Newly Planted Apple Tree Pruning (Photos Attached)

[Brian2412]

I've recently moved to Richland, WA (Eastern Washington) and planted an unknown variety Apple tree this fall. We are zone 7 (although, probably closer to a high 6). My soil is like beach sand when I dig. I have plenty of water available, but this is a desert (hot summers, cold winters with minimal precip ~7 inches a year). At the recommendation of the local nursery, I added soil amendments when planting. I've also staked this tree to assist with our high spring winds.

My goals for this tree are to grow it much larger for shade and to produce fruit for my children to pick as they grow up (newborn and 2 1/2 years). I need some help with suggested training/pruning. My nursery who sold me the tree said it was self-pollinating, yet most Apple trees are not and if they didnt know what variety of apple this is how would they know this?

The first photo is unedited. The second photo includes labels of the branches for easier discussion. The third photo shows my proposed pruning cuts (in red) and added spacers (in Orange - correct me if I don't need them). I plan on pruning all of my trees in the late winter, but before spring (probably early February). Can you please give me advice? Ive never tried to grow trees and want to do it right. Thanks!

 

[patandchickens]

A lot of apples are "self fertile" in the sense of setting some fruit, but most or all will produce more and better (fuller, rounder, larger) fruit if they have a pollinator. Doesn't have to be yours, btw - do any of your neighbors have apples or crabapples within a few hundred feet?

You may have a bit of a tough time with that tree, planted at that size in that soil, but hopefully it can be coddled along successfully. As I said in your maple-tree thread, it is not really possible to recommend pruning cuts from a photo b/c the viewer has no way of telling the 3D arrangement of things -- but the three proposed cuts towards the upper right-hand quadrant of the tree look sensible to me, just can't comment on the others. Aren't those branches a bit thick to start spreading now? I could be wrong about that, I do not have extensive fruit-tree shaping experience.

A thing to remember when buying trees is that smaller younger specimens typically establish better than larger ones (like this one), and although they start out smaller can equal or outpace the larger ones after just a few years. This is especially true when planting into a difficult soil; you ideally want a smaller plant so it will sink its roots deep *before* it has lotsa topgrowth to support. If you are very religious with your watering, careful with fertilizer, and have amended the soil WAY out from the planting hole and fairly deep, you may still get this to work; but if you are planning on adding any other woody plants, it's something to think about

Good luck, have fun,

Pat

 

[journey11]

My nursery who sold me the tree said it was self-pollinating, yet most Apple trees are not and if they didnt know what variety of apple this is how would they know this?

Yeah, I would question that too. Like Pat said, your neighbor's trees may work that out for you.

On this one, from what I can tell from the pic, all your cuts to the right look like a good idea to me. I can't tell about the far left one, what direction it's coming, but you can probably take that one too. The center most limb you have marked, I would leave alone. That lower-most water sprout (still has leaves on it) definitely needs to go. The other looks fine to me.

I don't use spacers. I just prune. Most of your tree's shape is predestined by the nursery that grew it. Those first couple years are the most important. Anything after that kinda gets into hack and slash. If you have to cut out any branch that is larger in diameter than say your pinkie, I wait a few days until the cut dries then paint it with a thick tree wound paint. Cuts from smaller branches the tree will seal over quickly.

Since you live in an arid region, you probably won't have the trouble with water sprouts that I have. (They are the perfectly straight branches that shoot straight up and grow quickly. They usually have a shinier bark than the other, more productive branches). I have to take out tons of them every spring before they get out of control. They can really choke up an apple tree.

This tree is in pretty good shape. Just take out the inward-facing, bad-angle ones you pointed out on the right.