How to Prune Apple Trees in Winter - Full in Depth Tutorial
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- čas přidán 20. 01. 2023
- In this video I will be showing you how to prune apple trees during the winter. Winter pruning on apple trees is a great way to thin out dense overgrown apple trees. As the tree is at its most dormant time you are able to cut back and remove large branches to create a more open and balanced tree allowing more airflow and sunlight in to reduce pests and diseases, allow more of the trees energy and nutrients to go to the main fruiting limbs and help ripen the fruit. I go through every step of the way pruning six different shapes and types of apple trees explaining how and why cuts are made, training and improving the shape of the tree, and tips on getting the most out of your tree. As a general long term aim for an apple tree is to create lots of short stubby networks of fat budded fruit spurs close to the trees main branch framework. Prolonging the life of the tree and enabling it to produce good quality high yields of fruit. A real must for anyone wanting the balance of a well structured tidy and high yielding tree.
Summer Apple Pruning Video: • How to Prune Apple Tre...
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#appletree #appleprune #winterprune - Jak na to + styl
SUMMER APPLE PRUNE FOLLOW UP:
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This is what I would advise to do after a heavy winter prune. Winter pruning encourages leafy growth so in the summer you want to cut that whippy growth back (unless you want any of it to form a new branch) to allow sunlight and heat to ripen the wood and stimulate the tree to put on fruit bud growth. It also helps put energy and ripen the fruit already on your tree. To find out more watch the video.....
Can you save any of the pruned wood for propagation?
Masterclass. The fact that this isn't scripted is amazing as the content is fully packed with all aspect and considerations you need whilst it is being done live
This was by far the most helpful information I've found in pruning my apple trees!
I learned more from these two Apple pruning videos than the last 10 hours of others attempts. Thank you from Morro Bay California!
Exactly, Iv been watching for days, then saw this video and felt like it all came clear, this guy is born for it ❤. I wish him all the best, many many followers 😊
Unlike many other pruning videos of rather poor quality, I think this guy really knows what he is doing. He knows a lot about it. 👍
Hey AleyCZ thanks very much for your comment much appreciated. I am very passionate about pruning and fruit trees so try my best to explain the whole process glad that came across. 😁👍
So glad I've found your channel. Another job I never get around to doing! Sooo helpful a video! Will definitely be looking through all your videos to see what others can help me
@@LittleVampette thanks for the message really glad I can help you out. I will certainly been continuing to post and create garden tutorial content. 😊👍
Plant is badly overwhelmed with lichens hence video doesn't deserve any attention.
@@gardenerstale0
Thank you for uploading this excellent video. Great that there is no interfering music, just good plain facts. It was so helpful for me as a novice with my first four bare root apple trees newly planted in November 2023. There are so many gardeners who offer similar advice but they mostly come from USA whose weather and climate is very different from ours in the UK. Whilst thankful to my US "cousins" for their excellent advice and good hearted sharing, I am very pleased to have found your video and hope to view more of them in the near future.
Hello you are very welcome thanks so much for the comment. Yes that's what I saw online that there were not many UK garden video so I thought I would create some to help people out and provide knowledge on this climate and growing conditions. Absolutely have so many more videos planned for the future do stay tuned 😁👍
Excellent and comprehensive video! Thank you very much indeed. My apple tree in the wee back garden will be happy 👍
Hello you are most welcome thanks for the comment happy pruning 😁👍
Best pruning video ever! Thank you for clear camera work, explanation and future proofing the apple harvest.
Hey Annabelmacrae your very welcome thanks for leaving such a nice positive comment it's much appreciated. All the best with your apple trees and harvests for the future 😁👍
12:33 ..12-19-23. I’ve got a 4 way apple tree that I’ve neglected to prune, so this winter I do the first prune on what is a young but abundant apple tree. I’ve been watching ALOT of videos on pruning. This video is by far the absolute best. Thank you for explaining, in detail, all the different things to address and watch for. You have taken the stress away. Again thnx!
