How to Train Young Apple Trees || Black Gumbo

My apple trees are nearing the end of their second growing season. We have selected our main scaffold branches and now it's time to train them to grow horizontally. A horizontal growth habit tends to produce more fruit on apple trees. There are many ways to accomplish this training, but I'll show you how to use twine. We'll also take a look at my other fruit trees and see how they're doing. This video was part of my backyard orchard culture playlist, please check it out.
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Black Gumbo shares our suburban, backyard, sustainable gardening efforts. We work a small-scale teaching garden, much like the typical Zone 9a backyard garden and raised beds, the kind of gardening accessible to all. We tend to take the slice of life approach and hope you will enjoy our family, our dog, our cooking, our adventures, and occasionally some commentary and advice. We love family, joy and friendship, and we invite you to enjoy these things with us!
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[@terridunning3450]

Scott I was so saddened to hear that your Dad passed away recently. I had a sister pass on recently also and it sure saddens your spirit for a bit. May his soul rest in peace and your heart heal in time. Bless you and your family.

[@karenshields1878]

Gald to see you back. Take time to be comforted and receive peace from the Father.

[@sandyperreault9326]

So sorry to hear that your father passed. Just breathe and take your time starting the videos again. We the faithful will patiently wait.

[@kingdomcitizen5222]

So sorry for your loss. You and your family are in my prayers.

[@marilyncameron6711]

Wow, so sorry to hear about your father. Condolences to your family.

[@sonnyamoran7383]

Glad to see you again. Hope all is well with you and yours.

[@juliebarnett9812]

Thanks for sharing. I'm sorry to hear about your father. God bless.

[@BlackJesus8463]

I would love a plum tree! Apples are ok but plums are much better IMO. ✌

[@jenniferyellig7396]

Prayers for you and your family. We just planted 2 apple trees. Thank you for sharing your knowledge.

[@hottlimited]

My condolences to the family

[@kath-phlox]

Things happen Scott, life and loss gets in the way. But we lift our heads up and carry those memories in our hearts and play those memory videos whenever we want. Then life goes on, but with those memories in the bank to play as we carry on.

[@pobo6113]

I am so sorry for your loss. I too just loss a family member. I wanted to share with you that I am espalier my apple trees. I am so excited to watch them grow. I can’t wait to be blessed with their fruit. Thank you for your video. It is great information.👍

[@robinduggins2561]

So sorry about your father. This year has been tough on our family too. We lost my mother suddenly in May and in late June my husband's father joined our household and we lost him after only a week after finding a brain tumor in September. One of my uncles just passed away last week. This video is perfect since my husband bought me some fruit trees, apple, peach and plum last spring and I want to shape them but didn't know how. Thank you and God bless.

[@Dee.C]

I am sorry to hear about your father . May God bless and keep you until you are reunited in Heaven .

[@BlackJesus8463]

You're in heaven.

[@jeannamcgregor9967]

Wow, this explains why my baby apple has only ever had fruit on two lower horizontal branches. I'll start pulling down the uprights now. Thanks, Scott!

[@WILLITGROW]

great teaching video sir well explained i will do my plum trees this way.once again prayers for you and family.

[@debbiewilhelm3035]

Sorry for your loss. May you and your family find peace.

[@ericessah9299]

Thanks for sharing this knowledge. I will start training my 6 months old apple trees. Thanks a lot

[@mikecrow565]

I'm sorry for your loss and pray you find peace only God provides. Thanks for your willingness to teach. I'm grateful for your channel.

[@charal2230]

I planted two apple trees and many other citrus and fruit trees one year ago. I really appreciate your videos about pruning. Thank you. I'm about 2 hours south of you on the coast so your gardening and tree information is so helpful to me.

[@noramaegomez197]

Hi Scott 👋🏼 glad you are up to a bit of gardening today. I’m going to espalier my lemon and lime & encourage my son to do the same to his orange tree. Inch by inch & day by day it gets better Scott 🌱💚🌱

[@myriamvalentin4]

Thank you for the great way you explained this. Not only explained the why, but showed us how to do it. This is exactly the video I needed.

[@clairerees7850]

😢so sorry for your loss ❤xx

[@tpaw6908]

I've missed you but I knew you were going through a lot. My prayers continue for you and family. God's blessings to you 🙏❤️

[@lukegrasso6161]

Sorry about your Dad Scott, love you man hope you are healing and doing better

[@karenw9996]

Prayers for you and your family, I'm sorry for your loss. My first apple tree I didn't prune at all, and it's a mess. My next two I tried pruning, but rather than 'placing' branches where I wanted them I cut off the branches that grew where I didn't want them. Now I have a cherry tree, and hopefully I'll do better on this one. Good to see Phoebe out and about.

