Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
open hooks at both ends work well for this procedure and are available com-
mercially. Simply hook one end of the wire to the outer portion of the branch,
pull it down, and hook the other end of the wire to the trunk. Weights also
work well, but they take more time to fasten to the trees. Some growers
prefer to tie the branches down to stakes set into the ground. By bending
down the branches, you prevent them from developing into competing lead-
ers and induce early fruiting, which is critical for maintaining desirable tree
vigor. The goal is to produce fruit by the second year and production should
become substantial in years 3 and 4. Do not, however, sacrifice early leader
growth at the expense of fruit production. The trunk should reach the top
wire by the third growing season. Filling in the side branches may take a
year or two more. Continue developing new fruiting branches as the trees
grow taller.
HOW TO PRUNE ESTABLISHED TALL SPINDLE
TREES
Pruning established trees involves three steps for most apple varieties,
plus a fourth step for 'Gala'.
1.
Prune off the leader at the optimum height by making a thinning
cut at a small side branch. The optimum height is 90 percent of
the row width; for example, 9 feet tall for 10-foot-wide rows and
10 feet tall for 11-foot-wide rows.
2.
Prune off the two largest branches along the trunk. These
branches will typically be
⁄
4
to 1 inch in diameter. It does not
3
matter which branches you remove or where they are located.
By removing these large branches, we remove unwanted sec-