Hello thank you very much for your comment it really means a lot to me when I hear that it has helped people in this way, makes the long videos so worthwhile. You are most welcome happy pruning 😁👍
All this time I’ve been doing a lot of things pruning my apple trees wrong. Thanks for taking the time to explain things and showing great examples. Would like to see more about Apple trees in the future.
Hey Ellie thanks for the comment your most welcome glad you liked the video. It's hard because there are a lot of different pruning styles and techniques to get different results for your tree and each type can be very situational. I certainly will be doing more apple and fruit pruning videos in the future 😁👍
Nice job! I've been looking for a really good instruction video on how to trim my trees.
Glad it was helpful thanks so much for the comment 😁👍
I need you in my garden now in Ireland. 7 apple trees I've never pruned them. Thanks for video 🙂
Wow what a powerhouse video your an amazing teacher 1 video taught me as much as 3 books tried! Thank you!!!!
Clear , concise, really informative and easy to follow - a great tutorial, thank you for posting both a winter and summer prune so helpful. I have just subscribed and look forward to more.
You are most welcome thank you so much for the lovely comment so glad you enjoyed the videos 😁👍
Toto video je perfektní, ten člověk ví co dělá. Děkuji a zdravím z České republiky.
Hello thanks so much for the comment really means a lot all the best to you in the Czech Republic 😁👍
Excellent tutorial.
Im going to prune a massive tree today. My first apple. Its been left to go a bit wild for 5 years so needs
Hey Simon thanks so much for the comment. That's really great to hear hope it all went well. Do remember to follow up with the summer prune as it will put on a huge amount of growth to counter the branches you have taken off 😁👍
I’ve watched quite a few videos on apple tree winter pruning and this is the best one by far, with loads of examples. I will definitely be looking at the summer pruning one 😊
Pruning apple trees is probably my favourite job in the garden. Lots of bad videos out there but this is a a good one.
Hey Oak, thanks for your comment much the same here apple trees are great fun to prune and can be so complex with so many options and possibilities for how to prune them just makes doing it that much more satisfying. Thanks very much its a real passion of mine 👍
@@gardenerstale Yes, they can be complex. It’s great to be let loose on a tree that’s been neglected. Keep the content coming. Oak 👍🏼
@@quercus21 absolutely the older the better. Thanks a lot take care 👍
I soo enjoyed this video!!! 🍎
I was there with you. 😄
Really good one. Thank you!
You've got a new subscriber! 👍
Hey Anna thank you I'm glad I took you with me and you enjoyed it so much really means a lot hope you enjoy my future videos as well 😁👍
Great video mate. Worthwhile watching throughout the end and I will watch the summer pruning video as well. Thx
Hey Tiah Nasori thanks very much for the comment and your kind words glad you found it helpful. Good stuff you will have a real improvement on your apple crop. 😁👍
Thank you so much. Just starting a small orchard and learned a lot from your videos.
Hey you are most welcome glad I could help, I certainly will be making more fruit pruning videos in the future 😁👍
Very good video! One of the best I've found... Thanks
Hey Rowe your most welcome, thanks for the feedback much appreciated 😁👍
What a great video on pruning! Thank you!
Hey 4everlearning thanks so much for the comment glad you liked it 😁👍
Thank you from Cornwall, Ontario, Canada. It's November here so I am out today with the snowfall to prune both my apple and crabapple trees. I realize now it is not a hour job but more so the journey! Cheers......
Great info easy to understand
Hey Jacqueline your most welcome, thanks for the comment much appreciated 😁👍
Beautiful work
Thanks so much 😁👍
Good, clear explanation and demonstration. Really appreciate the detail and care. Time to get pruning.
Hello thanks so much for the great comment and feedback it's much appreciated all the best for pruning 😁👍
Brilliant, thank you :)
Thanks for the comment, your very welcome glad this helped you 😁👍
This makes great sense. Thank you for walking us through the pruning and the how and why of it! Thank you!
Hello, you are very welcome, thank you for the great comment means a lot 😁👍
This was awesomely informative. I can't wait to get my trees in shape this year! Thank you for the info!
