Advice
RHS Help & Advice
Summer apple pruning
Trained fruit trees require pruning while in active growth to maximise the following year’s crops.
Summer pruning, also known as the modified Lorette system, is the most important way of restricting the size and vigour of cordons, espaliers and fan-trained apples. It promotes fruiting over vegetative growth, and allows even light penetration and fruit ripening.
Bear in mind only spur-bearing cultivars, not tip-bearers, can be grown in restricted forms maintained by this method.
Timing
Summer pruning is usually done in late August, when new shoots are woody along their bottom third. Pruning too early results in vigorous regrowth, so judge the exact timing according to your tree and locality.
How to prune
New shoots (laterals) growing out of the main structural branches more than 20cm in length are cut to three leaves above the basal cluster of their leaves (those nearest the main branches).
Sub-laterals (shoots growing out of laterals) more than 20cm long are cut back hard, to one leaf above their basal cluster. Leave laterals less than 20cm in length unpruned as they usually terminate in fruit buds. Remove any further secondary growth in September. If secondary growth is a persistent problem, try leaving some longer shoots un-pruned to act as ‘sap draws’ (growing at the expense of secondary growth elsewhere). Cut these back to one bud in spring, as well as any vigorous growth above the level of the supports.