Can these apple be improved/saved?

[spandit]

I have 3 mature apple trees on my property, about as far from the house as it's possible to get, but don't want them to die. They have wire in them and several dead branches, which I've cut off. How much of a prune could they take and would it help them rejuvenate or are they a lost cause?

[Mick Dempsey]

Stiffer than a wankers underpants?

[peds]

No no, he's right. You can take it all off, over 3 years. Start off by removing anything dead, damaged, or vertical, then get three colours of tape or ribbon, and tie a bit to every branch coming off what you might think of as the bare bones framework of the tree, each colour spread evenly around the crown, ⅓ each.

This winter, take off one colour. Next winter, take off a second colour. Next winter, take off the last colour.

 

Pretty f*cking stiff, as Mick says.

[peds]

Apples are never a lost cause. A stiff haircut over a 3 to 5 year plan and they'll be good as new.

[spandit]

How stiff are we talking?

[spandit]

Just now, Mick Dempsey said:

Stiffer than a wankers underpants?

Useful, thanks 🙄

[Steven P]

are they like cherries - if all is lost cut them down to 2 or 3' off the ground and they will regrow from there? Never been brave enough with my apples to test that fully though (The Boys was snapped off at ground level, re-growing from there, I suspect will be root stock and not Bramley? I think another year and will be big enough for fruit)

[Dan Maynard]

... or just leave them be, plenty of space so no need to keep them small, remove deadwood as it's naturally shaded out.

 

If you cut them hard, they sprout hard and then you are managing sprouts for the next 6 years.

[Stere]

Best not take off more than 1/3 on one go...

 

Would  be nice is you cleared the brambles, trees look healthy -  so they not a lost cause at all. Look like they have being pruned not  a very  long time ago judging from density of the tops.

 

Thy look shaded from the left side in the first picture maybe but I can't see how much as need to zoom out......

 

So could prehaps benefit from trimming whatever is shading.....so they grow less lopsided

 

 

 

 

 

I saw some massive old apple trees in a walled garden recently amazingly  dense congested crowns. I reckon they must of not being pruned in say 50yrs or something.....

 

One has grown at least 20ft sideways as was shaded from one side

 

Not seen the like of them before..... real beauties

Edited December 9 by Stere

[spandit]

They are somewhat shaded but mostly from large trees that aren't mine. Would be nice to get them looking a bit healthier so will trim off at least some of the sun shoots. Put the trimmed branches through the branch logger and burnt them already 🙂

[peds]

Get rid of anything vertical, thin them out a bit (so you can throw your hat through the tree, as they say) mulch out to dripline, feed it.