Hey AaronandSusie thanks for the comment and great feedback it's much appreciated. Happy pruning 😁👍
Thanks. Very good and clear gardening language!
Hey nadfoy, thanks so much for the feedback I'm happy you enjoyed it and found it easy to understand 😁👍
Wow dude, this was so very informative and answered so many questions I have had for a long time. I Love gardening and have grown many fruits growing up in the south, but growing fruits up north is a whole new ballgame! I am excited to give my 5 apple trees a good winter pruning 😊 Thanks so much
Hello Kerry thanks so much for the great feedback much appreciated. Good to hear the love for gardening is mutual, it will take a fair few years to adapt your gardening skills and get into the cycles of the northern climate in comparison to the south timing is key. Great to hear hope all goes well 😁👍
Super professionalism here. Much to think about and well communicated.
Hey Simeon thank you very much for your kind words. It's a long video but wanted to create a video that shows different apple tree structures and what to do with them along with the pruning skills and techniques that are transferable to all apple trees. Glad that came across in the video. 👍
@@gardenerstale it comes across. A job well done. Gardeners are thinkers. Makes me laugh the idea of "mindfulness", "well-being". Perhaps but for those working and thinking it through it isn't like that.
@@simeonbanner6204 There certainly is a lot of thought that goes into gardening especially with pruning as you are effectively short cutting nature. Picturing in your mind what you want it to look like with a reason for it all being there (growing spur network on strong branches so it can support lots of fruit), considering all the factors that can effect it/consequences for not doing it and predicting the future as to how and where it will grow. Lots of processing goes on in your mind with every cut. However the satisfaction of completing a prune certainly helps with mindfulness but more simple jobs in the garden such as collecting leaves or picking apples certainly help clear your mind. 😁👍
Excellent advice on small scale, non commercial orchards. Pruning for accessable height management is key. Just one thing to note, when picking apples, you only need to lift them & they pop off the spur. When you get it down, you can grab hand fulls of apples & roll n lift them off in one movement. A pickers secret weapon.... :)
Nice job! 👍👏💐🌳
Hey Nad thanks very much 😁👍
This was incredibly helpful. Thank you for sharing your experiences. I planted some 1 year old Hewes Crab apple saplings recently for cider making and am trying to learn as much as I can to support their growth in coming years. Thanks again for the style and substance of this video. Subscribed!
Hello Francis your comment and feedback is much appreciated. That's sounds awesome I definitely would advise a yearly autumn mulch to protect and feed the roots and soil. I wish you all the best with the project. 😁👍
A very detailed, helpful, lucid video. Thank you.
Hello thank you for the great comment it's much appreciated. Glad you liked it 😁👍
Great video! Thx!
Thanks for the feedback glad you liked it 😁👍
great advice many thanks
Hey Roger your very welcome thanks so much for the great feedback 😁👍
Good video, lots of good sense. Two quick thoughts - firstly, no mention of the vital difference between spur bearing and tip bearing apple varieties? Secondly, it's surely always best to draw the saw for a couple of initial strokes across the underside of a branch before severing from above, to avoid tearing a wound (torn bark) as the branch weight is released.
Hey Anthony thanks for the comment. Absolutely these are all spur bearing trees but in a future apple pruning video will discuss tip bearing varieties as well so people can understand the difference. Yes that is good practice to do so however these branches were not heavy so didn't pull down and tear the bark. On a rejuvenation prune it would be wise to do an undercut or cut it down in sections so you get a clean cut. Thanks for the feedback will put this info in a future video 😁👍
That’s wonderful. I don’t have any trees yet but hope to have some in the next few years. Your videos are invaluable.
While the handheld camera is really good and gets us in close, I keep wanting you to put the camera on a tripod for some shots, so we can see you do the actual cutting using both hands. That’s just me though!
Such a lovely orchard too.
