pruning apple trees

[treeslayer]

how about some advice on orchard pruning?
I am going to bid 50 or so trees, and pruning orchard trees is diferent than ornamental pruning, IMHO.

thanks

 

[blue]

depends on what the trees look like.got any pics?

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

Not only how they look now, but how the owners will be harvesting the fruit, and how they intend to maintain the orchard in the future.

The typical open vase form is very labor intensive in the sprouting needs to be managed annually.

Some feel that mannual crop thinning, the removing of the majority of the fruit from each branch, falls in with pruning too.

 

[treeslayer]

Will take pics tomorrow.

 

[geofore]

apple

Is this for hand picking the fruit or mechanical?

 

[SilverBlue]

Hmmm.... I don't know if I would hire someone named Treeslayer to handle my apple tree prunning needs

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

Re: apple

Originally posted by geofore
Is this for hand picking the fruit or mechanical?

50 tree orchard that is hireing an arborist sounds like a residential operation.

 

[ORclimber]

Removing the apical buds results in the tree having more energy to devote to fruit production, because the apical buds drive vegetative growth.

Branches should be thinned so apples have room to grow without being knocked off. Thinning is also important so the weight of apples doesn't break the branch.

Apples grow on 2 year or older wood. You don't want to knock off the fruiting spurs.

When training for structure crotches with 45 to 60 degree angles have the most strengh.

 

[xtremetrees]

Plants that bloom on last season's wood, such as fruit trees, should be pruned just after they bloom.Fruit trees are often pruned during the dormant season to enhance structure and distrubute fruiting wood, and after bloom to thin fruit.

 

[coydog]

if they have been fruit pruned before and you are just maintaining them, I like to take the bigger sprouts off the top and leave the smaller ones, so they stay nice and fuzzy. I believe this helps prevent sunscald. Thin, and then shorten any longer branches back to a lateral.

 

[treeslayer]

Originally posted by SilverBlue
Hmmm.... I don't know if I would hire someone named Treeslayer to handle my apple tree prunning needs

I would'nt want to work for anybody that looked like you either.


Quote by JPS
50 tree orchard that is hireing an arborist sounds like a residential operation.

exactly, this county is full of wannabe "farms".
good info quick, thanks everybody.

 

[BlackSmith]

Originally posted by treeslayer
how about some advice on orchard pruning?

thanks

nothing to it once ya get the trees on the ground...

 

[treeslayer]

Re: Re: pruning apple trees

Originally posted by BlackSmith
nothing to it once ya get the trees on the ground...

Well put.

Where in W VA are you?
I'm looking for help, and prefer subs.

 

[BlackSmith]

I'm in Martinsburg...maybe an hour from Leesburg but I don't do trees...got 3 tracts (16, 22, 58 acres) I cut dead pine, oak and locust on...I'd starve to death if I had to do the kind of work you guys do

 

[treeslayer]

Want firewood?

How about a hunting buddy,

 

[Gypo Logger]

Hi Tree Slayer, here is a good thread on appleing your prune trees.
John
http://www.arboristsite.com/showthread.php?threadid=2030&highlight=Apple

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

Darn, coulda got soem paneling out of that thing! Fruitwood wainscot anyone?

 

[Gypo Logger]

Hi John. ya, I should have saved that wood, I am always cutting something into boards, burls, Walnut crotch wood, just to end up giving it away. Someday I'll have my own place where I can ferret and squirrel stuff till my heart's content, but there is no money in diversifying, unless one is a good deligator of authority. It was Robert Service that said, " It is only the one who specializes that wins out, never the Jack of all trades."
John

 

[ORclimber]

FWIW Here's a link to an orchard pruning publication.

http://eesc.orst.edu/agcomwebfile/edmat/html/PNW/PNW400/PNW400.html#anchor29073

 

[Stumper]

Nice link Orclimber. The text isn't perfect-a couple of boo-boos like advocating crown reduction at planting and calling for flush cuts when reducing a mature tree (collar cuts were already advocated so I think it was just poor verbiage) but overall very useful info with good illustrations.