An apple tree left to its own devices will still crop, but it will slowly turn into a tangled thicket. Branches rub against one another, the centre fills with dead twigs, and light struggles to reach the fruit. The result is smaller, duller apples, more disease, and a tree that is a misery to pick from. A little annual pruning solves all of that. Do it properly and you will be rewarded with an open, airy framework, healthier foliage, and a far more generous crop of well-coloured fruit.
The trick that catches most gardeners out is this: apples need pruning twice a year, and the two jobs do completely different things. Winter pruning shapes the tree and encourages growth. Summer pruning calms it down and encourages fruit. Get the balance right and your tree will thank you for years.
Do your main structural work between November and early March, while the tree is dormant. Avoid pruning during a hard frost, when the wood is brittle and the cuts may not seal well. The goal is an open, goblet-shaped frame with a clear centre, so air moves freely and sunlight reaches every branch. A useful rule of thumb is that you should be able to lob a flat cap through the middle of a mature tree without it catching.
Start by standing back and looking before you cut anything. Then work through these in order:
Always cut just above an outward-pointing bud, angling the cut slightly away from it, so the new shoot grows away from the centre of the tree. Take out whole branches rather than leaving stubs, which die back and let rot in.
By late July, your tree will be covered in long, whippy shoots made earlier in the season. Left alone, these produce leaves and shade rather than apples. Summer pruning diverts the tree's energy into swelling the fruit and ripening the wood, and it also helps control size — vital if you grow cordons, espaliers or stepovers.
Wait until the base of the new shoots has begun to firm up and turn woody, usually from late July to the end of August. Take each new side shoot that is growing directly from a main branch and shorten it to three or four leaves above the cluster of fruit buds at its base. Leave the leading shoot at the tip of each branch alone, unless it has outgrown its allotted space. If secondary shoots then sprout from your cuts during September, nip those back to a single leaf.
On a bush or standard tree, you do not need to summer-prune every shoot — concentrate on the ones crowding the centre and any growing strongly on the upper side of branches. On trained forms, do the lot. It takes an hour or two, and the difference to both fruit size and colour is remarkable.
Most garden apples, including familiar cooking and dessert varieties, are spur-bearers: they crop on short, stubby spurs produced on wood two years old and older. These respond beautifully to the routine above.
A minority, such as some older dessert varieties, are tip-bearers, cropping at the ends of last year's shoots. If you shorten every shoot on one of these in winter, you cut off your crop. Tip-bearers need a lighter touch — thin out crowded branches and remove dead wood, but leave the young shoots to fruit. If you are unsure which you have, prune lightly for a season and watch where the blossom appears.
Sharp tools make clean cuts, and clean cuts heal. You need a good pair of bypass secateurs for twigs up to a finger's thickness, long-handled loppers for the middle range, and a pruning saw for anything thicker than your wrist. Clean the blades with a dab of methylated spirit between trees, especially if you have been working on anything with canker.
Pruning is one of those jobs that feels daunting until you have done it once. Take your time, keep the centre open, and remember that an apple tree is remarkably forgiving. A tidy winter shape and a light summer trim will keep your tree productive for decades — and there is no better reward than a bowl of your own apples in October.
Gate & Furrow shares practical, down-to-earth guidance on british kitchen gardening and allotment growing for readers across the UK.
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