Pruning an apple tree

RichieRambler · Post by **RichieRambler** » Thu Jan 03, 2008 3:32 pm

Hello all, and a happy new year.

i purchased and planted a self polinating apple tree which consists of a central stem with branches of one variety and two further grafted on varieties. It is probably about 8' and has not yet been pruned. The crop last year was in total about 6 edible apples.

When should this young tree be first chopped and for the novice, any thoughs on the technique.

Thanks

Bludall · Post by **Bludall** » Thu Jan 03, 2008 7:33 pm

It depends on the varieties grafted on. If they're 'tip bearing' then they need little pruning but if they're 'spur bearing' then they have to be pruned properly otherwise you'll get little or no fruit each year. I've got some RHS books that may help. Try googling RHS fruit tree pruning tips.

We've got a young apple tree that gets loaded in fruit every year.

A link

http://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profiles02 ... runing.asp
Louise

RichieRambler · Post by **RichieRambler** » Thu Jan 03, 2008 7:52 pm

i will have a look on the attached info leaflet tomorrow and see what the types are and let you know. Thanks for your help.

Bludall · Post by **Bludall** » Thu Jan 03, 2008 8:05 pm

I just found this video link, it may be clearer.

http://www.videojug.com/film/how-to-pru ... and-spring

I'll pm you some more.

RichieRambler · Post by **RichieRambler** » Sat Jan 05, 2008 9:11 am

They are Queen Cox, Grieve and Falstaff but i wouldnt know which ones are which.

Thanks for the link, by the way, I will have a look at it soon.

Bludall · Post by **Bludall** » Sat Jan 05, 2008 4:37 pm

I've pmed you some info on the varieties. I've no idea how you know which is which though.

Are there no labels on the grafted branches?

RichieRambler · Post by **RichieRambler** » Sat Jan 05, 2008 5:25 pm

Thanks Bludall, ther is only one label on the trunk so I would be guessing. Great PM by the way and thanks for your efforts. Out come the snippers.

Bludall · Post by **Bludall** » Sat Jan 05, 2008 5:49 pm

Glad to help in some small way.

I hope you manage to get it done.
A shame my dad's not online, he's a professional, gold winning Chelsea gardener and I'm sure he'd be more useful than me! By the way, we put sticky Grease bands around the trunk.

Louise

Grease bands
Mottled umber moth (Erannis defoliaria), winter moth (Operophtera brumata) and March moth (Alsophila aescularia) have wingless females which, after emerging from the pupal or chrysalis stage in the soil, must climb the tree to mate and lay their eggs. The caterpillars of these moths eat the leaves of many deciduous trees and shrubs during late March and early June. Grease bands trap some of the wingless females before they reach the branches. Winter moth (see photograph below) is the most important of these moths and it emerges as adults during November to mid-January.

Grease bands are mainly used to protect fruit trees, such as apple, plum, pear and cherry. Note that sticky barriers give no protection against codling moth, the cause of maggoty apples. That pest has winged females that are active in midsummer.

Mooncat · Post by **Mooncat** » Tue Jan 22, 2008 11:34 pm

I bought two apple trees from Aldi. One is labelled Bramley Seedling. and together with a Fiesta bought locally, to get three varieties fertile. But the "Bramley" produced 2 dark red small sweet apples! I'm told that Aldi buy up the surplus nursery stock and repackage them, obviously sometimes wrongly. I'll have to wait til they all fruit to see if I have to get another tree.