Over the winter deer nipped the tops off of about a dozen apple trees in my nursery. I have a 2 foot tall hardware fence around it to protect from mice and rabbits, but nothing for deer as they never come that close to my house. The topped trees responded by sending the growth from the top 3 or 4 buds skyward.
My main goal for these young trees is height, as I won't be keeping branches lower than 5 feet. So I chose a central leader and removed the other shoots heading upwards, until I got to a branch with a more horizontal angle.
I would suggest the same approach for any trees bought from a nursery which have been topped prior to shipment.
Here's a pic of one that wasn't nipped by deer, which didn't need anything done to it.
I've heard that the healthier your plants are, the shorter the spaces are between buds, leaves, and branches. I hope that's true!
My main goal for these young trees is height, as I won't be keeping branches lower than 5 feet. So I chose a central leader and removed the other shoots heading upwards, until I got to a branch with a more horizontal angle.
I would suggest the same approach for any trees bought from a nursery which have been topped prior to shipment.
Here's a pic of one that wasn't nipped by deer, which didn't need anything done to it.
I've heard that the healthier your plants are, the shorter the spaces are between buds, leaves, and branches. I hope that's true!
