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Reducing apple tree mass

  • 03-02-2019 11:37am
    #1
    Prefect_1998
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,011 ✭✭✭


    Hi i have a house with an old apple tree.
    I want to cut it back as its very wild on top. and also apple are going into neighbours garden .

    Any advice on how or how much to take off.

    Thanks guys

    D


Comments

  • #2
    macraignil
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 3,602 ✭✭✭macraignil


    danielle_door wrote: »
    Hi i have a house with an old apple tree.
    I want to cut it back as its very wild on top. and also apple are going into neighbours garden .

    Any advice on how or how much to take off.

    Thanks guys

    D

    I found this RHS page useful and a good summary of what to do in pruning an apple tree. Basically you should not prune off more than 20% of the branches, and not just cut a straight line off the top as this will lead to too much regrowth that is unproductive. The idea is to thin out the branches as well as shaping the tree and before starting shaping the tree cutting out downward growing branches, crossing branches that are rubbing off each other and any branches showing signs of disease. I posted some videos of when I pruned a smaller apple tree a few weeks back.


  • #3
    Melodeon
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,513 ✭✭✭Melodeon


    The great Stephen Hayes has a series of videos on restoring old apple trees that may be useful:
    https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL0A8446E7E8D24B31

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qar8TmsobPk


  • #4
    TeaBagMania
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,192 ✭✭✭TeaBagMania


    macraignil wrote: »
    I found this RHS page useful and a good summary of what to do in pruning an apple tree.

    good info thanks for sharing.

    have a couple of what are probably 100 year old apple tree's that need pruning.

    chopped a lot out of the top a few years ago and just like the article reads, got a bunch of watershoots


  • #5
    mrs.doubt.fire
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 104 ✭✭mrs.doubt.fire


    If fruit trees have not been trimmed for a number of years, go easy on it as over doing it all of a sudden will kill it. So trim less than 20% this year, same again next year and each year take a little, it's not something you can do in one or two years...unless you want rid of the tree altogether :)


  • #6
    TeaBagMania
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,192 ✭✭✭TeaBagMania


    mrs.doubt.fire wrote: »
    So trim less than 20% this year, same again next year and each year take a little, it's not something you can do in one or two years...unless you want rid of the tree altogether :)

    Thanks Mrs D
    That's exactly what ive been doing. Purchased my house about 14 years ago and all the fruit trees were severely neglected with many branches touching the ground.
    That first year was probably the largest single pruning operation, every year after that has been minimal


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