Hi all,
I am quoting on a job at the moment to prune 3 large apple trees for a customer. I'm fairly well versed on how and when to prune fruit trees and the principles surrounding them.
One of these trees has been half 'pruned' by someone else previously and the resulting tree is not good. Please see attached photo (sorry I don't have the technical skills to make it appear the right way up!)
Just over half of the tree has had a severe cut back last year I believe, with other parts left pretty much untouched. I'm guessing massive amounts of water shoots this year!
How would you best deal with this tree to try and get some sort of shape back over the next few years?
Any thoughts would be appreciated
Simon
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Replies
I think the only thing to do is finish the job - I wonder why it wasn't completed?
I should imagine it was a real tangled mess originally, judging from the untouched branches. Note the tree is leaning, but the weight distribution of branches doesn't look too bad. Yes it will send a lot of 'water shoots', but needs be and for this reason maybe it's an opportunity to lower the tree a little more, for ease of future management - including fruit picking. It is also worth seeing if you can take the tree back on the left as it appears to be over shadowing the apple, causing it to grow away.
It's always bugged me that 'pruning manuals' always seem to show work on a well kept tree and not the 'monsters' we are often confronted with!
I know what you mean about examples in books - so true!!
would you leave a rose looking like that after a prune? i think whoever started it didnt want to take too much off at once and intended to tidy the tree over a few seasons. put back to the same shape yo uwould a rose and its easy to visualise what needs doing : )
I would reduce all of the top branches by about 30%-50%, making sure you cut back to a growth point. Your going to get a lot of epicormic growth on the lower branches, this time next year it can be thinned out a bit.
I agree with Chris Auld and suggest you take the top lengthy branches back by a third. Tell your client that care of such fruit trees cannot be instantaneous and that they will have a healthy, balanced tree in time as it is sculptured over the next few years.
Good luck!
Paul
personally i'd go with Colins' finish the job approach and the your summer pruning approach.
Cheers Chris for teaching me a new word as well! 'Epicormic' is not one I've heard before - bet your clients are well impressed when you sneak that one into a conversation!