Remove Lower Limbs

[Victor Van Meter]

Should I remove the lower limbs on this newly planted apple tree? Thanks for the help.

VV

 

[b116757]

I would remove them all and then maybe make a heading cut on main leader to promote branching but hopefully much higher than the existing branches. Could try cutting into bark just above the buds you want to start new branches instead of the heading cut of main leader but I’ve no personal experience with that method to promote branching.

 

[g squared 23]

I agree, I previously left a lot lower branches because I was too shy about pruning and I’m regretting it. I want all my scaffolds at 4 feet or above, so why waste energy making wood I’m going to eventually get rid of anyway.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Lucky_P]

OK, I'll differ.
On a newly planted tree, I'd leave them for the first year... more leaf area to make food to drive root growth and trunk caliper increase.
But... it'll probably be fine with or without them.

 

[homerj1]

On a newly planted tree, I'd leave them for the first year... more leaf area to make food to drive root growth and trunk caliper increase.

Agreed

 

[Apple Junkie]

This is a tough one. But if it were me, I take off the big competing leader to the right, that one is going to suck up too much energy, but I would leave all the other branches below it for the reason Lucky_P mentions... more leaf area to produce food this summer. Take those lower branches off next year when you're working with a good straight tree.

 

[yoderjac]

I do something similar to Lucky_P. If I'm growing trees from seed, I prune them as I go in containers so I get a whip. With a root pruning container system, I'm removing the branches when they first start while trees are in containers. Trees grown in root pruning container systems don't have the sleep, creep, leap that bare root trees do. They begin growing almost immediately after planting. With bare root trees, I plant them as they come. I don't like to remove more than 1/3 of the leaf mass on a tree and I don't know what pruning was done prior to shipment. So, I generally plant them as it. I will then let the tree go for a season. After that growing season, presuming it survives, it has a level of establishment. I'll then remove lower branch when dormant but not removing more than 1/3 of the leaf mass in any one year.

I'm not saying this is the "right" way to do it, but it has worked for me.

 

[yoderjac]

I also noticed the drain pipe for protection. I've never tried that. I did try using short tree tubes about that size for protecting apple trees from rodents. That did not work out for me. The portion of the tree in the tube would warm up before the rest of the tree. This encouraged a lot of water sprouts starting in the tube. I had to prune them often and eventually I removed the tube. I'm not sure if the drain pipe will have the same effect or not.

 

[TenPoint]

Not sure I'd use black drain pipe for protection. I leave most everything on first year planted trees. I start to prune the lower limbs year two. Figure smaller trees need some leaves to feed the roots.

 

[b116757]

I also noticed the drain pipe for protection. I've never tried that. I did try using short tree tubes about that size for protecting apple trees from rodents. That did not work out for me. The portion of the tree in the tube would warm up before the rest of the tree. This encouraged a lot of water sprouts starting in the tube. I had to prune them often and eventually I removed the tube. I'm not sure if the drain pipe will have the same effect or not.

I’ve used black drain tile for years without water sprout issues at least that I can remember wonder if the rootstock or tree verity was prone to that?

 

[yoderjac]

I’ve used black drain tile for years without water sprout issues at least that I can remember wonder if the rootstock or tree verity was prone to that?

Yep, that's why I said the drain pipe might act differently. The tube material I used allows light in unlike the pipe. I had the same trees where I did not use the short tubes for protection and they did not evidence water sprouting. Huge difference in my case.

 

[Wild Thing]

Absolutely! All of those lower branches would be gone on the same day I planted the tree. There is a photo of some trees I planted in the link below 3 years after I planted them. There is also some links to the Skillcult video series from Steven Edholm on training young apple trees.

For those of you who don‘t do any training or pruning at all the first year, please post some photos of what those trees look like at year 3. Maybe you can convince me that your method works better than what i have been doing. Thanks

Training Young Apple Trees

www.michigan-sportsman.com

 

[yoderjac]

Absolutely! All of those lower branches would be gone on the same day I planted the tree. There is a photo of some trees I planted in the link below 3 years after I planted them. There is also some links to the Skillcult video series from Steven Edholm on training young apple trees.

