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How to Prune Apple Trees

Source: NDSU Extension Service Horticulturists

You can prune most apple trees during the fall or winter months, whenever weather permits.

Pruning renews tree growth and health, and encourages better production of high quality fruit. There are two main factors to keep in mind as you prune. First, prune the trees so more light will get through the leaf cover during the next growing season. This means "opening up" the tree canopy.

Follow these steps when you prune:

• Cut off water sprouts (shoots rising upward) growing on the trunk and main branches. You might occasionally leave a water spout to fill an open area.
• Remove broken and diseased branches.
• Remove the weakest of any crossing or closely parallel growing limbs.
• Remove limbs growing toward the center of the tree. They generally originate on scaffold limbs. You can easily see them when you stand next to the trunk and look upward.

If the tree needs thinning, remove the weak spindly branches. You will usually find them in the lower and outer part of the tree beneath the more dense growth.

For future reference, you may want to obtain a copy of Extension bulletin H-327, "Tree Fruit Culture and Varieties in North Dakota," which is available at your county office of the NDSU Extension Service.

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For More Information Contact your North Dakota County Extension Office of the NDSU Extension Service for additional information or see our main NDSU Web Page for publications and articles on Agriculture, Horticulture, Youth and Family, Business and Community and Food and Nutrition at  http://www.ag.ndsu.nodak.edu/