Hello Holly. If those "small shoots" are what I think they are (vertical sprouts off horizontal branches?) then they can all come off at any time and should. There's no rule that will keep you from taking off any excess wood right now (although: be aware that if you have fireblight, which can happen on new growth and blooms, you need to take special precautions.) So remove that rampant growth, and any diseased or dead wood, and while you're at it take out branches that clog the center of the tree. When two branches cross and rub remove one. You should be able to do most of your work with nippers and loppers, and if you need the saw use it cautiously until you gain a little feel for what you're doing. Provide for air and light to all parts of the tree. Remove stuff that points straight down or straight up. Step back often while working and look at the tree. There's several people on this board that can give you more experienced answers, so be prepared to get other, better opinions. I write as a relative newbie but one with perhaps an insight to the challenges facing the less experienced, as I am one ... :-) Good luck, Mark

How about other trees in the same height category: paperbark maple Acer griseum corkscrew willow 'twisty baby' locust Redbud.....maybe a great native choice for you!!! or slower growing trees with outstanding foliage like some beech cultivars... 'roseomarginata' or some wonderful conifers that put on unbelievable spring shows like: Pinus contorta 'taylors sunburst' 3-4 WEEKS!!!of yellow new growth. See Photo. I could go on forever... red leaf japanese maple...bloodgood, atropurpureum, emperor(supposed to be the hardiest of all, emperor I or II) the debate with crabapples will always be...ARE THE WONDERFUL FLOWERS WORTH THE TROUBLE OF THE UNATTRACTIVE DISEASE RIDDEN FOLIAGE...AND IS ANYTHING WORTH SPRAYING IN MY GARDEN TO CONTROL DISEASE?...my honest opinion, there's plenty of wonderful plants that have outstanding characteristics that NEVER need to be sprayed. Blacklab Here is a link that might be useful:

True, I have assumed they do demonstrate nyctinasty, but I am actually not at all sure. I do not know if I should open a new discussion but I have a related doubt. Does the senescence of the flower organs occur once the apple flower has been successfully fertilised? I have tried to find information about this but I could not find any. I do not know if once a pollen tube reaches one ovule, and the microgametophytes nucleus successfully reach the ovule, then the flower stop producing floral rewards for pollinators, induce cell programmed death, etc. Any idea about this? Thanks for the previous answer!

Sorry, but the two issues are not at all the same!! Rick, your apple blossoms are just showing some weather damage......nothing to worry about and nothing to treat. Fwiw, a great many early blooming trees and shrubs will produce flowers that show this sort of damage....typically just the result of a heavy rainfall. We see this all the time in our wet PNW springs......and we grow a heck of a lot of apples here in WA state!!