For those of you who don‘t do any training or pruning at all the first year, please post some photos of what those trees look like at year 3. Maybe you can convince me that your method works better than what i have been doing. Thanks

Training Young Apple Trees

www.michigan-sportsman.com

Don't take my post wrong. It is not a matter of what works best for making apple trees produce. Pruning, spraying, removing competition, fertilizing, and other maintenance works best for production. The approach I'm taking is more of a permaculture approach. In order for trees to be a factor in QDM, volume is required, You can get that with fewer trees and high maintenance or more trees (specifically picked for lower maintenance). The idea is that once I'm long gone, if they are not maintained, they are still a positive for wildlife. I could not maintain the volume of trees I've planted. If I was only planting a small number of trees for attraction, or planting them for my use or sale, I'd take a different approach.

 

[Victor Van Meter]

Thanks for the replies. Guess I will flip a coin on the lower branches! So, either in the short term or next year, should I remove one of those limbs in the fork as well?

The black drain pipe is slightly open on one side to let air flow through and the heat out, so hopefully it doesn't negatively effect the tree.

VV

 

[bigboreblr]

Thanks for the replies. Guess I will flip a coin on the lower branches! So, either in the short term or next year, should I remove one of those limbs in the fork as well?

The black drain pipe is slightly open on one side to let air flow through and the heat out, so hopefully it doesn't negatively effect the tree.

VV

folks general regret not pruning a tree more than over pruning it........

Yoderjac,

I planted my wild apple bareroots over the weekend. They look like a 1-2ft tall stick with it nipped where it was about 3/8" diameter. Little tiny dimples where buds are supposed to be. No noticeable buds......... Im sure they'll be ok, but are young bareroots like that? Never ordered bareroot apple before, just crabapple and plum from the state nursery. They were intack with some branches and more noticeable buds on them.

 

[yoderjac]

folks general regret not pruning a tree more than over pruning it........

Yoderjac,

I planted my wild apple bareroots over the weekend. They look like a 1-2ft tall stick with it nipped where it was about 3/8" diameter. Little tiny dimples where buds are supposed to be. No noticeable buds......... Im sure they'll be ok, but are young bareroots like that? Never ordered bareroot apple before, just crabapple and plum from the state nursery. They were intack with some branches and more noticeable buds on them.

Depends on the nursery. Some nurseries like to prune back the tops because root mass is lost and it takes time for the root system to reestablish after planting before it can support a lot of top growth.

 

[cavey]

I like apple Junkies thoughts - I would take the odd leader off to the right, would be temped to top the good leader, and take those lower branches in the future if you are feeling gun shy about pruning - they are small so leaving them really wont hurt the tree for a while and as said might help.

as a side thought I have gone away from the drain tile for protection, I lost a few trees to mice camping out in the void areas - making nest in the winter... and there are concerns of the black absorbing sun light and generating a thawing warmth to frozen trunks. I thought they were a cheap effective way to protect my trees - I have seen it done in orchards - I was wrong and came to the realization that orchards likely have more poison dropped on the ground than I could ever guess in addition to those tubes.

Honestly I dont ever have the time to do it all but there is one broad consistent here - "window screen and white latex paint on and around the trunks are the best with good weed control 3 feet around with a nice 5' remesh cage". and dont be afraid to prune and I use a antifungal and insect spray combo on my young trees to get them through the early years. Water your trees if you can and work good crotch angles. Do that and your trees will thrive. Dont fertilize right away either. If you keep it simple you have no issues. One other tip lightly emend the soil in your hole dont drop a pile of pure composted soil in a hole for your tree only to have that hole surrounded by harder native compacted soils - just a place for insects to thrive attracting voles.


The realization that you should have planted the trees ten years ago is kind of a key thing - your trees will take time to be what you want them to be. Dont expect apples in 5 years expect them in 10. Its a reality that is hard to grasp right away. Be patient with the trees but know aggressive early pruning can get you to that 10 year tree with a beautiful functionally shaped tree, and that not doing the fore mentioned protective measures will eventually bight you in the back side destroying the first handful of years you invested in your trees.