How do I get up into an apple tree to prune it?
beesneeds
8 years ago
last modified: 8 years ago
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TurkeyCreekTrees Zone 5B
8 years ago
Konrad..just outside of Edmonton Alberta
8 years agolast modified: 8 years agoRelated Discussions
how to prune a fuji apple tree?
Comments (15)Nora, you need to know that planting a seed from a Fuji apple will not produce a Fuji apple tree :-) You will just get a seedling no-name apple that may or may not bear fruit that has any resemblance to a Fuji. And it could take as long as 7-8 years for a seedling grown tree to produce fruit. Pruning should begin at an early age and be maintained biennially if not annually so as to avoid taking too much off at any one time and encouraging the tree to grow in the form that is most conducive to fruit production and harvesting. There are various methods and lots of online articles that illustrate how and when. And I would heartily disagree that finding someone who knows about fruit tree pruning at a nursery is unlikely!! We teach fruit tree pruning classes at my nursery and a fruit tree specialty nursery is even more likely to have knowledgeable staff on hand. But perhaps the caliber of nursery staffing is superior in my neck of the woods than that of the original responder :-))...See MoreHow to prune old neglected apple tree - need advice
Comments (16)I am well aware of what modern day experts recommend. I disagree. I have experimented for 40 years on every kind of tree in my yard. An open wound, like all unsealed drying wood, cracks. Water enters the cracks along with debris and causes rot. Bugs find the moist rotting environment enjoyable and take up residence. Next thing you know you have one of those trees that are all hollow in the heart. The experts say the tree shuts the wound off and everything's Ok. Well if you don't care how long the tree's life span is and it just has to live as long as you do, Ok, otherwise, it's crap! Just like collar cuts. Under the right conditions, with a branch at a good horizontal angle, they're great, but not every situation is ideal and when you have three or four branches intersecting a crotch to remove it's going to take close cuts and sculpting with chisels to get cuts that will drain and heal and not rot. Keep in mind, these new methods are designed for todays professionals who must temper perfection with time is money. Sterilization takes time. Reworking the cut with hand tools takes time. Periodically inspecting and renovating the wound takes time. Properly treating the wound takes time and an improperly dressed wound is worse than no dressing at all. If you can come up with a reasonable compromise then you have saved a lot of time, therefore, money. None of this applies to the home orchardist. He can do a little at a time and do it right. Remember, these same experts are the ones who prune maples in March along our highways and byways, instead of waiting until just after bud break which would promote an almost immediate callus to form, and no bleeding. Lastly, fruit trees seem to be about the slowest to heal and the most prone to fungal diseases, so any precaution, no matter how time consuming is warranted. Methods like clean, close cut and wound dressing were developed over thousands of years by the people who developed most of our fruit and nut cultivars from wild, inedible plants, the Chinese and the Italians. Even if my own experiments hadn't convinced me, I'd still ere in favor of the ancients!...See MoreHow best to prune this apple tree so it fruits again
Comments (7)Yes, what floral said. That thing looks a mess, albeit the pruning you ask about could clear some of that up. Not sure it's worth it though, IMO. If it's a non-edible crab, as in sour, tiny, or otherwise unsuitable fruit, why mess with it? If you don't know, why is this such a priority? So...basically, fruit production happens on branches with good exposure to sunlight. Additionally, fruit harvest is aided by an overall horizontal aspect to the fruiting branches. I see a lot of suckers, AKA water sprouts, both of which names really don't mean anything, but which are clogging up the structure of the plant, reducing sunlight to what could be fruitful branches, etc. So first and foremost, I'd get rid of a lot of them. Why not all, you might ask? Because this tree, and every tree in the world, responds to the loss of branches by trying to make new branches. so if you hit it too heavy, you'll really just be perpetuating the problem. I don't work in an orchard, but I have pruned a lot of fl. crabs in my time, and I always tried to leave any suckers that weren't 100% vertical, that occupied space where there wasn't already another perfectly fine branch, or which grew somewhat more horizontally. The rest I'd take out. Same with regular branches; Leave as many as you can, but do attempt to get rid of congestion in the tree's crown. An old saying was that if you pruned a fruit tree correctly, a bird should have no trouble flying right through it. I think that's too extreme, but it gives you some idea of what you're after. Finally, there must be an orchard or two somewhere around you. Why not take a look at what those guys do. You will then see the strongly horizontal structure these folks strive for. Maybe talk to an orchardist. They'll know more about it then I do, even though I am an expert in most aspects of landscape tree care. +oM...See MoreApple Tree Pruning - is it ok to do it now in Georgia?
Comments (6)thanks much - figured that is the most likely culprit, so a little pruning to open it up a little might head it off. The neighbor said they were green apples with black spots. I'm wondering if they might be crispins, but either way, getting a few stray branches out of the way might be a good thing....See Morecalistoga_al ca 15 usda 9
8 years agobeesneeds
8 years agomurkwell
8 years agolast modified: 8 years agospartanapples
8 years agobeesneeds
8 years ago
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