Springtime: Apple Tree Pruning

In the Upper Plains States, the surest sign of spring’s arrival is the fragrant and colorful show of apple tree blossoms. Is now the correct time to prune your apple tree? If you trim away all those beautiful blossoms, will you deplete your summer apple harvest?

There are varied reasons for pruning apple trees (or any flowering fruit tree for that matter). The age of the tree is an important consideration also:

Young Trees & Fruit Enhancement

Freshly-planted (or very young) apple trees often require pruning for structural reasons. If larger and tastier fruit production is your goal, then plan on pruning your tree structurally. Structural pruning establishes healthy and vigorous limbing framework for the tree’s future. Proper structural pruning establishes stronger branches now so a tree can support larger fruit later.

Helping a tree establish a strong tree framework when it’s young encourages (“trains”) the tree to produce larger fruit more quickly when it’s older. Be very careful not to remove any limbs that contribute to the tree’s natural growth habit.

Generally speaking, dormant pruning (Feb/Mar – before bud break) is best for structural pruning.

Contact an ISA-Certified Arborist for advice.

Mature Trees & Fruit Enhancement

Typically, tree owners trim mature fruit trees to control the tree’s height, maintain its shape and promote a healthy fruit harvest. Sometimes these varied goals are conflicting.

Pruning a mature apple tree (and most other common fruit trees) is best completed via thinning. To best maintain the tree’s shape and its fruiting wood condition, thin it out. Thinning your tree will open its interior and will improve light penetration. More sunlight to the interior means greater leaf production, sounder wood development, and eventually larger, healthier fruit. Similar to thinning a vegetable garden, thinning a fruit tree promotes greater growth in the remaining buds. Larger, improved fruit results.

Thinning your tree does not mean topping your tree!

Proper interior trimming and tree thinning means reducing the tree’s height from its interior – not its top. Never reduce a tree’s height by more than 4 feet in any one year. And never thin-out the tree’s canopy (leafy area) by more than 20-25 percent in any single year. Thin the tree evenly throughout its canopy to maintain its natural shape and balance.

Again, be very careful not to remove any limbs critical to the tree’s natural growth habit. Generally speaking, summer pruning (following full leaf-out) is best for thinning and pruning mature apple trees.

Contact the ISA-Certified Arborists on staff at the Johnson Tree Company for additional advice.