Hello, I have 5 dwarf apple trees that I planted and pruned this spring. 2 of the 5 developed very strong leaders that were shooting straight up (not much angle between the bud/leader and the central stem) not too long after the first pruning. On each tree I tried knicking just below the bud to slow the growth of the top leader, so that I could train the next two laterals instead. The knicking didn't really help and the top leaders are still growing very strong. I'm wondering if now is a suitable time to prune back the main stem to the next two laterals? The 2nd and 3rd laterals on each tree are growing equally well, and they have a good angle coming off of the main stem. thanks Doug
on pruning double cordon dwarf apple trees Right now its not a good idea to prun your dwarf trees, for two reasons: one- it is in the middle of the pruning seasons and two- the rain might help in disease manifestation. The right times to prun trees in general are summer and winter, but because you are using a cordon system on your trees, you can prun your central leader in late spring to discourage regrowth (nicking and notching are also good strategies depending on what you want for your plant). After the third summer, growth on vertical arms is pruned as if you were pruning a single cordon (dormant winter pruning and summer pruning). Hope this works for you Hortline
Is it advisable to train the 2nd and 3rd laterals for the double cordon, leaving the central leader for pruning later this summer? This makes the most sense to me because it should help give me equal growth in the two cordons. Or, I could train the central leader and one lateral. Next winter I will be cutting back both cordons anyways. thanks
