Pruning apple trees NOW to guarantee a bigger harvest next year

The whole point of pruning apple trees in summer is to encourage them to grow more fruit buds rather than foliage - hence to give you bigger harvests.
So yet again we're pruning out columnar (sometimes called cordon, skinny, pillar or patio) trees and I'm taking you through how. This year I have three trees, we have a new variety called Katy joining our existing Red Falstaff trees.
I'm going to show you how simple and easy it can be. These trees are meant to be grown as narrow tall trees so they require quite a hard prune. Your trees might not be the same type as mine so always double-check before you copy me. This is specifically for my type of tree.
1 When do you know it's time to prune and
2 how do you do it to get more apples rather than leaves.
So let's prune my columnar apple trees.
#gardening #GrowYourOwn #gardeningtips
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[@kit5304]

simply explained, well demonstrated and great humor; couldn't ask for better video quality

[@eliandkate]

Glad you enjoyed the vid 😍

[@GardenerScott]

Fantastic video! Great demonstration of a necessary activity that can be scary for gardeners of all levels.

[@eliandkate]

Is that a confession Scott? 😍

[@GardenerScott]

@@eliandkate It is with columnar apple trees. :)

[@LuckyHeather1711]

Great informative video. You would also make a perfect children's tv presenter 😄🌱💜

[@eliandkate]

Ok I have to ask because you aren’t the first person to say that… why do people think I’d make a good kids tv presenter? Why kids tv? Absolutely goes over my head 🤣🤣🤣

[@LuckyHeather1711]

​@eliandkate 😂 I don't know its just something about the way you talk and are really easy to listen to and understand all of your steps and instructions. If im not the first then maybe you've a calling 😂

[@LuckyHeather1711]

​@@eliandkateyour voice is also very "kids tv" ish.? I can't explain it any better than that it's just an energy you give off. A very positive upbeat draws you in one ☺️

[@eliandkate]

@LuckyHeather1711 it’s the kids tv thing I don’t understand. I’m a teacher, hence how I come across but I actively avoid kids 🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@LuckyHeather1711]

@@eliandkate 🤣🤣🤣

[@CindiHedgepeth-yq3ie]

This is great! So informative for anyone to learn from

[@eliandkate]

Glad you think so Cindi

[@christinebrooks6364]

Hi Eli & Kate, what a brilliant video! Fab filming too Kate. I am now going to look at my apple tree in my fruit cage. Thanks for sharing and take care 😊

[@eliandkate]

Ohhhh a fruit cage… how posh 😍😍😍

[@NnekaOchonogor]

Absolutely fab video. So timely. I had 2 dwarfs and added 2 more this year. A little tempted to add one more next year. I’ve been scouring for videos that will clearly explain how best to manage dwarfs in a small space. I don’t want huge trees, just reasonably-sized to enjoy homegrown varieties I’d not find anywhere else. Thanks a lot. Very much appreciated x

[@eliandkate]

You know if you got one more you’d officially have an orchard? 😁 Just be wary, you’ve said your trees are dwarf (not columnar), so don’t copy how I’ve pruned as this is specifically for columnar trees which grow differently from standard trees. Dwarf trees are just like standard trees but smaller. 😁

[@NnekaOchonogor]

@@eliandkate Now, I’m getting it 😀

[@chicosgarden]

I love how you simplify gardening methods. I'm looking forward to referencing these videos when I have apple trees. Thanks!

[@eliandkate]

You can let us know if you feel the fear or if the videos have made you immune

[@GrowTowers-eo8ni]

Saving this to watch again when I get columnar trees next year!!

[@eliandkate]

I recommend them!!

[@Garden-of-weeden]

Thanks for reminding me to prune mine! ❤

[@eliandkate]

Any time!🤣

[@bwolf0003]

Great video just when I needed it. I’ll be going out to prune my 1-year old apple trees!!

[@eliandkate]

Are they doing good?

[@bwolf0003]

@@eliandkatethey are doing well. Putting in growth. A little bit of bug damage but not much. Crossing fingers for next year.

[@lawrencegi]

Eli to the rescue once again! There I was, starting to worry that I hadn’t pruned my apple trees yet and was it too late and do I really know what I’m doing? My trees are roughly the same age as yours and I’ve watched each yearly video you’ve put out about pruning...and still, every year, I’ve stressed about doing it wrong or at the wrong time. I told myself that this weekend I just had to put on my Big Girl pants and get on with it...and then your video dropped. Soothing the nerves and reminding me that I do actually know what I’m doing. I just needed a cup of tea and some reassurance. So, thank you once again for your perfect timing. This seems to happen a lot. I guess we’re all just part of one big gardener consciousness and we’re all stressing about the same things at the same time of year. Right then, tea break over so I’m off to go (fearlessly) prune my trees!

[@eliandkate]

Big girl pants ahoy!!!! Go do it!!! 😍😍😍

[@mikedisher30]

Do I love there greenhouse? Yes I do, it’s absolutely amazing and I wish I had one like it specially with all the flower inside 🌱🌸🌷

[@eliandkate]

Em… yay! 🥳

[@tassiegirl1991]

Excellent job

[@eliandkate]

Why thank you ** theatrical bow **

[@lorainemcguire5795]

Hi Eli and kate very useful video i do have traditional fruit trees but I follow your advice on you trees, talking of damage I have lost my plums this year due to pink maggots, but apple trees looking good ❤ thanks for showing as well as giving advice 👍🍏🍎

[@eliandkate]

Glad your apples are looking good. Something to look forward to

[@lorainemcguire5795]

@@eliandkate definitely I wouldn't of pruned had I not watched you last year I was saying be brave and I'm pleased this year 👍

[@johnwood738]

Great fun video as always! It’s what I expect from your channel. I gave two people some pink Brandywine tomatoes 🍅, already have orders for more plants next spring 🤙🏻. Working with four Pawpaw trees for the last couple years. Couple more to go and I should have them fruiting. Love the taste, cross between a mango and banana. North America’s biggest native fruit.

