Raising canopy of Malus

Good evening everyone.

We bought a Malus ‘ Mokum’ about 4 months ago and it seems to be settling in well. I’d like to raise the canopy so that we can see past the trunk. When should I do this? I can see a few branches which I might take off now.

Any help appreciated.

Many thanks,

E

 

Hi again

are you going to leave that weed fabric down .

personally with it only just been planted I would let it settle in for a year before removing branches as the branches you would like to remove are helping it grow

see what others say

Spruce

 

Hello again!

No, the weed fabric is just there to stop weeds growing until I plant up that section.

Ok, maybe I will leave till next year then unless some can tell me otherwise…..

Many thanks.
Ed

 

Leave it for a few years but theyre pretty hardy so it doesnt really matter taking one or two bits off, just sanitize your pruning shears if you do. Try to make cuts so water wont sit anywhere

 

There used to be a theory that leaving side branches on for a few years help the main stem to thicken up.

 

I would leave it for a year or two. The clear trunk of young trees is still growing and the branches will become higher. You will have a better feel for the mature shape of the tree

 

I would leave it alone for at least a couple of years before starting to chop it about.

 

Probably best to leave any pruning until late winter/early spring before it starts into growth.

The general rule for training a young tree into a standard is to prune everything off the bottom third (looks like this has already been done before you bought it), shorten by half all the branches coming from the middle third and leave the top third to grow (only removing any dead, diseased or damaged parts). Repeat each year until the bare trunk (bottom third) is the height that you want it to be. Bear in mind, if it's on a dwarfing rootstock that will affect the final height that it can grow to.
Trees: formative pruning / RHS

 

Great, thanks everyone. Seems like there is consensus so I will leave it for a year or two then follow the guidelines @JennyJB suggested.

Many thanks.

 

As an aside, assuming it was raised by a Dutch nursery, 'Mokum' is likely the common nickname (of yiddish origin; mokum/maqom meaning place) used for 'Amsterdam'.