Hey Sean thanks very much for your comment means a lot, glad this video helps. Yes looking back it would have been good to have done a few distance shots to see the branches coming off I definitely will in the next pruning video. Hopefully with the before shots, up close explanations and after videos it's enough to understand how to conduct a winter prune. 😁👍
@@gardenerstale Thank you. It’s easy for me to be an armchair director! I know how much work goes into making and editing a video. Looking forward to the next one.
@@radharcanna Your most welcome I do appreciate comments as it helps me to develop better videos for the future. Thanks for the support 😁👍
That was great, thank you. Very useful!
Hey Angela your most welcome glad you found it helpful 😁👍
@@gardenerstale I also watched your summer pruning video - also very helpful. Thanks so much.
@@MsAJWhite that's great thanks for letting me know good to hear people are watching both. 👍 You will be in good stead for pruning your apple trees throughout the year 😁
Great tutorial.
Thanks so much glad you liked it 😁👍
Thank you so much for this video! ❤. Very clear explanation, very detailed, I understood everything(I hope and think 😁. I will use this video as guide ❤. Can you please show how to prune pear as well,also other trees, I have them all 😂 xx
Thank you Sir for this very helpful video.
Hello thanks for writing that's great to hear your very welcome 😁👍
Really helpful, made some notes have some monsterly overgrown apple trees to prune back, and had no idea where to start. My apple trees all seem to have swung their branch growth hugely to the sun so some retraining needed I guess, following cutback.
Hey Jo thanks glad you found this helpful. Sounds like the apple trees are in good soil if they have a lot of growth on them certainly a harsh cut back is needed with a summer prune follow up. Is there a way to create more light to them in your garden for example reducing the height of a shrub or fence to prevent them from growing in the direction of the light? Just thinking long term you would want them to grow straight 👍
@@gardenerstale there is fairly high wall not too far behind them tbf, so could be that. Be difficult to lower as its retaining, but a good cutback sounds in order. Thank you and all the best.
Thank you!
You are very welcome 😁👍
Fantastic, all round guide to why and how to prune
Hey thank you for the super comment means a lot 😁👍
Very informative thank you for sharing I would have just cut branches willy nilly. I will definitely check out the summer pruning video.
Hey Jacquibrinkley glad this helped you thanks for leaving the comment. 😊 Apple pruning can be quite precise and takes years of practice to get the structure right so I tried to include as much information a possible without the video being hours long 😅 definitely worth a watch to follow up prune with 👍
Eye candy! 🥰
Hello thanks for the support the apple trees are a beauty 😁👍
Brilliant 😊
Hey Pat thanks so much glad you liked it 😁👍
Thanks!
Hey Terry thank you so much. I am extremely grateful you value my content enough to support me in this way, it is very much appreciated 💚😁👍
just watched this video and loved the info. i have the biggest hard pruned tree video on youtube coming soon. mine are about forty feet all and grown straight up in a tree line. my purpose for pruning is to see what kind of fruit i can get from them. cheers thank you for the extra knowledge
Hey thanks for the comment glad you found it informative. Wow they sound like giants to prune and a real task to do good luck with them hope you can get a great crop 😁👍
Brilliant
Thanks so much 😁👍
the comment you make around 12.20 about an angled cut so the rain falls off is a good point to make i hadn't thought of.
Hey ocerams thanks for the comment and well picked up, that is a really key point to remember to ensure the longevity of your tree 😁👍
I was taught the rain will make no difference and that the angle will make a bigger wound…
Great video
Hello thanks so much glad you liked it 😁👍
Cheers @@gardenerstale
Very informative but simplified as well.
Thankyou for this wonderful vedio to simplifying the pruning.have many vedios but not good enough
Hello thanks so much for your comment you are most welcome. I really appreciate the kind feedback 😁👍
Hi Adam, Thanks so much for this very informative and helpful video. Very clearly explained.
I live in Reading and have an 'Sunset' apple tree planted in 2008. I have been pruning it since trying to follow books; but now I realise that I have not really understood what was happening until I saw you explanation - of winter and summer pruning. And I have been doing it all wrong, randomly cutting branches only to bring down the size. Now since last 3 years the fruit yield has drastically come down, with this year yielding only a few apples. So decided to call in a professional fruit tree pruner. His quote for the service could buy me three years worth of apples .. haha. But your video has given me a new confidence to try it myself. Now I am seeing my tree with a new vision.
