pruning apple trees...
 

when pruning apple trees, some say 10% others say 15%, --now being i dont have pictures of trees in question this is a difficult ? to ask, how much do you take off, okay let give a lil info, these tress havnt had anything done to them in about 15 +/- yrs or so. there are some suckers (on some) that are about 10 - 12 ft in height, do you take off suckers first or just some. at a time. for example two of them are roughly 12 ish feet in diameter, @ top with limbs and leaves. the majority of tree is/has taken over by suckers. Do these need to be all cut? ---other question is, what happens when you over prune the tree? thanks for any help( which is greatly needed :))

RE: pruning apple trees...
 

Try these links:

http://www.eap.mcgill.ca/CPTFP_7.htm

http://www.gardenaction.co.uk/fruit_...r_2d_apple.asp

http://www.doityourself.com/fruits/prune_apples.htm

http://hgic.clemson.edu/factsheets/HGIC1351.htm

They should give you a good basis to start.

Dan O.

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RE: pruning apple trees...
 

Early; load one of your pictures, click on it with your right button and left click on properties. It will give you the file size. Otherwise; just check the directory in Windows Explorer and click Details on the View tab.

I usually have to go to a photo program and lower the size and resolution to make them fit.

Dan O.

RE: pruning apple trees...
 

Dan O, thanks for the links. went and checked out a couple of them. one was extremely helpfull. Gives me a better idea on what im getting into. thnaks again. As soon as i can get a few pics of trees --to show before and after. thnks.:D

RE: pruning apple trees...
 

Try these links. They should show what you're asking for:

http://ssfruit.cas.psu.edu/chapter4/chapter4f.htm

http://www.ext.vt.edu/pubs/treefruit...1/422-021.html

http://www.personal.psu.edu/staff/m/...e-pruning.html

I'll attach some more if I find anything better.

Dan O.

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RE: pruning apple trees...
 

Early Riser; I'd like to see some of your work. Try the following after you load some select photos in Microsoft Photo Editor:

Reduce the resolution and resize the image

1. On the File menu, click Properties.
2. In the Resolution box, enter the number you want.

If the image will be printed by a computer printer, a resolution of 150 pixels per inch usually works best.
If the image is intended only for monitor display (in a PowerPoint presentation, for example), a resolution of 96 pixels per inch usually works best.

3. Click OK.
4. On the Image menu, click Resize.
5. Enter the width and height you want or the percentage of the original size.

I just check the properties by right clicking on the image until I know that it's an acceptable size. Save with a new name in another directory to keep these modified files separate.

Dan O.

RE: pruning apple trees...
 

Welcome back Larry -

How was your hunting season this fall at Crabapple? I had read in Woody's forum that alot of yours and your nieghbor's plots didn't do well last summer?

If you'd like a free picture hosting site - try Photobucket.com - I've been real happy with it so far - and it does not cost a cent. You can upload dozens of pictures to the site - and then insert the picture into your post - with [img]

like this



Take care -
Sean

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RE: pruning apple trees...
 

Looks great ER - I suspect we'll see a bunch of pictures from you - I'm looking forward to seeing them.

Your crabapples are neat - we do not have any that look like that -

Our apples are from old orchards and "wild apples" - from the cow pastures of the 50's. We literally have thousands of trees - some apples are sweet - some sour. The apple in the picture is probably an old Macintosh or similar variety - Its old enough that it was probably planted. I know some are this variety - in the same orchard are a couple trees we call "pound sweet" - the apples from these trees get HUGE. Also - there are Northern Spies in the old orchards. We get some yellow apples that I think are an old variety. I'm not sure - but assume the wild varieties are cross-bred versions. Most of our apple trees have not been pruned in 30+ years

You can "edit" your post - but I don't think you can delete. What I do is "edit" it - top right corner of post - and delete the lines - and Write In - "duplicate post".

There may be another way - but I'm not sure.

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RE: pruning apple trees...
 

Great pictures Early Riser. Those crab apple trees are loaded. I assume that they turn red when ripe? It's also nice to see that you've got mature oaks on the property. I'm kind of envious of the equipment and size of trees that you're putting in. Most of mine are bare root seedlings. The soil looks kind of clayey, are you mixing any top soil in the backfill when you plant the trees? Do you mulch or just keep the weeds down with herbicides? Are there any Persimmons or Sawtooth Oaks in your plans?

My apple trees are much more like Farm Hunter's. Old farm trees and wild trees that have sprung up. Keep up the pictures.

Dan O.

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RE: pruning apple trees...
 

wow, those are some cool pics, thnks for posting. keepthem coming. im hoping that within the next couple of days when weather calms down--rain and ice, lil snow showers--i can go pick up digital camera, even with all of links that have been sent, there are questions i have but without an actuall pic of tree to use as reff. its kinda hard to ask. so hopefully will be able to get posted soon. thnks agin to everyone.:)

RE: pruning apple trees...
 

Earl Riser; thanks for the reply and info. That must be some kind of club that you have set up. I guess it's different in our area where it's almost unheard of to lease land for hunting. You definitely appear to be doing things right.

When the first Sawtooth Oaks bear harvest the seed before the deer get it. If you use that as your seed stock you should be able to develop an early bearing strain that is adapted to your location.

PS; I agree, keep the pictures coming.

Dan O.

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RE: pruning apple trees...
 

Early Riser; I was just wondering about the scale that you're working on. How big is the property and how many members does it have?

Dan O.

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RE: pruning apple trees...
 

hey early, what size is that food plot? anyone have ideas on how to attract turkeys away from 200 acres of cut corn field/ they are hanging out about a mile from the house, i want them in the woods behind the house come spring, but they seem to like that cut-over field awfully well, i believe it will be just about impossible to draw them away. i plan on planting down an area about 1000-1200sf. Dan O., any idea if you can graft different fruit tree species, and have them bear fruit? i transplanted some wild apple trees last year, about 10" tall, hoping the produce this year. my daughter wants pears. i don't know if a pear tree can take vt winters, but thought of buying a couple, and grafting them to the apple next winter. someone thought that since they are both fruit trees, it may work. the apple trees range in height from 8-11' or so, some had blossoms last year, about 2"+/- in diameter. by the way, hand digging a wild apple tree that size really stinks, in case anyone cares, lol.
Pat

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RE: pruning apple trees...
 

VT; I don't believe that you can graft pears on to apple stock. Most types of apple will work. You can graft other closely related species on the same rootstock such as nectarines and peaches, most citrus, but not pears onto apples. I'm growing pears in zone 5b so you should be able to find a hardy variety that can handle your area. There are a few tricks that you can use to help trees that are the edge of their growing area: plant on the north side of a hill, avoid frost pockets, keep grass and other vegetation growing under the trees in the fall, fertilize with high P & K fertilizers in the fall, don't over prune.

I'll see if I can find a few hardy varieties for you.

Dan O.

RE: pruning apple trees...
 

VT; I was wrong. You can graft apples and pears on the same tree. It was done in an experiment where they used a second type of plant stock in between the apple root stock and the pear. It isn't a normal practice.

http://lists.ibiblio.org/pipermail/n...ry/002051.html

Hardy varieties:

http://www.grandislenursery.com/ListFruitTrees.htm
http://www.cumminsnursery.com/pear.htm
http://www3.sympatico.ca/galetta/tab...ruittrees.html
http://www.extension.umn.edu/distrib...applepear.html
http://www.jeffriesnurseries.com/market.htm


Flemish Beauty can handle -40 F.

Dan O.