Pruning Apple Trees - Family Plot

Retired UT Extension Agent Mike Dennison shows how to prune a three year-old apple tree. The first thing to do is to prune scaffold limbs - The limbs coming out of the main trunk or central leader - to one whorl of limbs every 18-20 inches going up the trunk. Mike talks about why he chose to cut the limbs he did. After that he looked for any crossing branches or branches growing back toward the center of the tree. Finally, he tipped or headed back about one third of last year’s growth by cutting just above a bud that was pointed in the direction he wanted the branch to grow.
Click below for other Family Plot videos on fruit tree pruning:
Pruning Nectarines, Peaches, and Plums: • Pruning Nectarines, Pe...
Basics of Fruit Tree Pruning: • Fruit Tree Pruning -- ...
Pruning Figs: • Pruning Fig Trees - Fa...
Subscribe to Family Plot now for more tips and tricks to make your garden beautiful!
/ familyplot
Visit familyplotgarden.com for more information!

[@neglected_vices]

Thank you for making it simple for a beginner fruit tree grower.

[@cornerhighcountry6128]

Well done - very simple explanation and grateful for the information! Thank you!

[@FamilyPlotGarden]

Glad we could help. Good luck on pruning!

[@sweettennesseelife1665]

I really enjoyed this video. With help from an extension agent, we grafted from my Grandpas' only remaining tree last yr. hopefully this video will help me care for them.

[@deltatherapeutics9870]

Get some sphagnum moss (not peat) and save the cuttings from the pruning.. do it now, spring will be here soon. Use the moss to root the cuttings and make new trees. Apple trees don't are all trichromal hybrids, they never breed true so to get a good apple, you need to clone from a known cultivar.

[@2010stoof]

Good to know I can prune this time of year. Instead should be done in winter. Just bought a house that has 2 intended apple trees. Haven't been pruned in almost 5 years I'm guessing. Was told they only produce fruit every 2 years, and when they do they're small and birds eat them. Got to get it pruned then go to a nursery to get the stuff I need to treat the trees for pests and fungus. Buds just starting to form.

[@FamilyPlotGarden]

Sounds like you are off to a good start. Enjoy the apples!

[@vascomartins9589]

No pruning, to much flowers = to much fruits (some years) = small fruits , the tree gets exhausted and rests in the next year. Or maybe the apple variety is of Biennial bearing. Lots of fruit, have a solution you can make a manual Thinning, increases fruit size, and the chance of some fruit in next year also increases.

[@thomasharp3246]

Could've taken the branches you removed and made many more apple trees from them. Easy to plant those and get trees from them.

[@Iloveorganicgardening]

Thanks for that. I have a couple of young apple trees I need to prune

[@christopherfairs9095]

The biggest problem with that tree is its vigour. Cutting back vigorous, competing branches aggravates the problem. If in doubt, I would cut it out, don't reduce it in height.

[@jxk7712]

I’m learning, just planted two dwarf apples and already threw away the identification tags. Home Depot doh! I’m callin around but one tree seems orientated for a central leader, the other, for no central leader, 🤦‍♂️

[@simoneleazarlomga1843]

Very nice information। Thank You।

[@DucPham-ok5ko]

I"m living in MN (zone 4 B). I got some Asian pear trees. I watched a lot of clips about pruning. I'm confusing about that. What's different between summer pruning and winter pruning? which one for more fruit and which one for shape

[@markwebb4457]

I noticed that he didn't head back the central leader. Are we supposed to do that?

[@ROBDee-ho9lu]

I would think so.

[@markwebb5996]

I noticed that he is trying to shape the side limbs outward by pruning to an outward facing bud instead of using any tiedowns. Is that ok? he also didnt tell us if we needed to head back the central leader.

[@FamilyPlotGarden]

You can do either tiedowns or pruning. I would think pruning is easier and faster.

[@anitaclark5]

very good

[@jackshipman9209]

Thanx for the info

[@MohsinRaza-ii6fm]

Can we make these heading cuts to a poplar tree also?

[@edreeves6759]

So do you not cut the central leader at all ?

[@ayubkhanwahab7821]

Think I’m looking

[@mkmason2002]

Can I prune an apple tree in the spring? I just bought a house that has 3 apple trees. They are tall and slender and have a central leader. They don't look anything like your trees.

[@eQui253]

If u want to slow thier growth and promote fruits, u should cut in the Summer. If u want to promote growth u should cut in late Winter/early spring (feb/march). Dont shape your Trees in one radical cut. They will react with massiv new growth and are likely to have less or no fruits. Try to shape your Tree to your wishes in small steps over the next years, not in one massive Operation. First goal in old Trees that haven't recieved any cuts is to get rid of hanging and dead Wood. Then try to get Light in the crown by taking as less cuts as possible.. (one cut of a massive branch with a saw is often better than many small cuts)

[@themmgarden3006]

Wrong way of cutting , the blade should ALWAYS be on the side of the staying wood !

[@2010stoof]

What does this mean? Use blade side of pruner on the side that the bid below is coming out? I'm new. Just bought a house with 2 untended apple trees. Been st least 5 years since anyone pruned them. Need all the info I can get

[@Chaseenglishwb]

I really don't know why, but I really don't like the way he pruned this tree.!!!!

[@oddopops1327]

:-)

[@vascomartins9589]

Poor tree. Completely wrong start The first to leave was the large branch below. Just a cut.

[@bigweb0311]

Vasco Martins huh??

[@2010stoof]

Don't understand this comment at all

[@vascomartins9589]

​@@2010stoof ok I will try to explain, the thick limb below is the first to go, is competing with the central leader. The 3 first cuts completely wrong he cuts 3 thin horizontal limbs the best ones to produce fruit. The conclusion is that the pruner don't have a clue what is doing .