Maximum for Apples on MM106 & Pears on Quince A)

Half standard – 1.35m / 4’6″ (Plums on St Julien A.

Tall bush – 1m / 36-42″ (Apples on M26 (maximum), MM106, Pears on Quince A, Cherries on Gisela 5 & Plums on Pixy).

Bush – 0.75m / 30″ (Apples on M26, Pears on Quince C & Cherries on Gisela 5).

The below heights of clear stem should serve as a guide: The length of clear stem greatly depends on the rootstock vigour – dwarfer rootstocked trees will only support a short clear stem whereas a variety on a vigorous rootstock will support a long clear stem.

In this case we are pruning to develop a bush tree – a tree of a goblet shape above a clear stem.

Once fruiting, pruning to maintain a balance between growth and fruiting.As suppliers of young fruit trees we are most interested in customers getting the first stage correct – developing the shape of the tree by building a framework of branches for the future.īelow we deal with the early development of Bush trees, Espaliers & Cordons Bush Trees.Early hard pruning to develop the shape of the tree.You can save time by cutting the bigger portion altogether.'Ĭodey urges gardeners not to be afraid of cutting their apple trees – you want to cut out all the damaged branches back 'to the healthy portions, to prevent diseases from spreading and ensure that you'll be left with a clean apple tree.Essentially there are three stages to pruning: According to Codey, 'damaged smaller branches may be easier to see, but you should trace back to the bigger branches to see how much damage is there. This may feel counterintuitive, but you want to be bold with your apple pruning. Need tips on how to prune a plum tree, too? Our guide is full of useful advice.Īn arborist's top tip for winter pruning apple treesĬodey explains that 'pruning apple trees in winter allows you to grow them in the shape that you want while maintaining their vigor.' Typically, you want to prune your apple tree in such a way that there's plenty of air circulating inside the tree, with a neat goblet-shaped structure of main branches on the outside.Ĭodey says that in order to get this healthy shape, you should always aim to cut the bigger branches first.

Pruning apple trees download free