By Hank
Cheshire, United Kingdom
My small apple tree.
Do I really have to leave all these long spruts ( for want a better word ) on the tree until December time before cutting them all back to 2 buds ?
There are loads of apples on - and no codling moth this year I'm delighted to say.
Shouldn't I trim it at all yet ?
- 23 Jul, 2015
Answers
Actually, you don't have to do anything. It's your tree so do what you want. You don't seem too concerned about loosing fruit. So if you want to tidy up the place, go ahead. It's nobody's business.
23 Jul, 2015
Personally I'd remove the unwanted growth... Frankly that looks like a fruit tree that needs a 'serious' pruning. For now I'd just remove all the new growth that has no fruit on it. Come autumn would suggest you give the tree a serious prune to remove all the entangled branches and open the tree back up. Check out the RHS advice here
https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?PID=858
23 Jul, 2015
I've been trying to find out how to prune my two trees as they are supposed to have just one trunk with apples growing all the way up it, but as you can guess it's nothing like it. The YouTube video I saw said there are only three things you need to know about pruning 1. The more you prune, the more the tree grows. 2. The more upright branches the more the tree grows 3. The more fruit it has the less it will grow, but I would follow Moon Growers advice - she's good!
23 Jul, 2015
Thanks guys, I actually give it a good pruning every year but it always grows like this - loads of leaves,loads of apples and "spruts 3 ft long by September.
But I've taken your advice RHS) and will sort it out.
24 Jul, 2015
Well I would, trim it I mean, but then I'm not a fruit person!
you can prune in summer, but its usually done on trees growing in a restricted fashion, such as cordon or espalier, and not on free standing trees - these are done in winter. Here's a link for you to have a read of on summer pruning
https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?PID=212
23 Jul, 2015