I watched two other orchard company videos and this one was the best by far. The cuts were clearly visible and Chuck explained in detail how and why they were done. I've got 8 apple trees that are roughly the same age and that made it more meaningful. Thanks for a great educational video, Chuck.
Out of all the videos I have browsed through, this one was easily to understand. Thank you. I recently joined a Community Garden that has about 3 young apple trees, that are not being taken care of, so I have stepped up to take care of them. Thank you.
Very good job. Clearly shown maps of pruning system that it was new to me and I had not seen in any other pruning videos so well pictured! Thanks to you for your beautiful job. ❤👍👏
Thank you so much! Watched several videos and this is the only all encompassing straight forward tutorial for a total novice like me. This guy lays it out so it makes sense. Good editing too. This 8 minute education likely saved my young Granny Smith from my previously haphazard and clumsy pruning.
Most informative video I've seen yet! I've got a nice bushy apple tree and i've been dreading pruning it. didn't want to hurt the tree but after seeing this vid, I'm gonna try it this winter, God willing. Thank you for making this video
nice!! i know this is 2 months late but, i hope everything went well with that job. I my self have recently purchase a small fuji apple tree and i arrived to this video because i believe i need to prune a some of the branches.
yeah went good, i did a big tree that hadn't been pruned in years, just wanted to only cut excess it was a big mess, i just put one in my yard recently too.
Jason Rotbergs Glad it went well! You might keep an eye on the big tree and see if it sends out a bunch of water sprouts. For the ones in an area where you want to develop a new branch, weight them so they are at a 45 degree angle. Right after summer solstice prune off the ones you don't want. to keep.
thanks that was instructive and simple to understand - i have an allotment with several apple trees on it and they're all over the place -i think i shall at least have a bit more idea of what i'm doing now - so thanks once again -chris
Thanks Chuck, really helpful. Great video and graphics techniques, and good detail. I live in southern England and the winter hasn't been cold this year, so I may prune soon in case the buds on my five apple trees start sprouting early.
Thanks for that. We have an apple tree in the centre of our back garden that has not been pruned for 10 years and it's taking over the garden. We are going to attack the poor thing tomorrow with a pruning saw and secateurs. You have given us great pointers as to how to do it without harming the tree.
This was very instructive. The simple graphics were genius! I was able to stop the video, look at the graphics, and better understand the pruning process. I also agree with many of the other people's comments: It was simple, direct, and easy to follow. The video and Chuck's voice were very clear. Thank you!
Thank you, this was so helpful. I am getting some sweet delicious apple trees in a week or so. I know i have to spray and prune it. I never understood really what that all meant and why we had to do it. But after this video, i understand and now i know what i have to do when i get my tree's. Thank you for this informational video.
This is perfect instruction for how to I can care for my two apple trees. They were about 5-6 ft tall in fall of 2017 when I planted them, I totally forgot to prune last winter and am excited to do so this winter. I was told they may bear fruit the first year but that was a laugh. Hopefully pruning will help.
Thanks very much! You presented a lot of good information in a very clear manner - I now have hope that I might not mess up my apple trees that are just now this age!
@usefulplants Ooooh, well that makes perfect sense. (I'm just starting up an organic farm and I'll be planting my first apple trees in a couple of weeks - obviously I know nothing about them yet! :) Thank you for your reply, Debbie!
@Woodsummer1 The goal with this cut is to influence the height of the next higher set of scaffold branches. For a semi-dwarf apple, 15-18" is a good distance. If you really want the tree to grow to its maximum height, you could just not prune the leader. I (Debbie) prefer to have more of the branches lower where I can access the fruit!
@MegaJim79 The limb will grow out from the bud, away from the branch it's on. So if you gently bend the branch up to the tree, it would be on the outside of the branch. Or you could think of it being on the bottom of the branch if the branch is horizontal.
Where we are, in the mountains of North Carolina, we wait until late winter - just before the trees break dormancy, but after the last of the hard freezes, to avoid additional die-back. In your area, it probably doesn't matter.
@MegaJim79 Probably no way to know for sure. I (Debbie) bought both of them from UPN before I joined the nursery. The first (younger) tree is planted in my orchard and is a Wealthy apple. I'm 75% confident that is an M-7 rootstock. The second (older) tree is planted in my neighborhood garden and is a Goldrush. I know it's semi-dwarf, but I don't know its specific rootstock.