[@DDWASH9595]

Sorry to hear about your dad my condolences I lost my father a couple years ago so I know the feeling

[@jackiehorsley9263]

so sorry about your father I well definitely be praying for you and your family

[@cindynielson4231]

Great video, I love the tips on the fruit trees. Godspeed to you and your family. I lost my Dad in 2019 due to dementia. Prayers to you and all your family. TFS 🙏🥰🙏

[@keranhumble6782]

So sorry for your loss. Praying for peace.

[@bigpumpkin22]

Great vid Scot has given me plenty to think about, and I hope the pain of losing your father is start to ease , Cheers Brent

[@AGirl-SomeLand-andADream]

So sorry about your father. Life sure does like to throw us curveballs, but I know your faith will get you through. 🙏🏻

[@barbkenas5663]

My condolences on your father's passing.

[@BoltActionBob]

Thank you! I'm on year 2 of my fruit trees, and I'm going to tie off my pears just like you did your apples. 3 of 4 are growing way too vertical

[@skullcollector29]

Stay strong ,,,greetings from Long Branch NJ...........!

[@BlackHeron89]

Outstanding video. He’s proud of you

[@fleurettewoods6080]

sending prayers for strength to you and your family

[@kchong0502]

Bless his heart.

[@barbaraengle768]

So sorry to hear about your dad..

[@glenleeper2299]

So sorry for your loss. But he's in God's loving arms and that is a wonderful place to be.

[@10actual]

I use an old T shirt strips rather than twine and hang water bottles filled to whatever position I desire.

[@reaganl.5113]

Interestingly, Eastern Woodland Indians would do something similar to create directional trail marker trees. They would bend the whip and lop off the vertical branches, then come back years later and allow only one vertical trunk to grow from the bent trunks. Creating a visual aid for the life of the tree. Generally the bend was done at eye level...still many trees from Georgia to NY and IL and everywhere in between alive today with that double 90 degree bend.

[@eidtnaci]

❤❤❤

[@ralsharp6013]

Blimey, I'd be afraid to ring bark the trunk with the string.. I love this idea and might tie them to a brick instead. 😊

[@ScottHead]

If you monitor the growth its easy to re-tie the string to account for trunk growth.

[@donnaryan4597]

Sorry to here about your dad.

[@sonnyamoran7383]

Thanks for the info. Can you do the same with a fig?

[@ScottHead]

I think you can train figs but they are rather unruly and do their own thing more than apples.

[@sonnyamoran7383]

@@ScottHead good to know. Thanks. Prayers to you.

[@monkeymommy778]

Very sorry to hear about your father, my father passed away in September so it's been a difficult time for us also. We recently planted some apple trees, should we wait to start training the branches to grow horizontal til after they've been in the ground for a year or so or ? Thanks for posting the video Scott, we'll all be patiently awaiting the next one as you and your family heal.

[@ScottHead]

Train the branches as soon as they are large enough. I let mine grow as whips in year one because I started from ground-high little tiny grafts. The second year I chose where I wanted my branches by notching, then when they were large enough, I tied them down.

[@monkeymommy778]

@@ScottHead Thanks for the advice Scott. We'll give it a try. Always enjoy your content and videos.

[@wandakelly2173]

I’m thinking of you and your family.

[@gloriveegardenjournal5371]

My condolences on the passing of your father.

[@BRIANLIMBARO]

❤hi

[@Alabama_Deb]

Would this technique with the notching and tying the limbs work on plum trees or other fruit trees?

[@ScottHead]

With careful notching, yes.

[@fishmut]

So pulling down the branches helps with better fruiting on the apple trees , I’m just wandering does this apply to other fruit trees to and if so which ones , I have a friend who has apple trees and plum trees and not much success with getting fruit they are older trees to , the branches are all verticals so would it be late to get those branches down and get fruit from them in the next year I’m not experienced with fruit trees so just trying to understand it all .

[@paullemke2066]

You showed off your paw paw tree towards the end of the video. I’m trying to grow a couple in my backyard. I’m not sure if you’ve only got one or have two but wanted to give you a heads up. I found out when I was ordering mine they are not self fertile and need another variety as a pollenizer.

[@ScottHead]

I had three, will need another as they are not self fertile.

[@nancyhill5023]

Scott I am wanting to know what is this best variety of okra to grow for pickling.

[@ScottHead]

I really don't know. I just know a standard green variety that makes plump and short fruits is probably best.

[@hunam3876]

Branches that thick only take a month or two to "reshape". Not sure why you'd leave the twine on for a year...

[@jeanpaeth7424]

Why do you want them down? Interesting

[@BlackJesus8463]

for picking, genius

[@WILLITGROW]

he said in the video it helps the trees be more prone to bare fruit.