When to Prune Your Apple Trees in NZ

Apple picking in NZ

There’s nothing quite like waking up in the morning and picking apples from your own apple tree for breakfast. However, it’s essential not to take it for granted that your apple tree will always give, give, and give some more. Sometimes, it needs you to offer something in return: pruning.  

Not everyone knows when to prune apple trees in NZ or even what the process involves. Never fear! You’re in the right place to learn some valuable information.

When Should You Prune Your Apple Trees?

It’s a commonly asked question for a good reason. There is a right time to start the apple tree pruning process. Miss that window, and you may just affect your next season’s growth. Most experts say that you can prune in summer and winter, but it takes a particular set of circumstances to pull this off.

If you are going to prune in winter, then aim for July through August, or before the buds begin to swell. Alternatively, consider summer pruning once the tree has finished fruiting.

By pruning your apple trees in summer, you may be able to reduce the chance of infection or disease. The wetter the environment, the higher the chance of disease that can spread across your apple tree.

Although, whether you plan on undertaking any apple tree pruning in summer or winter, there are a few things to consider as best care practices.

  • Avoid pruning back by more than a third

  • Prune your apple tree into a central leader

  • Prune on a dry day

  • Establish your shape early on in the tree’s life

Once you’ve hit the ideal time of year to start pruning your apple tree, you can move on to learning how to do it.

Step 1: Remove What You Don’t Want

Take a critical look at your apple tree to see all its imperfections. You might notice branches that seem like they’re in the way or too large. You may even notice branches that cross over each other or are rotting. Take care of these branches for safety reasons and your apple tree’s overall good health.

Step 2: Prune for Aesthetics

Once you’ve removed dead, diseased, rotting, or imperfect branches, you can now focus on pruning for your apple tree’s beauty. Trim the limbs down to the fruit blossom spurs that look the best. Prune the smaller branches where the young wood meets the old wood.

While it’s always a good idea to leave some new growth to grow into new branches, it’s also in your fruit bounty’s best interests to focus on fruit bud growth.

Step 3: Survival of the Fittest

The whole reason for having an apple tree is that it produces fruit. Although, not every branch on your apple tree is going to bear fruit. These branches end up stealing the energy from the branches that are doing their best to provide you with plenty of delicious apples.

Prune any non-fruit branches. These are easily identifiable by their smooth bark and fine leaf buds, rather than the rounder buds that produce fruit. Consider trimming twiggy inner branches that don’t have fruit spurs.

Step 4: Admire Your Handiwork

After giving your apple tree a long-overdue haircut or hiring a tree trimming expert to do it for you, you may notice that it’s far smaller than it used to be. While that might alarm you, it’s not a cause for concern.

Consider what you’ve learned about pruning roses. Sometimes, they flower better when you get a little bit ruthless with your pruning. The same rules apply to apple trees, which makes sense, given that they are from the same family as roses.

When you remove poor-producing or non-producing branches from apple trees, they can focus all their energy on the limbs that do you proud.  

What You Need for Apple Tree Pruning

If you’ve just purchased a property with an apple tree, or your new tree has just matured enough for pruning, then you may not know what you need to get the job done. Some people prefer to hire a lawn care company to take care of everything garden-related. However, others like to get stuck in themselves.

If you’re more of a DIYer, there are a few things you’re going to need:

  • Loppers

  • Pruning saw

  • Secateurs

  • Pole tree pruner (for tall trees)

  • A-frame ladder

  • Stanley knife or sharp knife

  • Methylated spirits

  • Pruning paste

Loppers, a pruning saw, and secateurs can all help achieve a clean cut of branches and limbs. The Stanley knife comes in handy for slicing off branches that may have torn.

While methylated spirits is not compulsory, it does prove useful for sterilising blades to prevent diseases from spreading. However, you can prevent fungal diseases by using pruning paste on any branches you cut.

Or Just Skip the Hard Work, Call in the Experts

Not everyone wants to enjoy the literal fruits of their labour. Instead, they want someone to take care of their trees for them. If that’s the case, there’s no harm in finding a tree trimming company near you that can provide the TLC your apple trees need.

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