But I have a greater problem to tackle. The year I planted the tree I visited a nearby apple farm where I saw these low hanging branches full of fruit. On asking, the lady I who was showing around told that when the tree in young, the branches beginning at knee height you bend them with the help of weights. I followed that faithfully. As he tree grew and matured, these branches became long and lanky and started to fall. Then I had to secure each branch by a rope tied up to the central main stem. Now I am left with these thick branches opening up from the lower side of the tree into a goblet shape. I am thinking, can I prune these big ones back... Thanks once again for your excellent video.
Hello, thank you for your comment, really glad this has helped you understand apple tree pruning as there are a lot of myths folklore and odd techniques out there which can be confusing. You want to prune with a purpose, have a reason for every branch you do or do not cut that really will help you develop your skill. Yes I have seen the weeping branches in orchards before a good way for productive picking however can become heavy and snap. You certainly can cut them back in the winter months but have a reason to where you are cutting them to and plan how the tree will grow the following years so you cut by angled buds to predict and train future growth. Hope this helps 😁👍
Thanks
Thanks, super helpful video
Hey Joanna, you are most welcome. Thank you so very much for you support that is so kind! It means a great deal to me that you value my content and knowledge in such a way and is deeply appreciated. 💚
@@Joanna-zs8euI will be doing a follow up video on these trees as well to show how they are progressing next year 😁👍
Thank you so much for taking the time to record as you went and for the clear explanations! My trees are all quite young and haven't produced much yet, last year was less than the year before. I've been planning to prune them now, so I feel more capable after your video. Do you have any videos about plum trees? We put a few of those in too, but I'm pretty sure the root stock is shooting up too! I'm not sure how to tell and what time of year is safe to cut them?
Hey Mary, you are very welcome thanks for the comment glad you feel able to tackle your tree pruning now. Not yet I will be doing a plum tree prune and many other fruit trees and shrubs prune videos in the future though so keep an eye out. If the shoots are from the ground or below the graft on the tree they will be from the root stock and you want to take those out when the weather is dry. Best to wait until the spring/summer as plums are especially susceptible to silver leaf which is easily transmitted during wet weather. 😁👍
Thank you, I'll hide the pruners away until then! 😄@@gardenerstale
My dad is very impatient with the apple trees in our garden, he basically prunes everything his secateurs can cut 😅. Next year I'll get to the tree faster and do a better job 😆
Ha ha brilliant I know a few people like that best thing is to tell him to prune with a purpose have a reason for each cut you do and don't do. Good luck getting there before him next year! 😁👍
Excellent informative tutorial, thank-you! I’ve just moved in to a property that has been empty for several years. It has a wonderful garden with old established fruit trees in, apples and damsons. The whole garden is wildly overgrown, which I LOVE, but the fruit trees are massively overgrown and congested, and also someone has just hacked off branches here and there, with no thought to shape or wellbeing, so a couple are very unbalanced indeed. I can’t wait to get started pruning them this coming early winter, your advice and explanations are so clear compared to others, so I am far more confident in what I need to achieve now!
Could you possibly do a video on pruning a new young fruit orchard at some point, please? I’ve bought a variety of bare root fruit trees to plant up this coming Autumn, some bush, some half standards and standard, including apple, cherry, plum and damson (they’re currently all in pots though, to establish their roots as it was end of bare root season when they arrived, and no rain here for the last month!! 🤦🏼♀️)
Many thanks and looking forwards to more videos! Lisa
Hey Lisa, thanks for taking the time to comment. Your most welcome glad you found this helpful. Sounds a wonderful garden, yes absolutely you do find this with old fruit trees where they have been pruned with no thought I would advise you in the winter to go over and clean up any tears or uneven cuts that have previously been done to prevent future rot and so the tree can heal properly. That's great to hear thank you so much, really glad it was easy to understand, its a bit of a long video but felt there are so many points to make and scenarios the trees can be in they needed to be addressed. Ok I certainly will at do a video on that, I do have a orchard to plant up for someone at some point in the near future so will film that and create a video dedicated to planting, pruning and establishing new fruit trees. I will also be making more apple tree videos in the future, I will film when I do a prune on a very old large overgrown one as well as feel that's something that there is not a lot of informative content on. All the best 😁👍
Excellent vid. Really helped me to understand why.
