The Hort Report: Now is the time of year to prune your apple tree to maximize production

Now is the best time of year to prune all types of fruit trees, grapes and brambles while they are still in their dormant stage. 

As the weather warms up and the sap starts to run, you shouldn’t be pruning as this will hurt the production of fruit. Once you begin to see buds start to form, you need to be about done pruning for this year. 

There are several reasons to prune fruit trees, and the main reason is to maximize fruit production. Pruning fruit trees allows nutrients and water to feed blooms that are left, helping the fruit produce to be bigger. 

Other reasons to prune fruit trees are to make the tree healthier, to help with the looks of the tree and add value to property.

All fruit is produce on new growth of the fruit tree. The new fruit will be on twigs that come from the ends of limbs and on branches. 

There are two methods for pruning fruit trees — the central leader method used on apple and pear trees, and the open center/open vase form used on peach and cherry trees. 

Prune all broken, dead and damaged limbs and branches first. Prune all limbs and branches that are crossing over each other, rubbing each other or growing inward — not outward and upward towards open air and sunlight.  

When pruning any fruit tree, I want to stand back and think what the tree should look like once I am done pruning. Don’t prune too much at a time. The slower the better. You can’t replace wood once pruned off.

Get into the middle of an apple tree and see up into the tree. Make sure to reach all the ends of branches and limbs where the new fruit is produced. Make sure you can reach apples from the ground, using a ladder or an apple picking pole and apple basket. Prune the branches and limbs that are in the way.

Prune root and crown suckers that come up out of the ground next to the bottom of the tree. These suckers hurt production. Prune any low-hanging limbs and branches that will be in the way of mowing and picking up apples off the ground. 

Next, prune water sprouts that grow upward from branches and limbs. They are weak growing close together. If left, the branches and limbs won’t produce good fruit. 

Now is a good time to stand back and look at how the apple tree looks after doing the pruning. This gives you a chance to see where to prune next. 

I like to make sure that branches and limbs are good, strong and healthy. If the apple tree hasn’t been pruned for many years, it might be difficult to pick which ones to leave. You need several strong branches about four to five feet apart going outward and upward toward open areas. 

New twigs form off the limbs coming off the branches. This is where this year’s apples will be produced. The more you can open up the center of the tree to allow sunlight and air, the healthier and more productive the tree will be.

Shape the tree so the next time you prune, you won’t need to prune as much. By doing this each time you prune, the better the tree will grow. I will talk about pruning peach and cherry trees in the next The Hort Report.

I appreciate all your questions, so please keep them coming. Call me at 573-588-2040, visit me at Shelby County Implement in Shelbina, Mo., email me at  sci63468@hotmail.com or go to Facebook and visit Greenwell’s Greenhouse Group. Ask me anytime you see me.

Hope you enjoy the weather.