I have a mature apple tree that has not been pruned in a few years and seems to be a bit of a mess.. Very dense. I have no experience here at all. The tree has not produced much in the last three years since I have owned the property, usually only on one or two of the limbs. Hoping to get some pointers on the correct way to proceed, I plan on pruning it this weekend. I hope it is not too late in the year, I live in White Rock BC and the winter still seems to be dragging on here.. Thank you!
scott--I hear ya when you say it is looking neglected/dense. Probably looks like a lotta apple trees that have been left to their own devices for years. My one suggestion would be to look at this page first...then consider if you might want to remove some of the unproductive, congested stuff now, but do most of the pruning later? I'm learning myself, but what this apple expert says also makes sense... http://derrysorchardandnursery.ca/p5_pruning.html
Thanks Growest. Thats good info on that page. I had no idea the problems I could cause my self by pruning too much this time of year. Definately need to learn more on this subject..
Scott look for diseased wood and cut it out also anything growing inward toward the tree. Use care to sterilize the pruners in 10% bleach solution. After cutting anything diseased, don't move on to cut healthy branches without sterilizing the pruners.
