Tree damage

[Wild Thing]

Any issues with removing lower branches now? I thought most pruning had to be done in late winter? I have tons of smaller crabs/apples that I would like to trim some lower branches on, but was worried about removing branches so close to winter? Thanks for your help!

Yes - The conservative practice says to prune only when trees are dormant and then no more than 20%-25% of the tree at any one time. I tend to be more aggressive and have never had any fire blight issues here so on young trees you will find me pruning off lower/unwanted branches once when they are dormant (like the first day I plant the tree) and again in late summer....and again the next spring, etc, until I shape the tree up into what I want it to look like as a mature tree. I have had very good success doing this, but back in my early years of growing I did lose a few trees by over pruning them. I had a guy at the local NRCS office tell me it was "virtually impossible to over prune an apple tree". I proved him wrong.

I would not hesitate to remove a very few branches from your trees this time of year...just don't overdo it.

 

[Derek Reese 29]

Yes - The conservative practice says to prune only when trees are dormant and then no more than 20%-25% of the tree at any one time. I tend to be more aggressive and have never had any fire blight issues here so on young trees you will find me pruning off lower/unwanted branches once when they are dormant (like the first day I plant the tree) and again in late summer....and again the next spring, etc, until I shape the tree up into what I want it to look like as a mature tree. I have had very good success doing this, but back in my early years of growing I did lose a few trees by over pruning them. I had a guy at the local NRCS office tell me it was "virtually impossible to over prune an apple tree". I proved him wrong.

I would not hesitate to remove a very few branches from your trees this time of year...just don't overdo it.

thanks! I may try to get some of that done before the archery opener Oct 1

 

[Derek Reese 29]

Listen to WildThing. He's a wise man. Especially about me being right. :-)
Usually experts say to prune during dormant times (when the sap is not flowing) so that cuts do not give access to infection. Fireblight can enter trees through the blossoms and through open wounds. I would never cut branches in the growing season if you have active firelight around. Then again, experts say to cut fireblight out immediately whenever you find it. Cuts can also attract insects and they probably carry disease too, just because insects are so icky. (That's a professional opinion, although, granted, my profession is engineering not horticulture. But most people agree insect ARE icky.)

Think of the tree as two symbiotic organisms; The roots and the limbs/leaves. The roots feed the upper tree and the upper tree feeds the roots. If you remove some branches, the roots feed and encourage more growth from the other branches. As long as you don't remove too many branches (over 30% in a year), which will stress (starve) the roots, the system re-balances itself with a designed, not random, structure/shape.

Also as trees get old, and therefore fruit spurs get old and less productive (apples get smaller, on average), it is good to prune out spurs and/or branches to encourage new spurs to form. So pruning is a way to increase both the health , production, and growth of the tree.

The Professor has spoken.
(Gosh, its fun being anonymous.)

The "limbs" I want to get rid of are a few small diameter ones under 5' on some young crabs/apples, as well as some of the double sets of leaves that are on the lower parts of the main leader of some smaller trees. I doubt removing them will do much harm and may even help the higher, larger branches...now I want to take off and leave work to go do some trimming..I will try to take before/after pics just to be more clear..thanks again for the help!