I have an apple tree that I found while clearing my parents old place and I didn't cut it down but the base is maybe 6 inches diameter and 5-6feet up it forked and grew very tall. Can I go above that fork and top it without causing too much stress by removing too much if the main trunk at once?
I don't want to start rot in the main trunk but it's close to a power pole and I need to stop it's upward growth as much as possible and if possible just make it spread out.
Very clear and do informative video. The repeated message help to reinforce the information. I'll check out the summer pruning video.
Have you done videos on other fruit trees, plums, pears and peaches.
Hey Alan thanks for the comment glad you found this video informative. Yes it's really worth following up with a summer prune then you won't need to winter prune for a few years if you keep up with the yearly summer prune. I don't as of yet have videos on those fruit trees but that is something on my list of videos I want to create as have a lot of information I want to share on them so stay tuned 😁👍
This is excellent. Can you tell us how to gauge how much to prune off the tops? Is this aspect more about shape and not pruning too hard into new so that it doesn't respond vigorously on top? Thoughts please? Thanks!
Hey Luke thanks for the comment much appreciated. So it really does depend you can go very hard into the thick wood as I have done before on the tree featured in the summer apple pruning video and re grown the spur network on top using the vigorous re growth by cutting that back in the summer. It's all about what you want your trees final shape and size to be and the condition the tree is in. If it is a smaller tree I wouldn't go in so hard as will take a long time to recover so would do it gradually where as if it's a larger tree you can do it very hard back and this is more of a renovation prune. Hope this all helps I will be doing future apple pruning videos so keep an eye out 😁👍
Love your winter pruning video. One thing you didn't cover is what to do with the suckers that grow up from the base of the trunk. Typically, I prune them level. However I'm experimenting with two different varieties of trees both 65 years of age. I hate to let them go so I let a sucker grow on each. In your opinion will they inherit the variety of apple from the tree that they came from or should I use them as stock and graft other varieties to them?
Hello, thanks so much for the comment. Yes I didn't have any suckers on these trees but I did on my summer pruning video where I tear them back with a "heel" to stop them shooting from that spot. It depends where they have grown from, if they have grown below or above the graft so either on the rootstock (below) use as stock these are called suckers or above on the Scion (the true variety) are usually called water shoots. Hope this helps 😁👍
Very thorough! I thank you for the information!
By the way - where is it that you are gardening? And what zone are you in? Being in New York State, our Winters can sometimes be very brutal. So can this be done at any point in the Winter? Or is it better closer to Spring but before any growth on the trees?
Hey GJH thanks for letting me know you found this thorough and informative always good to hear feedback much appreciated.
I am gardening in the South of the UK which I imagine is zone 9 USDA. It can be done anytime the tree is dormant throughout the winter. I wouldn't recommend doing it when there is snow but frost is fine as you can see in this video the apples are frozen. The issue if you do it closer to spring is that the sap can be rising early and could have already gone into the branches you want to take off so I would do it before it gets close to spring. Hope this helps 😁👍
Hello there, first of all, thanks you for this very informative video, by far the best I could find on this platform.
We moved to our current property last winter and it has a few VERY neglected apple trees on it. I don't think they've been pruned in 10 years. Last fall we did get quite a good harvest from one of them, (although it being a ton of very small apples) most of the trees didn't produce much. This year I really want to give them some TLC and hopefully get a better harvest and better looking trees.
