Know which trees to prune.

Pruning Apple Trees 3 When to Prune If you have a small orchard, delay pruning until it’s nearly spring.

Allow for rain and bad weather, but plan to be finished pruning by May 1 or in time to begin spraying. In many larger orchards, the pruning begins soon after harvest and continues through to spring. Old trees are pruned first and young trees are left until March and. Jul fallen tree stand, On a mature fruit producing apple tree, pruning should remove the older, less fruit productive branches after their peak three to five year period.

Summer is the best time to remove these older limbs when it is most obvious which ones those are. It is also a good time to prune diseased or damaged areas of the apple tree as they become visible.

Jun 18, You should prune your apple tree immediately after you plant it in the ground. When you do this, you will want to prune it about 50% back. Focus on pruning the branches in a shape that you want the tree to grow into. Pruning immediately helps reduce the risk of shock, stress, and damage. Training and pruning are critical parts of growing a productive apple tree. The rewards of proper training are a tree that is easy to harvest, has sustained high yields, and quality fruit. Careful attention to training and pruning in the early years of the apple trees care and pruning will establish the correct form and make caring for it in maturity much more manageable.