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> Trimming Apple Trees
| Trimming
Apple Trees |
| Trimming
apple trees properly each year will help to maintain a steady
flow of large, healthy fruit. The actual process of trimming
apple trees varies depending on the time of year and the desired
result. Trimming apple trees can either help to encourage or
limit growth for the following season. Trimming apple trees
in the winter will encourage heavier growth, while summer pruning
will stunt the growth. |
Trimming
apple trees should begin from the first season after planting,
and continue yearly until the tree has died. Trimming newly
planted apple trees should be done just before the buds start
to grow in the spring. The tree should be headed about thirty-six
inches above the soil surface. This will encourage new lateral
branching. When new growth is three to four inches long, it
should be cut out, leaving only a few branches every two feet
or so on the tree.
Trimming
apple trees that have matured should take place in the winter.
This will encourage new growth until the desired size has
been reached. The tree should be trimmed to have a scaffold
shape, with a layer of branches growing perpendicular to the
trunk every two feet or so. This type of shape will allow
for sunlight to reach the lower leaves and fruit.
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| Once
the desired size of tree has been reached, trimming apple
trees can be done in the summer. This will help to stunt new
growth, as all the energy of the tree goes into creating fruit.
The fruit grown by an apple tree is often too heavy for the
tree to support it alone. Many of the apples will fall to
the ground naturally, but manual thinning should be done as
well. When trimming apple tree fruit, the fruit should be
thinned down to about one apple every four to six inches.
This will provide for larger, healthier fruit.
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