Bill Weible

I got a little anxious and did cut back some of the crossing over and rubbing vertical growth.  I just don't want to over-prune as I have a bad habit of doing!   I'll see what other comments I get.  So warm here today, but it is not going to last.  Too warm, too soon.

Here is my tree with ugliness issues!  The tree has 2 varieties.  The main trunk (to the right in pic. Ugly_1) is a winter apple.  That gets very large (Wolf River?) and the other is a "cow dung" apple from my family homestead (we don't know the exact variety).   I had to lop off the central leader of the trunk on the right side because it died from Japanese beetle damage 2 years ago.  I had put netting over the entire tree this past summer to protect it from further Japanese beetle damage.  I didn't realize how much it influenced branch growth.  So, what kind of pruning to do to correct the shape of the trees?   See pictures attached. Thanks, Bill  

Just a follow up...  remove or head back...  see the picture, Thanks, Bill

May Lotito wrote:

... just pick one or two to keep. Once they start fruiting, the tip growth won't be so strong and the branches will be more horizontal. I think your tree already has a nicely spaced primary scaffold and just need to remove some of the excess lateral shoots.

Is there a suggested limit to the number of laterals coming off a scaffold.  I know giving them room for good air circulation and sunshine is important.  For me maximum production is secondary. I'd prefer less fruit if the result is higher quality.  

Thanks, Steve and Mary.  I think I will incorporate both of your suggestions.  

Steve, cut back the top to make the tree easier to maintain.  And let some branches just do their thing.

Mary, so in your edited picture (thanks) basically eliminate the yellow and keep the pink, a year one cut as per your diagram?  Do I have that right?  One thing I have learned is that even when heavily or badly pruned, trees just want to keep growing!   Thanks, Bill  

Here are several pictures from different angles and one from 2021. The secondary scaffold limbs at the bottom are about half as long as the trees height (about 17 feet).  Also, a pruned and unpruned branch, plus a question about fruit bearing spurs?  Is that what we see there?  For the tree top pic. I'm thinking of cutting it off at the red or yellow line based on a youTube video (skilcut) to slow the height, calling it a modified central leader.  Just cut back the top each year.  I really should already know how to do this pruning, but every winter I question myself.  I fear I am lopping off the fruit bearing parts of the trees, since the yield is low.  (Not many blossoms last spring).  Then again in recent years late frosts have been an issue. Or should I just let it go one year as it is, half-pruned (half-assed LOL) and pay CLOSE attention to how it bears this spring.  Ultimately, I'm asking... do I have too many secondary scaffolds and/or lateral branches?  Remove all water sprouts?  Do I need to be careful not to remove more than 1/3, which I may have done in the past.  Any other suggestions are welcome.  Thanks, I hope this is fairly clear. Bill   (This is a graft from the family homestead, we are not positive of the variety. Could be a red astraken (sp).  My father just said a cow took a dump and the tree grew, so we always knew it as the cowshit tree). If I'm asking too much I apologize.  

I will post pictures later today, I hope.  The tree is not much larger than 2 years ago, but maybe I'm over pruning it?  Yes, how far out do I allow the secondary scaffolds grow?  Do I have too many of them.  Then there are the water sprouts.  More later....  

Dennis, I finally (yea, I know, 2 years!) got to look at the youTube video and it was helpful.  I think I am leaning toward the modified central leader as my central leader is to aggressive.   I need to watch further videos and see if he addresses the pruning of the secondary scaffold branches.   I was going to attach a video, but I can't attach a file with the .mp4 extension?  Bill

Been a while since I've posted, but here we go.  I have  a grafted apple tree on M111 root stock.  My question is what length is optimal for the scaffold branches, the laterals coming off the scaffolds and how many laterals per scaffold?   What I'd like to see are some pictures of 5 year old apple trees to see how they look after your pruning.  I just like specifics.  There are few working orchards in my area.  And most don't want me wandering around their trees!   Thanks.   (PS I'd post a picture of mine but I'm a bit embarrassed about how it currently looks!)

So large tooth, medium or fine....if you could only buy one which would it be?  Or which is best for most pruning cuts one would make?

Michael, don't worry about spending my money....it's not really mine anyway, in the end. And I have a hard enough time spending it myself!