Now, my question is, can I winter prune them at any time in the winter or is close to the spring best? Bearing in mind that we are in northern Canada and temperatures can drop down to -35 Celsius (and lower) until at least the end of March. So I guess my question is, can it harm the tree to be pruned and then be exposed to extreme low temperatures? Our last frost is date is late May/early June but we do sometimes have a few weeks of warm weather before our last frost. (it has happened that we have 2 weeks in the 20's in early May and after that are hit with a snow storm and below zero temperatures)
Anyway, any advise is most welcome. I am anxious to create an absolute paradise of the neglected diamond in the rough of a property we acquired 🙂.
Hey, thanks for your helpful videos. I just watched your videos on winter and summer pruning of apple trees. Do the same principle apply to pear trees? I've got an old, fairly large pear tree which every year produces strange new growth of leafy branches that go straight up reaching for the sky. How and when would you prune those? Many thanks!
Hello you are most welcome thanks for the comment and positive feedback. Yes there are a lot of similarities between pear and apple pruning so you can guide your prune from this but I will be doing a separate video in the future on how to prune a pear tree. That sounds like water shoots growing because the tree is stressed maybe overcrowded branches? I would prune out old wood from the pear that is not productive (fruit or leaf growth) in the winter and follow up with a summer prune similar to the apple once leaves have set, take the new growth back (unless needed for developing a new branch) and think out the whippy leafy growth to allow more airflow. Hope this helps keep an eye out for my future videos as I will definitely be doing one on pear tree pruning. 😁👍
Hi Adam, thankyou. Do you have a recommendation for a homemade tree spray to keep bugs low? I have been recommended tree wash but it looks harsh. I've just inherited a very overcrowded orchard of 10 mixed apple, pear and plum trees. Trying to prune a third of the growth this coming year, clearing disease and weight. Plums in the summer. Lots of fruit this year but dots and pests due to congestion. Great videos ❤
Hello thanks for the comment, so it would depend on what bugs you are trying to get rid of? By the sounds of it all the trees just need a really good prune opening them up to airflow and light also allowing the birds and other insects in there to predate on the pests. You can put wax strips on the trees and organic sugar/pheromone traps but if I was you I would get it all pruned up first and give them a good mulch/feed see how it is for a year then make a decision on pest prevention as you should find it will sort itself out with healthy trees and a healthy ecosystem. Hope this helps 😁👍
Many thanks. Would you wait for frost to go before pruning?
Hello your very welcome thanks for the comment. A light frost will be fine to prune in, I wouldn't advise doing it in snow though 😁👍
Q: in minutes 30:15, did you end up recutting that area you prune? or is it okay to leave that spot? thank you, very helpful video!
Hey Denise with that cut I did leave it as I couldn't cut it any closer without going into the collar (I explain the collar later in the video 34:46). It is now a nice clean exposed cut which the tree should heal over completely and cover the spot so it won't lead to further rot. This is something that I will re assess the next time I prune to see if it has healed properly. Thanks for the feedback always appreciated 😁👍
Hi mate, I have Mangoe tree 6, orange two, lemons would you mound cow mure and mulch around them. Look forward to your reply Thanks in advance new to this.
Hey Des if your cow manure is well rotted absolutely would be a great mulch and feed to your trees. Make sure the manure/mulch doesn't sit on the trunk of the trees as can cause damage/rot to the bark. Hope this helps 😁👍
Watching this video in Spring (2024) - is it worth attempting any of these techniques now? Or should i wait until next year?
(Presuming i can transfer these techniques to other fruit trees (pear/cherry/plum)?
For reference - I've taken on someone's (previously potato bagged) fruit trees, planting in the ground when i moved in last spring. They didn't really flower/produce fruit last year at all, despite being at least 4 - 6 years old (a guess), which i'm hoping points to them concentrating on root structure. Fingers crossed!
Btw, where are you from? You look reeeeeally familiar?!
👍
Hey Nick thanks for the comment 😁👍
From a little time spent with apples i would observe that the prune given would reduce the fruit at the expense of lots of woody growth.