[@eliandkate]

By this time next year that plant tally will be five times bigger 🤣🤣🤣

[@KnitStitchGrow]

Thanks for the video Eli. I will try this over the weekend with our 2 yr old tree. It’s a very teeny dwarf apple but it had 6-8 apples on it about a month ago, then the lower hanging ones disappeared, then the 2 slightly higher ones disappeared the following night. Very mysterious. We suspect the local fox wanted a healthy midnight snack 😂

[@eliandkate]

Yeah we have a couple of magpies who pinched the apples when they were smaller 😀

[@KnitStitchGrow]

@@eliandkate 😂 magpies are opportunists too arent they?! They always eat the cat food we leave down for the hedgehog

[@skygazer1024]

Very informative Eli and Kate. Your trees look so healthy.

[@eliandkate]

Loving having them in the bed… makes it much easier to keep on top of things

[@ninemoonplanet]

Plus those pots made the height a bit too much, right?

[@eliandkate]

They didn’t affect the height any differently than now, but it was so much work keeping on top of watering and feeding

[@Sylvie_M]

Thanks for the great tutorial again!

[@eliandkate]

Here’s hoping for great apples this year 😜

[@sylsuthss]

Thank you so much for this in-depth demo. Bought my first patio trees in early spring as root stock, was confused why they were growing like miniature trees at first and just assumed to do the pruning in autumn. Will add to my list for this week.

[@eliandkate]

So they will be dwarf trees and they are grafted on dwarfing rootstock, that’s why they are so good for small spaces. But if you let them they can get 2-3 metres tall :)

[@cpoco]

I might need to look into when I need to prune my fruit trees/bushes. I haven't been able to move the three fruit trees I was hoping to this year (there's a massive 8m or so tall tree I want to remove first so I can move the fruit trees near where it current stands)... so I've only done a little pruning maintenance (which was in preparation for moving them). The bonus is it's another season they can hopefully provide fruit before I potentially kill them when I try and move them ;) (They are apricot, peach and I believe nectarine... the first two have provided fruit... the last hasn't... hence not being sure of it's variety). Lovely video as always.

[@eliandkate]

lol loving the look on the positive side 🤣🤣🤣

[@helenkeough4187]

Ooh thanks. I didn't know you could prune them when there was fruit on. I followed your pruning video at end of last fruit cycle, and my Bramley has performed really well, and the russet is ok, but needs reshaping. Tyvm xx

[@eliandkate]

Just don’t cut the fruit off by mistake 😜

[@helenkeough4187]

​@@eliandkate all the Bramley are off now. And even though I'm 5'10", I think I'll trim the leader. They're growing as normal shaped trees. Xx

[@barbaraguzmics8293]

This came just at the right time ,Iv never pruned my apple tree before ,AND ,you didn’t cost me any money today ..ha …normally after watching you I usually end up ordering something !!………does the same method apply to pear trees ?……Thankyou for all,your great informative advice ..

[@eliandkate]

I resent that comment…. No using me as an excuse for your shopping 🤣🤣🤣 This pruning method is the same for cordon (patio) pair trees yep….

[@markburns3712]

Thanks for the usual amazing video. Just wondered how i would prune a dwarf and semi dwarf fruit tree that is not a cordon variety? Would i count more than 3 buds/leaves on the main branches? Thank you in advance

[@eliandkate]

I’m not the best person to advise as I don’t have any, but dwarfs are kept as standard trees rather than hard pruned like this, so it’s more about winter pruning to manage shape and size rather than this hard prune.

[@mags9536]

Very informative 👍 have you changed your logo? I see an Eli & Kate logo on top corner of video with a wee leaf. I like it 👌

[@eliandkate]

Yeah we changed it a while back 😜

[@mags9536]

@@eliandkate 😂 shows you how observant I am! I watch your videos every week and hadn't noticed 🤣

[@eliandkate]

@mags9536 🤣🤣🤣

[@carolinebown8686]

W❤W ... just look at those fabulous Apples ... they look so good .... Did it take you awhile to feel confident when pruning ? ( It freaks me out abit 🤪 ) 😊😊❤❤

[@eliandkate]

This is my third year doing it, I was a nervous wreck the last two 🤣🤣🤣

[@kettleisalwayson]

I got two patio trees last week have put them in 30 litre pots. One has one main stem and has leaves all the way up with two side branches at the bottom. The other has a main stem but no leaves or branches until the top where there is a bunch of leaves any advice?

[@eliandkate]

If you just got them then I’d say leave them be for this year. Keep them watered and fed and in a good sunny spot. The trees will have been under quite a bit of stress getting from where they were grown to you, so they might just need a bit of time and love to recover.

[@LTeppler]

:hands twitching for the branches to root them as bonsai: :whine:

[@eliandkate]

🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@GardenofEmma]

This is so scary 😦 I dread pruning mine

[@eliandkate]

I used to. I was terrified but the best piece of advice… you’re not touching the roots, you won’t kill it!