First full year fruit trees - Pruning?

[silver_yummies]

So I planted some apple and pear trees last spring. What is the suggested pruning practice heading into their 2nd year in the ground?

I’m just thinking I try to train branches outward, cut the suckers off, prune the base of the trunk of leaves that have grown behind the window screen, make sure only 1 leader is present.

Sound about right or should I actually be heading the leader to promote more scaffolds?

 

[H20fwler]

I think your plan is right on the money.
One main leader, water sprouts, anything crossing, anything that looks like it’s got potential to grow to long, anything growing in.
The second year I trim very lightly, gently training the tree into what I am wanting.

Pears can get a little wild, I am more aggressive with young pears before they put a lot of energy into something I’m not wanting.

 

[chickenlittle]

Don't head the leader back. It will throw up several new competing leaders.

If you want a limb off the central leader where there is not one, you can score the bark right above a bud with a knife. Cut through the cambium.

 

[Someday isle]

Following this thread

 

[Jhoss]

Here in deer country I knock off branches under the 5 ft mark (5 feet from the ground). Some trees in some years that leaves me with a bare whip, zero branches going into the growing season. I see no reason to waste growing energy on a branch thats coming off anyway. It's odd and counter-intuitive but it works.

 

[Bowsnbucks]

As advised by Chickenlittle above - don't cut the leader. I've been told by the real experts on here to not go crazy in the first couple years and prune off too much. They said you want some leaves to make energy and grow the tree & root systems. Following their advice, I've used limb spreaders to create good crotch angles on the limbs and not let any limbs that are aggressively competing with the leader grow vertically. Use limb spreaders or tie the limbs down to about 45 to 60 degrees from the leader. This encourages the leader to grow upward and continue being the leader.

As your tree grows and puts on more canopy, maybe in year 3, you can cut the lowest limbs off and get the ground clearance you want. By year 4 and 5, our trees have reached 10 to 13 feet in height and have ample strong branches ( scaffolds ). I just followed what they told me and it's worked fine.

As Chickenlittle also said in post #3, you can score the leader right above a bud to force a limb to grow there. Maya gave me advice on doing that scoring trick - and it's worked perfectly for us. These guys know their stuff !! I can't thank them enough for all I've learned from them.

 

[Mortenson]

I just took a look at my 2nd leaf apple trees, and the only thing I did was make sure they had a leader. Guess I made little mistake on an Olympic pear though. The whip put a few good feet on, but no limbs. It looked so ripe and was crying out to share the love... I just couldn't resist heading it back so it could bear a child this year. Live and learn.

 

[silver_yummies]

Excellent. Great advice I plan on taking this spring.

 

[Bowsnbucks]

^^^^ The thanks go to Maya, Appleman, Greyphase, Aerospacefarmer, Sandbur, Crazy Ed, Bnhpr, and others on here that I've learned so many things from. I just relay what I've learned from them. Their tips have certainly worked for our camp.