@hsmuelle This video discusses pruning in the late dormant season, which will influence the new spring growth, so that's a good time to prune young trees. Early August is another good time to prune, especially for older trees, because the tree won't respond with a flush of new growth. I (Debbie) wouldn't prune in winter or spring, except to remove damaged or diseased wood.
Thank you. Very helpful. I'm still scared of stuffing up the tree as I only have the one, and at two years old it only has three scaffold branches, but I'll give it ago. When winter comes.
I am subscribing in the hope of more seeing tree pruning vids here. Possibly some emphasis on fruit trees. You are a stand-alone for a fine presentation, complete with good nomenclature. I didn't find a way to write to you directly, on your home page...
This is a really great video! Thank you so much! I do have a question though. I would like to know if I need to wait until all of the leaves have fallen off of the apple tree. I just planted this tree this past spring. I live in Central Texas, Zone 8 and our weather has been really goofy this year. We had a freeze a few weeks ago and the past couple of days have been in the 80s. Also we had a sever drought this past summer.
You'll need to watch the weather and see when the temperatures will remain above the mid-20s. Here that's usually mid-February. I guess that it will be about a month later in Minnesota.
Chuck, thanks for the video, I was looking for info on young apple trees as I think the strategy is a bit different than a mature tree. I have seen some that say to be careful of the small spikes that will be the fruit bearing wood. Is this true of young trees too or is structure more important at this stage?
For the central leader method , would you cut the side branches to the 3rd bud from the central leader so that they are stronger branches that will all get enough light exposure ? Thanks so much !
Very informative, thank you. Now, if i want to keep the apple tree from growing very tall, is it wise to cut the central leader to the same height as the scaffold branches?
I have 3 baby apple trees in my yard, planted this spring. It is now late November and growing season looooong gone here in SE Minnesota. After watching this outstanding video I am eager to prune them. When is the best time to do this in SE Minnesota which is Hardiness Zone 4?
Great Video, I have a 6 foot tall Fuji Apple Tree, will I prune the same way as on the video? Also I live in zone 9. What is the best time of year to prune the tree? Thank you for the video
We prefer pruning in late winter or in summer. Avoid pruning in fall because it will encourage new growth at a time when the tree needs to be going into dormancy.
Thank You for this video. I'm sure it will help me a lot. We moved from WI 1.5 yrs ago down to east Texas. Everything I learned about *any* type of gardening has been turned upside down & I must re-learn all. We put one each Red Delicious & a Granny Smith apple trees last year. They're about 6' tall now. I got severely ill & couldn't do much last year except water them. When do we prune these? Are they too young for fruit tree fert. spikes? Any other info tidbits please? Thanks VERY much!
It depends on what you are pruning. If you prune off a lot of second year wood it could reduce the amount of fruit produced. With these young trees growing so fast it's important to do that structural pruning so that they are strong enough to bear heavy loads when they are mature. Good tree structure will let the tree produce a lot more fruit over its lifetime than if you optimize for fruit during the first five years.
Greetings from Nova Scotia Canada! I have just planted 7 fruit trees ( apple, pear and plum) and although I am very pleased with the roots but a little concerned for the apparent wind damage to the young branches so they won’t start with a normal shape. My question would be how should I approach the pruning for the next few years?
I followed what you said about pruning to an outward facing bud, but instead of the new growth going outward, the bud nearest the cut still just keeps growing straight up doing the apical dominance thing.
Excellent video! One question though... why does Chuck cut the central leader back so much on the second tree? I didn't quite catch what that does for the tree or why you wouldn't want it to grow upwards as much as possible. Thanks! :)
I just planted two five foot tall apple trees in Central NY. Why would you recommend waiting until August to prune them? Why would you not want a flush of new growth on a young tree? Thanks for the really helpful video!
Sorry we didn't respond right away. You could either thin the little apples if they will be too heavy for the or leave them if it looks like the tree can handle the weight.
The principles are similar though once it gets as tall as you want, just take off any material you don't want. This might mean that you cut the top off at the same place each year. August would be a good time for summer pruning. There won't be fruit on the first year growth.
I"m living in MN (zone 4 B). I got some Asian pear trees. I watched a lot of clips about pruning. I'm confusing about that. What's different between summer pruning and winter pruning? which one for more fruit and which one for shape
I have a 4 month old nectarine and a 4 month old peach tree, they are grown indoors under lights, do I prune know at all? if not, at what age do I start pruning? Im going to plant them hopefully within 1-2 years on our land in Laramie, Wyoming. Thank You.
