Proper pruning is very important when caring for apple trees to ensure vitality and a bountiful harvest. That's why the tree should be steered in the right direction of growth from a young age.
How to properly prune a young apple tree?
When pruning a young apple tree, it is important to promote a strong leading shoot, three to four balanced leading branches and outward-facing shoot tips. A clean cut with pruning shears supports tree he alth and promotes harvest.
No question of size
For a fruit tree, regular pruning is not only a means of curbing the excessive size of the tree crown. Rather, targeted and correctly carried out pruning promotes the number of apple blossoms and thus also the yield. It is generally important that not all young shoots are cut off, as apple trees prefer to bear fruit on two-year-old branches. In addition, a light and well-ventilated tree crown with a loose structure should be the top priority when shaping the tree.
Cut right from planting
Many hobby gardeners are grateful for every centimeter of growth in young apple trees that, for example, a seedling grown from a core has achieved. Properly carried out pruning does not mean a step backwards in the development of an apple tree, but on the contrary stimulates the formation of new shoots. Immediately after planting, a plant cut should make the first growth phase easier for the tree until its roots are well connected to the soil again in the new location. After pruning, a young apple tree should be watered adequately in dry weather periods.
The right technique for good tree development
With the first cuts on a young tree, the basic framework for the later shape of the tree crown is laid. Interventions should therefore be carried out on young trees with particular careful consideration. When shaping with winter pruning and summer pruning, the following parameters should be in the foreground:
- the development of a strong leading drive in the middle
- the planting of three to four leading branches in a balanced form
- outward-facing shoot tips at the interfaces
Clean planting or pruning shears (€31.00 on Amazon) should always be used for cuts in order to promote clean wound healing and prevent infection with fungi and other diseases.
Tips & Tricks
In the first few years of a young apple tree in the garden, care should be taken to ensure that a light and loose tree crown is the best protection against fungal diseases and other threats to tree he alth.
