Greetings- I'm providing a link to 2 images of our tree so you can see what I'm talking about below. We received the pictured baby apple tree, which is now about 3' tall in the mail this past spring. I don't see a central leader. It's in a V shape, with one very straight, but weaker-looking branch, and a thicker, sturdier branch that looks ill-shaped to be the leader. What to do in this case, where neither of the branches in the v-shape looks sturdy and straight? It almost seems as if I'd be better off cutting it down to the ground below the V, but know nothing about whether the tree could survive this. Thanks in advance! Here are the pics: http://www.flickr.com/photos/39865012@N08/
The straight branch is growing very vigorously. The only reason that it's thinner than the other one is that it is entirely this year's growth. If left alone, it would soon overtop the other branch; so it's the obvious choice as a central leader. I would prune out the other main branch anytime this dormant season. The only proviso is that you should make sure that the straight branch arises above the graft union. That appears to be the case to me, but you have to be certain of it.
It appears that both scions of the graft worked. Keep the stronger one and prune out the one that appears to be playing second fiddle. The crook in the stronger stem will naturally straighten with time.
Interesting! Thanks for your input. Now, as for timing. It's just started to freeze here. Shall I wait until spring to lop off the weaker one? Thanks again!
Do your pruning mid-winter. Anytime in the dormant season ie: after Christmas and before budding starts. The scar won't be big enough to weep much or worry about but, some melted paraffin or candle wax on the scar will help keep infections out ( think bandaid).
Revisiting this discussion now that it's time to prune... I'd somehow missed one of your posts the first time I looked for responses and answered. Now examining them carefully, it seems that the two of you who replied are giving opposite answers- or am I mistaken? If so, would anyone else like to chime in here? And in either case, do both of you who gave your opinions think that either branch will work out well enough at this point, or do you see a structural problem with choosing the other? Thanks so much in advance for your time, again.
Mullein, it's very likely that either branch will work just fine; one of them definitely should be removed. The main reason that I suggested the thinner one is that there might be some reason that the main branch is not growing as vigorously. Suckers on trees don't usually grow that fast unless something is impeding the growth of the main part of the tree. Usually it is the result of excessive pruning of the main growth, but I don't see any evidence of that here.
Re: Advice on pruning odd-shaped young apple tree (and pear too) I'm back again for some advice on year 2 pruning for the baldwin apple, and year 1 pruning for our nova pear. I'm not sure if it's too late, since budding has started very early this year, especially on the apple. Can anyone help me with these questions? 1) Since budding started already, should I wait until next winter to intervene? 2) Does picture #1, the nova pear, look like it needs any pruning to you yet? if so, what cuts would you make? 3) In the apple pictures, if you look closely, you can tell that the top two branches are twisted where they branch out from the trunk. Is this something to worry about? 4) Do you see any other pruning needed on the baldwin apple? If so, which cuts? Thanks so very much in advance! My pruning books all seem to contradict each other and are quite abstract, so it's nice to be able to ask people with pictures on hand. Let me know if you need better close-ups to answer and I'll try to take some better ones. Here are the pics of the 2 fruit trees I'm asking about: http://www.flickr.com/photos/39865012@N08/page1/
