Advice
RHS Help & Advice
Pruning established apple trees
Images: Tony Dickerson
Apple trees are pruned in winter to remove surplus wood and encourage a steady supply of new shoots that bear fruit in later years. Left unpruned, growth becomes congested with older branches bearing fewer flowers and poor quality fruit.
When pruning an established apple tree the aim is to achieve an open 'goblet' shape with a good framework of about five main branches. This allows light and air to reach most of the leaves and fruit.
Pruning is undertaken when the tree is dormant - after the leaves have fallen. Start by removing crossing, rubbing, crowded, dead, diseased, damaged and dying branches.
Keep the centre of the tree open by removing larger branches with a pruning saw. If several larger branches need removing then spread the work over two or three winters as very hard pruning encourages even more vigorous growth (right).
If the tree is becoming too large, reduce its height and spread by cutting back to a lower branch that is growing in the required direction, which should be at least one-third of the diameter of the piece being removed.
For very neglected trees it may be necessary to follow a programme of renovation.
Once the basic framework has been tackled the remaining pruning depends on whether the tree fruits on spurs (sideshoots) along the branches or mainly towards the tips of shoots made in the previous summer (identifying fruit buds in apples). Most apples and pears are spur bearers.
For spur-bearers shorten each branch leader (the main shoots growing upwards and outwards) by about one-third of the previous year's growth to a bud facing in the required direction. This will encourage branching and new spurs to develop.
Cut back any young laterals (sideshoots) growing from the permanent branches to five or six buds.
Shorter, well-placed shoots can be left unpruned.
On an older tree thin out some of the spur systems as they become overcrowded (left).
For tip bearers tip prune the leaders of each main branch and the most vigorous laterals to encourage more tip-bearing shoots the following summer by just pruning back to the first strong bud. Leave laterals less than about 30cm (12in) long un-pruned. Cut back a proportion of older fruited wood to a young shoot or leaf bud to reduce congestion.
Tony Dickerson