Not everyone feels snip happy when it comes to pruning. Even though you know it’s best for your trees, sometimes the thought of snipping off a branch or two can make you feel pretty nervous! If your not confident when it comes to pruning, apple trees are a great place to start. Follow these tips and you’ll be a secateur wizard when you come to winter prune apple trees.
When to Prune Apple Trees
Whilst pruning in the summer can help encourage both fruiting and flowers, winter pruning is fantastic for controlling the shape of the tree.
When it comes to winter pruning, don’t be tempted to prune too soon in the season. If you prune your tree too early, for example in the autumn, it can send a signal to there tree that it’s time to send out fresh shoots. However, these shoots won’t survive the cold of winter.
Instead, wait until the leaves have all fallen off. This is an indication that the tree is fully dormant.
If you’re concerned about pruning during frost, you don’t need to be. Providing the tree is fully dormant, you can prune it no matter how cold the weather.
How to Winter Prune Apple Trees
- Firstly remove anything that is diseased, dying or dead. To do so, make a cut into the healthy wood. This will help to ensure that any problems don’t continue to spread.
- Next remove any branches that are crossing. This is because when branches cross, bark can rub away, leaving the branch exposed and open to disease. Another issue that can arise is that it makes it more difficult for air to circulate.
- A little bit of forward thinking is good here: try to imagine what the branches would look like when they’re heavy with fruit. Any branches that look like they will cross and rub against the one below should be pruned now.
- You’re aiming to create a goblet shape, and one that has lots of airflow to the centre to enable light to reach in.
- If you’re looking at a small branch and think it needs pruning, trace it back to the trunk and observe to see if there are any other issues. It may need to be cut further down towards the trunk. Doing this prevents you from cutting the same branch twice and wasting your time! However, if it is very long then prune in sections. This is to prevent the branch breaking under it’s own weight.
- Always cut just above a healthy bud that is outward facing. If you need to remove a whole branch, then try to get your cut as close to the trunk.
Top Tips
TIP: Make sure pruning tools are clean and sharp. If you’re spending a lot of time pruning then it’s advisable to stop and re-sharpen your tools.
TIP: If using a saw to cut a branch, first make a small cut on the underside of the branch. Then go ahead and cut from the top down. This will prevent the bark from ripping off if it breaks.
TIP: Take your time! Regularly step back to check the overall shape and make sure it looks balanced.
