▷ Pruning columnar apple trees is a must! 5 steps

Do you think pruning columnar apple trees is unnecessary? Do not believe those who say that columnar apple trees grow straight like candles and there is no need to do anything to them. In this video I present the basic principles of pruning and show how to do it exactly:

In the article, read how columnar apple trees should be pruned when:

The apple trees are quite young;
Fruit trees are cultivated, have numerous tops and numerous lateral branches;
You want to form a straight and uniform hedge of apple trees;
You want to get a higher yield of apples.

PRUNING OF YOUNG COLONIAL APPLE TREES

Columnar apples are usually sold in the form of a straight whip. For example, here’s what the two young apple trees looked like that we planted in the fall in my friend’s yard:

They were purchased online from a nursery Tado’s farm. Two varieties of columnar apples were selected:

‘Uldis’ – this variety is classified as very easy to grow. Ripe fresh, sweet and sour apples. The fruits will be large, painted with beautiful red stripes. Apples of this variety can be tasted at the end of July;
The ‘Bolero’ apple tree produces particularly tasty, juicy, sweet and sour apples. The fruits are large, yellow with orange-red. The pulp is juicy, soft, does not become crumbly in the long run. Apples of this variety ripen in mid-September.

How to prune these apple trees? There’s no way. Let them adapt and grow.

How to plant columnar apple trees, I have already written and made a video report, so I will not expand it now, you can take a look here.

WHY ONLINE

Because it is very convenient: you don’t have to go anywhere and worry about how to bring the trees home safely. Just choose, order online and you’re done. The well-grown saplings arrive neatly and securely packaged in cardboard boxes, so there is no risk of branches breaking or the plant being damaged in any way during transit.

The fruit trees from the tadoukis.lt nursery arrive neatly and safely packaged in cardboard boxes. photo L. Lubertaitė

This is not the first time I have purchased fruit trees from the Tado farm nursery, so I am happy to publicize and share my experience: their website is hereand as packaged fruit trees were delivered to my garden last year, you can watch the video here.

By the way, I didn’t throw away the cardboard boxes: I tore them and covered the newly planted apple trees with them. I also spread some tree bark mulch on top. This year I see that cardboard no longer decomposes, so no further waste and no damage to nature!

PRUNING OF COLONIAL APPLE TREES IN SUBSEQUENT YEARS

Let’s go to my backyard. Many people have asked me how my columnar apple trees are doing, the planting of which I registered in 2017. So they have been growing in my garden for four years now – a great example to show how to prune columnar apple trees.

I distinguished 5 steps.

STEP 1 – LEAVE THE DOMINANT UP

The side branches sometimes become so strong and long that they compete with the upper part. Don’t let the tree doubt which branch to feed. If there are any that try to compete with the best, shorten them.

STEP 2 – LEAVE TRACKS THAT DO NOT DUPLICATE EACH OTHER

If there are too many branches in one place, they will not have the opportunity to receive the same amount of sun and air. If two branches go in the same direction and grow in pretty much the same place, they also duplicate, so it won’t be good for one or the other.

In such cases, we cut duplicate branches: we do not shorten them, but cut the entire branch or several.

STEP 3 – SHORTEN THE SIDE BRANCHES

Exactly how to prune columnar apple trees depends on the purpose for which you grow them:

When the goal is a straight columnar apple tree like a candle, we avoid branching and shorten all lateral branches. Some varieties are already programmed to branch more or less.
When the goal is a larger harvest, you can leave the side branches, simply shortening them. Because the more branches there are, the more fruit there will be on them. Just don’t leave the sides very long so that the fruit tree is proportionate and does not break under the weight of the fruit on one side.

HOW TO SHORTEN THE BRANCHES

Next year you’ll see side shoots sprout another branch or two from that spot. You will also shorten them by cutting above the second shoot.

STEP 4 – LOWER BRANCHES CAN BE CUT OUT FOR OLDER TREES

As the apple tree grows, it matures on higher and higher branches each year. If your apple trees are already several years old, they will no longer develop fruit on the lower branches. Therefore, you can safely cut those branches back to the trunk.

Nothing bad will happen if you leave them, maybe it’s more of an aesthetic issue.

A lower branch that will no longer bear fruit. photo L. Lubertaitė

STEP 5 – CHOOSE A PART OF THE APPLE STEM

This is not about pruning columnar apple trees, but this work is directly related to the health of the trees and a bountiful harvest.

If you want the fruits to be large, healthy and beautiful, you need to limit their number. In other words, you should not be afraid and simply collect some apple seeds. This work should not be done at the beginning of spring, but when the apple blossoms are already visible.

IF THE APPLE IS SICK AND DOES NOT DEVELOP WELL

It happened in my backyard too. A few years ago I planted a hedge of columnar apple trees. Out of 10 trees planted, one apple tree was not lucky. She was attacked more by parasites, she didn’t grow enough, she remained a child – apparently she was immediately weaker. This year it is clear that she has been attacked by cancer.

Therefore, it will not be possible to save it. You will have to say goodbye to this apple tree and plant something new in its place. Maybe it’s just a good opportunity to choose something new Tado’s farm websites?

We thank this nursery for its collaboration in the creation of the video story and this article. I hope that pruning columnar apple trees is no longer a problem for you and that you will do this job easily, simply and quickly in your garden.