What to I need to do to promote more fruit
Watch the video I have on summer pruning an apple tree, as that's how you develop the fruiting buds and get more fruit 😁👍
can you recommend a good book that describes what you are discussing in this video?
Hey Mark thanks for the comment there are some many great books on pruning the RHS pruning is a great one a nice general one is the fruit expert as includes information about the varieties different fruits pests etc the full care 😁👍
Hi there.
I have an Apple Tree Species "Love Heart" where the Fruiting Apples are only x2" Inches in length Max ! And about x1 Inch across (Heart Shaped Red Apples with White Blush Pink insides.)
Concerns
This Tree is nearly x10 Years Old (Was Potted) now in a South Facing Aspect. But no Taller than say x 7 Feet Tall in all these years !
Issue :
Its a very Heavy Fruiter (Yes !) However : its Fruit is Clustered very tightly to the Branch or Trunk. Stems and Shoots are hardly x2" to x3" Inches in length.
This Tree has Beautiful Deep Blush Pink Blossom. Fruits like Crazy but hardly Grows at all each season height wise, (like Apple Trees usually do. Aka my Discovery, and Cooking Apples etc.
If I was to give a description of this Tree : I would say its like a bad 1970's tight Perm ! All on top Curls and no space anywhere. 🤭
How would you Prune or attempt to better its Structure ? Hope you can advise.
My Bees (Hives in my Garden) go crazy for the Nectar and Pollen. So good, I have just bought x2 more Winter Bare Rooted Stock Trees this time.
(Of the same Variety.) 😎
The two Discovery Apple Trees in the same front Garden are almost x12 Feet High and about x8 Feet across. (Pruned)
This Old (Tall Whip Trunk liked Tree) has plenty of Organic Matter and Water (South Scotland here.) We have a good annual Rain Fall. But harsh Easterly Winds here in the Borders.
Lots of tiny Fruit Spurs almost so close together it looks like a Cheese & Pineapple Hedgehog, '70's style. 🤭
Do you put anything on the part of the branch you cut off
Hello, no I leave the wounds open to let the tree naturally heal. I find if you put a sealer or anything over them it can cause infections and uneven healing. 😁👍
I would have taken More spurs out, rule of thumb a fist width between them, will produce apples of size
Hello, yes that is a good rule of thumb especially on the larger fruit varieties. However you can find some flowers don't get pollinated or die off if we have a late frost. So I create a more dense spur system to give me a higher chance of a large yield and which allows me to pinch out any juvenile apples if areas become too crowded to allow the apples to grow to a good size 😁👍
DUUUUUHHHHH-PRUNE WHEN THE TREE IS DORMANT-Here in Maine, that means March-earlier if farther south. Sure you can do some very light pruning when it's growing, but anything more is setting the tree back. Grafting before end of dormancy too.
Hey yeah it's a very common rule of thumb with tree pruning taking out larger branches in the winter/ dormant season. Yeah that can set them back if you prune while its growing that's why I wait until the leaves have "set" as then it puts the growth to bud development so that's how you create that tight spur network. That's very interesting stuff thanks for the comment 😁👍
Do you burn the cuttings??
Hello, yes with these cuttings I do tend to burn them or shred them then put it on the compost pile 👍
I'm trying to figure out why my apple trees still have leaves and it's getting down to 23 degrees f. All other fruit trees have lost their leaves.
Hello, thanks for the comment yes that is a good point as I have found the older apple trees have been keeping their leaves on a lot longer this year than any other tree even the oaks. 🤔 It was a great year for apple growth so maybe they just have a lot more nutrients in the leaves so sustained longer. 👍
I Have a 3 year old apple tree that I'm afraid to prune cause I don't know what I'm doing 😊
Hello always_calm hope you found this video helpful enough to give your tree a prune. Don't be afraid to prune it if you make a mistake you can always train it to grow back in that area. 😁👍
Do you know the varieties?
It is said that you should eat the fruit until after the 3rd year
Hello yes sometimes fruit growing on maiden and younger trees can be hard to palate as they haven't the energy yet to produce fully ripened fruit. 👍