British Expatriate Network

Spring or Fall/Autumn?

It's a young tree.
I'm in Michigan.

please tell me when to prune it!

In the fall. trim any branches that go straight up and take the top of the trunk if it is as high as you want it to go.

I am going from memory here so you might want to check.

thanks.

I know how to prune (I think), just confused about when..... my FIL was an excellent gardener but his advice was all climate-based and did not translate as we moved continents, and now he's dead so I can't probe further.

In the UK, I pruned our apple tree in the autumn, then clipped it again in the spring before flowering to maximise shoots/fruits, but here it's still freezing when it flowers, so it flowers before the spring growth, making the clipping obsolete, and I worry about pruning while there's still a chance of sub-zero temperatures. But then it seems to put most of it's growth effort into the new branches rather than the fruit..... ???

You can prune apple trees after it has started to fruit to thin the fruiting out and give bigger apple growth. I would prune in autumn here too and then just top up in the spring if needed because of the problem of late frost here.

did you know also, that apparently according to one expert we talked to (had a granny smith in the UK - loved that tree) that you are supposed to prune from the inside out to create a hollow in the middle to maximise fruit exposure to the sun. We never did it to ours becuase we already had a stupid amount of fruit off that tree and the tree was quite old and already well established.


Just managed to find a site that mentions pruning http//www.uga.edu/fruit/apple.htm

and it state to prune during the dormant winter stage ???

Found another - even though it is for North Dakota, I thought you could still use it. It states autumn and winter months for pruning whenever the weather permits. I presume by this last comment it is talking about it being dry rather than cold? )

http//www.ext.nodak.edu/extnews/askext/fruits/1322.htm

http//forums2.gardenweb.com/forums/load/fruit/msg08160835455.html

Most of the sites I looked at said not to prune in late fall as the tree puts far too much energy into new growth and then the new growth freezes off in the winter.
Above site is really good, there are always people on there to answer questions.

http//www.eap.mcgill.ca/CPTFP_7.htm

"When to prune
Most of the pruning of bearing trees is done during the dormant period. In some cases, trees are pruned during the growing season, but summer pruning is generally reserved for special problems and will be considered separately. In the following discussion, unless specifically stated otherwise, all comments will refer to dormant pruning.

The trees can be pruned at any time during the winter months, but in the Northeast it is best to delay pruning until midwinter. Earlier pruning, before maximum hardiness has developed, greatly increases susceptibility to low temperature injury. This is particularly important if large cuts are required. Low-temperature injury at pruning cuts is often the forerunner of various cankers and wood rot diseases. Sometimes unfavorable weather significantly delays pruning, and growth starts before it is completed. In general, bearing trees in good vigor will not be adversely affected by late pruning if it is completed before bloom, but later pruning will reduce vigor. In orchards with a black rot problem, pruning after growth starts may increase the spread of this disease. With late pruning, the brush on the orchard floor may interfere with other late winter and early spring operations such as fertilization and the application of the first pesticide sprays. Differences in weather might permit earlier or later pruning in some years, but in general, most of the pruning of bearing trees in New York State should be confined to the months of January through March. "


I know it mentions New York State but upstate NY has similar weather conditions to Michigan so I would have thought it would apply to where you are also.

We've already had our first frost here. However it's going to be 80 degrees tomorrow. This weather always confuses me. Thanks for the info Ben because I thought I couldn't prune after the first frost.

Tree had a load of apples on it, but has mainly been eaten by the birds and deer. The deer have also bashed it in certain places trying to get felt off their antlers.

Try here, http//www.msue.msu.edu/portal/
they are the best for info in your local area and you can call and ask questions too if the info you want isn't on the site.
BTW all states have a local cooperative extension.

Thanks so much everybody )