Hi I have a 3 to 4 years old MacIntosh apple tree and Im so scared to prune it. I watched your video and I still scared. I wished I had watch this earlier as its June's end and don't know if I should do any pruning now, but I think it needs it. I have one apple on my tree and its growing great. What do you think should I prune it a little now or wait til fall???
finally a good apple pruning video. very helpful and good detailed explanations, thank you so much.
+DKenUCLA // AMEN! You are right!
I watched two other orchard company videos and this one was the best by far. The cuts were clearly visible and Chuck explained in detail how and why they were done. I've got 8 apple trees that are roughly the same age and that made it more meaningful. Thanks for a great educational video, Chuck.
Thanks Chuck. This is the best pruning video on UA-cam that I have found so far. Very professional and clear info.
It was delightful, thanks. Nothing like pruning an apple tree to make me happy.
I like watching chuck he knows how to prune trees. Friendly guy
Out of all the videos I have browsed through, this one was easily to understand. Thank you. I recently joined a Community Garden that has about 3 young apple trees, that are not being taken care of, so I have stepped up to take care of them. Thank you.
Best of the 3-4 videos I've watched on this subject.
Never seen a beret arborist before lols must be the best of the best
I have watched many videos about the pruning of apple trees, this one summed up all of the positive points of the others. Thanks to you Chuck!
Very good job. Clearly shown maps of pruning system that it was new to me and I had not seen in any other pruning videos so well pictured! Thanks to you for your beautiful job. ❤👍👏
Thank you so much! Watched several videos and this is the only all encompassing straight forward tutorial for a total novice like me. This guy lays it out so it makes sense. Good editing too. This 8 minute education likely saved my young Granny Smith from my previously haphazard and clumsy pruning.
Most informative video I've seen yet! I've got a nice bushy apple tree and i've been dreading pruning it. didn't want to hurt the tree but after seeing this vid, I'm gonna try it this winter, God willing. Thank you for making this video
Good video, I'm doing a pruning job tomorrow just needed a quick refresher, very informitive. I sense the whole zen gardener, "one with nature"
nice!! i know this is 2 months late but, i hope everything went well with that job. I my self have recently purchase a small fuji apple tree and i arrived to this video because i believe i need to prune a some of the branches.
yeah went good, i did a big tree that hadn't been pruned in years, just wanted to only cut excess it was a big mess, i just put one in my yard recently too.
Jason Rotbergs
Glad it went well! You might keep an eye on the big tree and see if it sends out a bunch of water sprouts. For the ones in an area where you want to develop a new branch, weight them so they are at a 45 degree angle. Right after summer solstice prune off the ones you don't want. to keep.
thanks that was instructive and simple to understand - i have an allotment with several apple trees on it and they're all over the place -i think i shall at least have a bit more idea of what i'm doing now - so thanks once again -chris
Thanks Chuck, really helpful. Great video and graphics techniques, and good detail. I live in southern England and the winter hasn't been cold this year, so I may prune soon in case the buds on my five apple trees start sprouting early.
Thanks for that. We have an apple tree in the centre of our back garden that has not been pruned for 10 years and it's taking over the garden. We are going to attack the poor thing tomorrow with a pruning saw and secateurs. You have given us great pointers as to how to do it without harming the tree.
Thanks Chuck, you made it all sound so easy! Now I have to try and emulate what you have just shown me... hopefully I'll succeed : )
That was delightful and helpful! I have a couple young trees I need to prune soon
Yes this is one of the best of this kind I've seen. Good job!
Thank you for this clear explanation and very helpful video. I now feel confident about what to do when pruning my apple trees
Excellent & informative video, I would totally agree with Jaqueline in her comment below. I'm off to do my pruning now. Thanks Chuck
This was very instructive. The simple graphics were genius! I was able to stop the video, look at the graphics, and better understand the pruning process. I also agree with many of the other people's comments: It was simple, direct, and easy to follow. The video and Chuck's voice were very clear. Thank you!
Thank you, this was so helpful. I am getting some sweet delicious apple trees in a week or so. I know i have to spray and prune it. I never understood really what that all meant and why we had to do it. But after this video, i understand and now i know what i have to do when i get my tree's. Thank you for this informational video.
