3 Important Pruning Tips For Apple Trees

30 December 2014

Alexa Morales

One of the most important parts of growing trees is knowing when and how to prune them. If you are getting ready to plant some apple trees in your yard, you should realize that pruning efforts should start immediately. To grow healthy apple trees that contain a lot of fruit, you will need to follow these important pruning tips.

Prune When You Plant

The first thing you should realize is that all trees require pruning, and the best time to begin is right when you plant them. Knowing when to plant the trees is also an important step, but pruning them will ensure that they grow properly. Pruning a new tree will help the tree:

• Take root and begin to grow
• Develop a strong structure
• Grow in a uniform shape

Prune Each Winter

The second thing to realize about pruning apple trees is that pruning is best for trees during off seasons. In other words, you should prune your apple trees at the very end of the season, during late fall. If you forget to do this, you can prune the trees in early spring, but you should always avoid pruning them during times when they are growing or producing fruit.

When you prune the trees, you should remove:

• Branches that are growing downwards
• Branches that are crisscrossing through others
• Large branches that are sticking out too far
• Dead branches

Pruning a tree yearly will help the tree grow to be the right size and shape, and it will actually help an apple tree grow better fruit.

Remove Suckers All Year

The final thing to know about pruning apple trees is that you must remove the suckers from them as often as needed. Suckers are common on most types of fruit trees, yet they are considered pests because they hinder growth.

Suckers are small sprouts that you may see along the base of your apple trees. These sprouts will continue to grow if you do not remove them, and they will turn into branches on the tree. The problem with suckers is that they stop the growth of fruit, and that is why they must be removed.

If you cannot pull them out with your hand, you could cut them off with pruning shears. Removing suckers from apple trees will not harm the trees at all, and you can do this whenever you see one growing.

If you are not good with tree maintenance, you could hire a company, like Arbor Man Tree Care, to perform tree pruning for you. Tree companies can handle this task for you, and they can also plant trees in your yard and fertilize them.

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