Pillar fruit has been growing in popularity for several years. Due to its low growth and the lack of a crown, such a tree fits into any garden, no matter how small. The narrow trees also have another advantage: they have to be cut back significantly less and less frequently than their normally growing cousins.
How do you cut a columnar apple correctly?
When cutting a columnar apple, you should remove long side shoots on the central shoot and shorten short side shoots to 10-15 cm. The central shoot only needs to be shortened after 8-10 years, ideally at the end of August. Thinning the fruit in June promotes the harvest the following year.
Pillar apple only needs a little pruning
A columnar apple tree typically has a strong central shoot from which short side shoots branch off. These can often bloom and fruit in the second year - in contrast to conventional apple trees, which usually take much longer to do so. The characteristic growth is narrow and columnar. If a longer side shoot does form, you should remove it directly from the central shoot without the stub. If a residue remains, the tree will sprout again at this point and often even stronger.
Shorting the side shoots and the best time
As a rule, it is not necessary to shorten the central shoot in the first six to eight years after planting. The only thing that needs to be shortened is the side shoots, which you cut back to ten to fifteen centimeters. It is best to do this work in the second half of June, as growth is easiest to slow down at this time and more flower buds will be produced afterwards.
Shortening the central shoot
After about eight to ten years, it can happen that the columnar apple gradually grows too high. Now you can derive its peak, i.e. H. cut them back above a side branch. This measure should not take place until the end of August at the earliest so that there are no new shoots this year. If possible, do not let columnar apples grow with multiple shoots, as this often affects the quantity and quality of the fruit.
Thinning the fruits
All columnar apple varieties have a strong tendency towards alternation, i.e. H. they do not produce fruit every year. If one year was particularly productive and you were able to harvest an unusually large number of apples, there probably won't be any the following year. The reason lies in the tree's limited energy reserves: If too many fruits ripen (e.g. on several shoots), the columnar apple no longer has any energy left to produce the flowers for the coming year - these are already created at the time the fruits form. However, there is a way to prevent this phenomenon: thin out the excess fruits at the beginning of June at the latest so that the remaining ones can ripen better and the tree has sufficient reserves.
Tip
Pillar apples cultivated in pots are moved to a larger container about every three to five years or, if they are fully grown, simply potted into fresh substrate and cut back straight away.
