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nafex - Re: [NAFEX] pruning apple trees

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  • From: "William C. Garthright" <billg@inebraska.com>
  • To: dmnorton@royaloakfarmorchard.com, North American Fruit Explorers <nafex@lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [NAFEX] pruning apple trees
  • Date: Mon, 10 Mar 2008 12:43:27 -0500


If you go to http://gardening.about.com/od/treefruits/ig/How-to-Prune-an-Apple-Tree/A-Well-Pruned-Apple-Tree.htm you will see a drawing of a tree that has been cut back and a new leader started. The top set of scaffolds should be cut off in this drawing so the bottom six branches will be left.


That's a great slide show, Dennis. Thanks for posting the link.

But what would happen if you removed the leader entirely? In that drawing, assume that you don't want the tree to get any taller. What would happen if you just removed the leader, down to that horizontal branch to the left (the seventh scaffold in the picture)?

I suppose you'd get some watersprouts on it, and some other buds would try to send up a vertical shoot, but they'd be pretty easy to keep pruned off, wouldn't they? No doubt I'm overlooking something, but a leader - any vertical shoot, I suppose - is just going to want to get taller. If you removed those, and left only the more horizontal branches, wouldn't that slow down the upward growth?

I'm learning a lot here, but I've got SUCH a long way to go. :-)

Thanks much,

Bill
Lincoln, NE (zone 5)

--
You can't say civilization isn't advancing: in every war they kill you in a new way. - Will Rogers




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