should have between 4-8 scaffold limbs spread at least 8 inches apart with no limbs above or below each other like spokes of a wheel as Herbert also suggested. Since I have so many limbs that are close to horizontal, and they are so close together, I just can't see how I can get the limbs to be at least 8 inches apart from each other when the distance from the lowest limb to where I am going to lop off is only 14" long. The distance from the lowest limb to the ground is 33". Instead of lopping off the three branches would it work to lop off two of the tree at the top and then shorten the leader to force more scaffolds to develop along the trunk so then I can choose at least 4 scaffolds spread 8" apart? Then when I get there, lop off the leader.

Al, the reason I have the tree staked is because I had to move it last year and I did not want it to blow over as the tree is in a really windy area between two houses and I planted it in a mound partly above my heavy clay soil to assist with drainage. The ties are actually ladies pantyhouse which allow the tree to flex in the wind and do not girdle the trunk. In the picture they just look tight but the tree can still sway. I plan to remove them this year as the tree has been staked for about a year now and seems to be doing well.

The picture below is during the winter so you can get an idea of the branching structure.

Thanks again.
Carrie

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*Bump*