Crippled Apple Trees

[billy110]

Hi all,

 

I have a dozen or so Apple trees which have been thoroughly neglected. They have had sunlight obstructed by 60ft Spruce trees which I have dropped but due to this they have grown right over (towards the sun) and are terribly bent over. They bear good yields but the branches are touching the floor as the tree is bent over.

 

I need to severely cut them back and maybe support/stake them up to encourage them to grow vertically? How do I go about this and when is the best time of year to do it as I don't want to kill them (wife will go nuts!). How far can I cut them back? I can load up some images if that helps?

 

Thanks in advance

 

Billy

Lime Electrical

[agg221]

Hi Billy,

 

Firstly, images would help.

Secondly, you're just entering apple pruning season - from about now through to about March, but try to avoid doing it on days when it's below freezing.

Thirdly, the good news, apples are highly responsive to complete re-forming of the top, even on very old ones. The pictures will give a better indication of size, but generally you want to do it over several years, somewhere between three and five is normal, and to give them encouragement to grow by clearing a circle at the base of weeds, about three to five feet across, depending on the size of the tree, and giving it a good mulch and a general purpose fertilizer to help it along.

 

I re-formed most of the apples in my parents' place about 25yrs ago when they were already 70yrs old and they are doing fine. The original Bramley is still going strong, having fallen over about a century ago and grown an entirely new head from what was originally a branch, so it's quite likely to get you where you want to be, without marital strife!

 

It's worth having a look at a copy of 'The Fruit Garden Displayed' either from the library or a quick browse in your local bookshop. It gives a very good idea of staged pruning.

 

Alec

[easy-lift guy]

Most trees are very resilient and with enough careful pruning/fertilization and time, the trees should reorient them self's well enough. You will be pressing cider in no time!

easy-lift guy.

[nepia]

give them encouragement to grow by clearing a circle at the base of weeds, about three to five feet across, depending on the size of the tree, and giving it a good mulch

 

 

 

You are truly the bible of fruit tree care Alec. The above is just what I'd dreamed up to rejuvenate a small but struggling apple that's been well worked until a few years ago but has way too many spurs.

It produces vast numbers of small fruit so I'm planning a January attack of spur thinning and mulching.

 

Thanks and sorry for the slight derail Billy but you've got good advice here.

 

Jon

[billy110]

Thank you for the quick replies! I'll get images loaded up later.

 

Billy

[Fungus]

give them encouragement to grow by clearing a circle at the base of weeds, about three to five feet across, depending on the size of the tree, and giving it a good mulch

 

, because in that way you stop the competition for endomycorrhizal symbionts of the (reviving) tree rootlets with the roots of weeds and grasses, so the tree can keep all the nutrients uptaken and delivered to the roots by the mycelia/hyphae of the microfungi to itself.

[billy110]

Here are some images I have just taken of the problem trees.

 

Thanks again.

 

Billy

[nepia]

 

, because in that way you stop the competition for endomycorrhizal symbionts of the (reviving) tree rootlets with the roots of weeds and grasses, so the tree can keep all the nutrients uptaken and delivered to the roots by the mycelia/hyphae of the microfungi to itself.

 

 

 

And there was me thinking the benefit was given by stopping the turf taking all the water! Wrong again.

Thanks Gerrit.

[slack ma girdle]

Your trees are already producing vertical water shoots, which given enough time will form the basis of a better shaped tree. Remember that if you prune the trees too hard the tree will react by sending out loads of water shoots for years to come, and as a result very little fruit.

You would do better to cut back the leaning branchs over a number of years, which should reduce the amount of vigorous re-growth.

[agg221]

I would be inclined to take slightly different approaches with the trees you've shown in the different photos.

 

The top one I would entirely agree with Slack Ma Girdle, as there's nothing very useful here beyond the water shoots. I'd be inclined to take the main horizontal branch in the foreground back to just behind its major fork, leaving the downward pointing branch as the furthest point. This would reduce leverage considerably and encourage growth further back. Over time, I'd take it further back still but that would do for now.

 

Picture 3, I'd clean up the trunk to the main fork, and I reckon you can get a decent head out of what's there, with a bit of balancing (upper branch on the left is a bit too long and heavy). As such, I'd take the water shoots in the middle right out.

 

Picture 5. Is your soil a fairly heavy clay? If so, I'd wait until the ground is really wet, then lift it upright re-stake it, firming in well in the void formed at the trunk base. The existing head will then be fine. You'll then see what is inward growing - my guess is the upper part of the branch on the left hand side and the outer upward-facing parts of the right hand branch. I'd take these off, and then probably the lowest sub-branch of the right hand branch.

 

My guess is that these are on MM106 stock, but it could be a bit more vigorous - depends a bit on the soil. They're not growing away too vigorously, so can probably be kept comfortably to the size where you can pick them from the ground.

 

Hope this helps.

 

Alec

[slack ma girdle]

Good idea Alex with the tree in picture 5, i hadn't thought of straightening the tree.

Nice:thumbup: