Apple tree pruning - Opinions please

Hi all

I've got some apple trees growing on my land, just 2 at the moment but I intend to plant more.

I know there are various different ways they can be pruned, so I'm after some opinions please.

I don't want the local wild deer to rob my trees, but then I don't want them to be battered by winter gales either. So I'm torn between different ways of pruning them.

On one hand, if I cut off the lead shoot, they should grow bushy but not so tall. They'll stand a better chance against winter gales, and the fruit will be easier to reach.

On the other hand if I leave the lead shoot and trim off the side branches for now (while they are still young) they should gain more height and make it harder for the deer to reach up.

What do we reckon?

 

Hi Clueless

Not knowing the types of apple tree you're growing makes it a bit difficult to advise.

As a general rule, I'd let the type and its rootstock determine how big the tree gets rather than pruning to try and avoid the hazards of high winds or hungry deer. I'd have thought that high winds are the easiest to deal with because young trees are going to need good staking anyway.

 

Flinty, good point about staking them. I haven't done so, as it didn't cross my mind to be honest. One should be ok while it's still small, as it is in a sheltered spot and in mostly clay ground. Once it gains another maybe 6ft it will be poking out above the sheltered ground so wind might become a problem for it then. The other however is on an open bank side in fairly sandy soil, so I guess that one could easily be blown over if I don't stake it. I'll get them both staked when I next go up.

As for the rootstock, I don't know what they are as I got them cheap from the supermarket (a fiver each). I would hazard a guess that they are probably on dwarf rootstock being intended for sale to the public who are likely to put them in their gardens or in a large container. But that's just a guess. It didn't say anywhere on the packaging.

To be honest I bought the supermarket ones partly as an experiment. Before planting expensive trees in there, I wanted to see how cheap ones fared. The idea being I'm in no particular hurry, and given my record so far for disasterous oversights, I figured I might learn something from looking after the cheap trees for a year or so before spending too much on expensive ones. Despite this, they've so far done better than expected, and now I'm really hoping they do well. It would give me a massive confidence boost if they make it

 

Hi, Clueless. I bought two supermarket trees just over a year ago and I guess that they are now three years old. I did have some fruit from both and according to pruning advice, I pruned mine during September, and left the leading stem to grow taller. I want slightly taller trees, but not so much that I cannot harvest them easily.

I don't have problems with deer, but because the trees are subjected to high winds during winter, I put the stakes in on the lee side of each tree, leaning into the wind to stop them rocking about. However, it's my guess that you'll have trouble protecting small trees from attack by deer, since apple trees tend to throw out more side shoots than central growth. Just my personal observations.

 

Can you not fence around the trees to protect them from the deer? I'm guessing that the trees are not very tall, and even though to prune is a good thing, I would perhaps advise against it if the trees are still trying to establish themselves. All I would consider to do in the pruning would be to take away and dead, diseased or dying branches, and those that are crossing others.

I like the idea that you started with a bargain to see how they and you coped with the environment in which they are going to be growing. I often say the bargains are the best plants you can purchase!

 

I can (and probably will) put a temporary fence around them for the winter, as that's when they are most likely to get eaten, as food becomes scarce. I ultimately plan to put loads of fruit trees in, and when I do, it will probably be impractical to fence them all off. Besides the whole way in which I manage my land is one big experiment in a way. I'm hoping to prove that humans and wildlife can coexist without either side losing out. To that end, while I will put protection around trees to stop the rabbits killing them, and use the occassional piece of mesh or a temporary fence, my ultimate goal is to have the place looking natural, supporting a diverse range of flora and fauna, but at the same time being productive.

Of course we'll never return to a true balance in the UK, as rabbit and deer populations boom because hundreds of years ago we removed many of their natural predators.