This is a good video, I've got some bare root trees being shipped soon. I already have other trees to prune. Very helpful video, thanks much.
This is perfect instruction for how to I can care for my two apple trees. They were about 5-6 ft tall in fall of 2017 when I planted them, I totally forgot to prune last winter and am excited to do so this winter.
I was told they may bear fruit the first year but that was a laugh. Hopefully pruning will help.
Thanks Chuck... I'm excited to prune my trees now.
Thanks very much! You presented a lot of good information in a very clear manner - I now have hope that I might not mess up my apple trees that are just now this age!
VERY helpful. I'll be pruning my trees for the first time this year. They are a couple seasons old. Thank you!
Thanks for you info.............missed my pruning class, but need to prune a young apple and peach tree I have on the property.
Thank you. Both delightful and I'm sure it will be helpful come late winter for my area. Great video.
Best pruning video I seen in youtube
thanks chuck straight forward feel confident to prune my tree
Finally understood the bud thing! Thanks!
Thanks Chuck. Concise and to the point.
Good tutorial Chuck!
Thank you for the tips!
Excellent guidance. Thank you
@usefulplants Ooooh, well that makes perfect sense. (I'm just starting up an organic farm and I'll be planting my first apple trees in a couple of weeks - obviously I know nothing about them yet! :) Thank you for your reply, Debbie!
Very informative and easy to follow. Thanks
Thank you for a great tutorial.
@Woodsummer1 The goal with this cut is to influence the height of the next higher set of scaffold branches. For a semi-dwarf apple, 15-18" is a good distance. If you really want the tree to grow to its maximum height, you could just not prune the leader. I (Debbie) prefer to have more of the branches lower where I can access the fruit!
Thank you for posting a very informative pruning video.
Thanks you for a very detailed and easy to follow tutorial...
Thank you for the info. It was very helpful.
Thanks -easy to understand, lots of useful information.
Awesome video. Very informative and
easy to understand.
Great video, thanks!
@MegaJim79 The limb will grow out from the bud, away from the branch it's on. So if you gently bend the branch up to the tree, it would be on the outside of the branch. Or you could think of it being on the bottom of the branch if the branch is horizontal.
Thank you very much from Serbia!
Great video. Very informative. Ty!
Great video, thank you.
We like to get scion wood from Fedco Trees. They have a great selection!
Very Helpful and informative thanks
Where we are, in the mountains of North Carolina, we wait until late winter - just before the trees break dormancy, but after the last of the hard freezes, to avoid additional die-back. In your area, it probably doesn't matter.
That was an excellent video, thanks.
Thanks Chuck...
I wish i found this video 4 months ago, but it'll help next year, tx in advance
@MegaJim79 Probably no way to know for sure. I (Debbie) bought both of them from UPN before I joined the nursery. The first (younger) tree is planted in my orchard and is a Wealthy apple. I'm 75% confident that is an M-7 rootstock. The second (older) tree is planted in my neighborhood garden and is a Goldrush. I know it's semi-dwarf, but I don't know its specific rootstock.
Thanks for the info
Very helpful. Thanks!
Thank you for the video very very helpful
Good Very clearly demonstrated
thank you!
Thanks!
Very informative. Thanks so much!!
Thank you.
@hsmuelle This video discusses pruning in the late dormant season, which will influence the new spring growth, so that's a good time to prune young trees. Early August is another good time to prune, especially for older trees, because the tree won't respond with a flush of new growth. I (Debbie) wouldn't prune in winter or spring, except to remove damaged or diseased wood.
Gratitude!
Thank you. Very helpful. I'm still scared of stuffing up the tree as I only have the one, and at two years old it only has three scaffold branches, but I'll give it ago. When winter comes.
Excellent thank you.
Thanks.
I am subscribing in the hope of more seeing tree pruning vids here. Possibly some emphasis on fruit trees. You are a stand-alone for a fine presentation, complete with good nomenclature. I didn't find a way to write to you directly, on your home page...
This is a really great video! Thank you so much! I do have a question though. I would like to know if I need to wait until all of the leaves have fallen off of the apple tree. I just planted this tree this past spring. I live in Central Texas, Zone 8 and our weather has been really goofy this year. We had a freeze a few weeks ago and the past couple of days have been in the 80s. Also we had a sever drought this past summer.
cute pruner.
It's April here in PA.. I need to prune them but have no idea what I am doing. Yikes.
