Leaders & Pruning - Please Help

[nrowles]

I'm going to try and lay this thread out as straight forward as possible. Hopefully someone has enough patience to help me out. Knowing what I have with these trees and what to do with them is very confusing for me, even after watching a bunch of videos. I didn't know too much of anything when I bought them last year. I bought them from a place that was likely selling them for personal consumption planted in the yard without regard to wildlife. Unfortunately, It appears they cut them to be multiple leaders which I've looked into after you've mentioned to me the other day.

How can I get taller multi leader semi dwarfs so the deer don't destroy and/or eat all the apples before we can get a few for the house?

I need help with determining my leaders. Once I know what my leaders are, the videos have given me enough info I believe I know how to prune them.

Does the following tree have 5 leaders? 4 off where the main leader was pruned and one of those made a Y quick. Over the winter, do I trim all of these back 1/3 to a bud that is pointing out and up?

https://imgur.com/PUZbguG

4 leaders? I think the lowest branch coming towards you will be coming off this winter.

https://imgur.com/wMe48I4

Is this one 1 leader, the branch coming at the picture? This one is sprawled out all over the place. That one branch is hanging real bad because it had 12 apples on it that I pulled off.

https://imgur.com/bK4Oblj

Are all of these 5 or 6 branches around the pruned main tree leaders? I'm out of my element here.

https://imgur.com/wvgCe5u

This one seems more straight forward in that is has 3 leaders but they are all bunched together. Should I prune them this winter so the closest bud is facing away from center to get them headed in different directions?

https://imgur.com/s6lycbs

 

[bigboreblr]

I think these trees are subjectional. Folks who do this alot might pick one over another.

Top pic, leader right in the middle I'd go with. The other leaders, take a good look at. You need generally 5-7 branches on a tree that size. Anything under 4ft maybe 5ft is not going to be there permanently. The lesser competitive ones, take 30% or so of this years growth back. The ones competing for dominance, prune back more or eliminate completely if possible. You could litterally run it over with a mower, the tree will grow back. However, the longer things are out of whack, the harder they are to get right or maybe just somewhat better. Better branch angles is a factor whther to remove completely or not.

Second one down, I'd completely remove the top most leader, the 2nd one from the top I would take a stake and try to make him go more upward. As above, others trim back. Again, your first couple of lower one will be removed in 2 years, so just trim them back some.

3rd one down. We all want fruit as soon as possible, but remove them or atleast most of them. Can leave 3 or 4 to sample. The most upward one is your leader in my opinion.

Next to the bottom, the most upright is your leader. On the lowest branch, there is a good sized vertical shoot. Remove that completely, next branch up towards the back has a fork in it, prune that fork back alot.

Lowest pics, he's looking good in my opinion Those 2 lower branches don't have great crotch angles. Branches will likely not be permanent though.

Overall, you want fruit or you want a big healthy tree? Prune some fruit out. LEave most of what you see for winter pruning. Use sticks to help the leader be vertical. Competeing leaders, you can prune back 2 or 3 sets of very young leaves. Any beginings of vertical shoot off of horizontal laterals, I prune those when I see them. IF you bought your trees from a small tree farm, they usually are glad to assist you too.

When wintering pruning, prune everything back. some folks don't touch the leader, but that need to be pruned back too. Just go back till you have a bud that will steeri the leader back more vertical. I don't put sealer on most of my cuts, but the leader I do. Sometimes you prune too close and that bud dies. Thats why I seal up that cut.

IF you break a branch training, get some tape and tape it back to the tree, prune back that branch so the tape can support whats left. Be a bit more cautious with B118 trees and crotch angles.

I use these guys.

Amazon.com

When training the leader with a stake, tie the lower trunk to the stake too. You don't want the wind load entriely on that one branch.

Pruning too much is better than pruning too little. Just don't get stumped hat to do and do nothing. Some changes can be done now, but waiting for winter, or waiting after next season on some things isn't bad. Take pics of before and after pruning, then look at them after next season.

 

[nrowles]

Very thorough and detailed. Thanks for taking the time to do that. As a note, right before taking these pictures I already removed a 5 gallon bucket of apples off my 5 trees. I kept maybe 6 apples or so on each tree.

Regarding the first tree, your comment states to go with the middle leader. On a multiple leader tree, what is the end game of favoring one leader over the others? Meaning, why wouldn't you prune all kept leaders equally to have the tree grow uniform? Are you trying to gain more height by doing this?

For the second one, if those 2 lower branches are going to be removed in two years, why not remove them now so the energy goes into the two leaders I'm keeping?

Last tree, all 3 of those leaders seem so bunched together at least compared to the other trees. If I'm retaining all 3 leaders equally, I assume I want to prune them so the closest bud to the pruning is headed away (but upward) from the other 2 leaders to get everything spread out more?

 

[bigboreblr]

Puning is shaping the tree to what you would like it to be. Seems virtually no-one on here has interest in a multiple leader tree. That 1st pic does look like the begining of a good multiple leader tree. Maybe the base is a little too low. I'd prune them back equally. Topmost bud should point outward. Generally multiple leader trees produce somewhat less than central leader, but are easier to maintain.

The 2nd you could remove them now. Some folks keep them awhile just to gain more energy for the root system. Atleast keep them for a season. The 1st 2 years I think the tree need to grow some roots while you do some shaping. Some theories vary. Atleast on this site overall, the intention is to make a large tree faster. IF this is a more home orchard, which I have both, pruning can be more for form, manageable size, good airflow around the branches, and the ability for the tree to make good sized fruit. Foodplottin' folks want volume.

Last pic, if making a multiple leader tree; I would train those branches some. Tie a sting to the cage pull the middle one back and the left and right one toward the front of the pic and away some too. Remember this tree is going to move in the wind. You can give it a mild tug, then some more in a few weeks.

Pruning is not just making shape and angles right, it is also making the existing structure more strong. Thats why everything is pruned back on some growth.

I got mostly M111s, but some M7, B118, and anty rootstock trees. I am hopign to prune the larger tree more agressively than the smaller ones to level out the crowd.

Ive seen bears in central leader tree with no significant damage done to them. PRobably 3 out of 4 folks who get trees prune very little to none. Don't be afraid to chop.

 

[nrowles]

Got it. Thank you