Apple trees need to be pruned and trained for the best yield, health and growth habit. Mature, well-pruned apple trees can produce several hundred pounds of apples in one year. An apple tree pruned to a central leader system has a triangular, Christmas tree shape with about 60 percent of the growth in the lower branches. This style of pruning allows light to reach the lower branches and develops a strong structure for fruit production. Training an apple tree also keeps the fruit within reach and encourages new growth. Once trained to a central leader system, apples require only maintenance pruning to maintain health.
Head the apple tree to 30 inches above ground in the spring right after planting. Make a cut at a 45-degree angle right above a bud with pruning shears. Heading the tree prompts the branches to grow; it is a type of pruning in which twigs are cut back about halfway instead of all the way back to the main branch.
Select one of the new branches growing at the top of the headed tree to replace the central leader. Choose the branch growing the most upright and remove the other branches within 4 to 6 inches below it. If summer growth exceeds 4 to 6 inches, prune for the new central leader then. Otherwise, wait until the following spring.
Choose four branches to become the first scaffold whorl, or primary limbs on the tree, in the first winter season. Select laterals about 2 feet above the ground that have angles greater than 60 degrees and that are evenly spaced around the tree. Remove any remaining branches, leaving only the four scaffolds and the central leader.
Trim the remaining branches back by one fourth of their length. Cut the central leader to half its height. Leave the best two positioned shoots on each scaffold to become secondary branches.
Train three or four new limbs each year to develop into scaffolds until you have four whorls spaced evenly and vertically along the main trunk. Allow each main scaffold to grow two secondary branches. Space scaffolds approximately 18 to 24 inches apart and avoid having any limbs directly overhanging the scaffold below. Remove all excess limbs.
Remove about 20 percent of the previous year's growth to maintain the tree once it reaches maturity. This allows light to reach the inner areas of the tree and improves production. Trim back about a third of the old growth each year after the tree reaches about six years old.
Things You Will Need
- Pruning shears
- Lopping shears
- Clean and sterilize pruning and lopping shears by dipping them in a mix of 9 parts water to 1 part bleach. Rinse and dry thoroughly.
- If the angle of the scaffolds is too narrow, you can purchase spreaders. Place the spreaders in the crotch between the branch and the trunk for two years to open the branches to the desired 60- to 70-degree angle.
- Choose strong, healthy branches for scaffolds because they will bear the weight of the fruits when the tree starts producing.
- Make all cuts at a 45-degree angle about 1/4 inch above a bud. The cut should slope away from the bud to prevent problems.
- Pruning the apple tree to a central leader system can leave the trunk exposed, resulting in sunburn damage. To avoid this, leave some branches on the trunk cut back to one leaf bunch to provide shade. Remove the branches when the canopy develops. Or you can paint the entire trunk with a mixture that is half white interior latex paint and half water.
- New Mexico State University: Training Young Apple Trees to the Modified Central Leader System
- North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service: Training and Pruning Fruit Trees
- University of California at Davis: Fruit Trees: Training and Pruning Deciduous Trees
- University of California Integrated Pest Management Program: Apples
- University of Illinois Extension: Apple Facts
- Thinkstock/Comstock/Getty Images