Thanks for your help!
Very good prunning sir thanku
You'll need to watch the weather and see when the temperatures will remain above the mid-20s. Here that's usually mid-February. I guess that it will be about a month later in Minnesota.
Chuck, thanks for the video, I was looking for info on young apple trees as I think
the strategy is a bit different than a mature tree. I have seen some that say to be careful of the small spikes that will be the fruit bearing wood. Is this true of young trees too or is structure more important at this stage?
For the central leader method , would you cut the side branches to the 3rd bud from the central leader so that they are stronger branches that will all get enough light exposure ? Thanks so much !
Very informative, thank you. Now, if i want to keep the apple tree from growing very tall, is it wise to cut the central leader to the same height as the scaffold branches?
I have 3 baby apple trees in my yard, planted this spring. It is now late November and growing season looooong gone here in SE Minnesota. After watching this outstanding video I am eager to prune them. When is the best time to do this in SE Minnesota which is Hardiness Zone 4?
Great Video, I have a 6 foot tall Fuji Apple Tree, will I prune the same way as on the video? Also I live in zone 9. What is the best time of year to prune the tree? Thank you for the video
@MegaJim79 I think they're both M-7.
We prefer pruning in late winter or in summer. Avoid pruning in fall because it will encourage new growth at a time when the tree needs to be going into dormancy.
Thank You for this video. I'm sure it will help me a lot. We moved from WI 1.5 yrs ago down to east Texas. Everything I learned about *any* type of gardening has been turned upside down & I must re-learn all.
We put one each Red Delicious & a Granny Smith apple trees last year. They're about 6' tall now. I got severely ill & couldn't do much last year except water them. When do we prune these? Are they too young for fruit tree fert. spikes? Any other info tidbits please? Thanks VERY much!
It depends on what you are pruning. If you prune off a lot of second year wood it could reduce the amount of fruit produced. With these young trees growing so fast it's important to do that structural pruning so that they are strong enough to bear heavy loads when they are mature. Good tree structure will let the tree produce a lot more fruit over its lifetime than if you optimize for fruit during the first five years.
wow! very nice ...i do want to plant apple..very interested....can i buy scion wood ?
Greetings from Nova Scotia Canada! I have just planted 7 fruit trees ( apple, pear and plum) and although I am very pleased with the roots but a little concerned for the apparent wind damage to the young branches so they won’t start with a normal shape. My question would be how should I approach the pruning for the next few years?
I followed what you said about pruning to an outward facing bud, but instead of the new growth going outward, the bud nearest the cut still just keeps growing straight up doing the apical dominance thing.
Excellent video! One question though... why does Chuck cut the central leader back so much on the second tree? I didn't quite catch what that does for the tree or why you wouldn't want it to grow upwards as much as possible. Thanks! :)
I just planted two five foot tall apple trees in Central NY. Why would you recommend waiting until August to prune them? Why would you not want a flush of new growth on a young tree? Thanks for the really helpful video!
So, can I cut the central leader to encourage branches or will it stop growing upward if I do?
Sorry we didn't respond right away. You could either thin the little apples if they will be too heavy for the or leave them if it looks like the tree can handle the weight.
great video, thanks. Do I need to wait for the leaves to fall off before pruning?
Rod Templar yes. No fall pruning ever.
The principles are similar though once it gets as tall as you want, just take off any material you don't want. This might mean that you cut the top off at the same place each year. August would be a good time for summer pruning. There won't be fruit on the first year growth.
I"m living in MN (zone 4 B). I got some Asian pear trees. I watched a lot of clips about pruning.
I'm confusing about that.
What's different between summer pruning and winter pruning? which one for more fruit and which one for shape
I have a 4 month old nectarine and a 4 month old peach tree, they are grown indoors under lights, do I prune know at all? if not, at what age do I start pruning? Im going to plant them hopefully within 1-2 years on our land in Laramie, Wyoming. Thank You.
I just bought a 8 ft crab apple tree w little leaves but more apples on the tree what would u suggest me to do? Thank u sir
What do you do to prevent bark damage from rabbits and deer?
Hi I have a 3 to 4 years old MacIntosh apple tree and Im so scared to prune it. I watched your video and I still scared. I wished I had watch this earlier as its June's end and don't know if I should do any pruning now, but I think it needs it. I have one apple on my tree and its growing great. What do you think should I prune it a little now or wait til fall???