Apple tree problem - advice please :)

Morning all,

Me & my aunty planted some fruit trees in Feb and the apply tree seemed to get a bit of a battering when it was chucked over the fence by the delivery man.

The top looked dead and upon gently scraping some bark the top (well approx 60% of the tree) showed no growth.

Only last week did the first leaves appear near the bottom of the tree and so now I have a apple tree that is alive for the first 40% and dead for the remaining top 60% of the plant.

What should I do?

Thanks for your replies,

Samuel

If the leaves are above the graft line you are in luck. And you are certain that the remaining 60% is dead simple chop of the dead 60%.
You will now have a heavily pruned apple tree. It will grow and produce just as well as a regular apple tree.

Yup, apples can take really heavy pruning. I'm heavily pruning some apple and pear trees to create a living fence (espalier). One of my trees ended up looking like a stick in the ground last spring but it's got plenty of new growth to work with this year.