Apple tree pruning is tricky, but it’s very important if you want the tree to be healthy and productive. Some say the best months to do pruning apple trees are between mid-October to December, but actually you can perform it even during the summertime. However, each month and season has an effect on the pruning process.

Best Season for Pruning Apple Trees?

Apple trees produce fruits during the warm days of summer. Apple tree pruning during this time causes tree to produce more fruit, by encouraging growth.The Right Time in Pruning Apple Trees

Pruning apple trees during the winter season is done for the simple reason of tidying up and renovating the tree, because after the produce season of summer, dead leaves and branches are inevitable. Aside from looking unsightly, if the branches grow in a tight tangle, it can lead to dead and weak branches, and will keep fruit from growing properly. Trimming your trees, especially old apple trees, during the winter prepares your apple trees for producing healthy fruit during the growing season, as well as keeping dead and weak branches from falling during high winds and storms.

Why Do Your Apple Trees Need Pruning?

Properly pruning a young apple tree allows the tree to mature properly, so it can support large, healthy apples.

After a few years, the now mature apple tree will grow properly, and an annual pruning will be enough to deal with damaged and dead branches, and routine maintenance, to keep the apples healthy and bountiful.

Some say there is a secret to pruning apple trees, but in truth, the best and tasting apples will grow on branches between the age of 2 and 5 years old. This is why the pruning and trimming of your apple trees is very important.

Pruning Basics

The pyramid system of pruning is the best ways to train apple trees. Since apple trees are usually small and medium in size, this method suits them perfectly, and is relatively easy to do since all you need to do is to create a pyramid, or a cone, shaped tree.

Training an apple tree to have a good shape is not the only thing you have to do, it’s also necessary to prune the tree in a clean-cut manner. This is achievable with the use of sharp and of good-quality pruning clippers. If you need to trim bigger branches, you need to use sharp saws or looping shears. Both sides must be sharp, avoid the types with only one sharp side and a blunt side.

Now that you have the basics, it’s time to go over the pruning process. The first thing you have to do is trim all the dried, diseased and dead branches. This is a very important thing to do, especially when you have to work on an old apple tree pruning. You also need to prune away any crossed over branches and wood from its main branches.

The Right Time in Pruning Apple TreesThe next thing to do is determine which branch is the central leading branch. If there are other limbs competing with it, prune them. Assess the tree and identify which apple tree branches should be kept and what needs to be pruned. Remember, your goal is to remove vertical branches and keep the horizontal ones.

If there are unnecessary limbs that cause too much shading, be sure to remove them. When pruning mature trees, choose at least two or three of the oldest and largest branches to be pruned. Before cutting assess these branches position and determine if there is a younger branch near enough to replace it.

You also need to look at the base of the apple tree, where suckers, shoots and water sprouts grow. Prune them carefully ensuring that you don’t leave any stubs, which can become open to rotting and disease.

If you’ve never pruned an apple tree before, rather than risking your crop, you should look for some professional help and guidance. There are some great offers when it comes to tree pruning and their services, especially in the area of Aurora, Newmarket and Bradford, Ontario.

Your apple tree needs to be pruned if you want it to be strong and healthy, and if you want to have the best possible apples. Don’t let the season go to waste, give your trees the care they need.