Heading-back cuts may stimulate new growth near the cut.

in the top of the tree each year is necessary to keep growth down.

Occasionally, you will want to leave a water sprout in the top to branch out and provide shade to the upper branches to prevent sun scald. The second year the water sprout can be cut back two or three feet and the side branches will bear fruit and keep growth down, not up. Jul 22, 2nd and 3rd year pruning Prune your apple trees in the dormant (winter) season.

March is generally the best month to prune fruit trees.

This will help open up the centre of the tree.

However, The most vigorous upright shoot will become your central leader. Create scaffold branches by selecting 4 to. As with the young apple trees, it is necessary to select 3 to 5 lower scaffold branches with good crotch angles and spaced around the tree. Limbs with poor angles, and excess scaffold limbs, should be removed at their base. In some cases it is advisable to spread. Fruit trees need to be pruned once a year for the first three years of their life to help build a strong framework for the fruit to grow upon and define their shape.

After that, the branches will be strong enough so that they don't snap under the weight of the fruit. Feb 25, This 3-part video series shows how to prune your mature apple tree. Old or overgrown apple trees.

Do you have a tree that is overgrown, old or neglected, that hasn't been pruned in a few years? You're not alone. We receive emails from several gardeners each year looking for advice on pruning overgrown apple trees. Feb 20, During the second year, prune the tree to develop the first scaffolding branches.

Tall trees will require the removal of large limbs.

Select four or five strong, healthy branches that sit at least twenty-four inches from the soil surface. These branches should be evenly spaced around the tree, neither directly across from Reviews: 7.