Pruning advice needed for a Dwarf Apple (Ambrosia)

[rdi]

I bought it last winter bare root. I cut the tips upon planting, but think I should have gone lower to make it spread more.

Should I prune it now (beginning of May)? A or B? Thanks.

 

[Meadowlark]

If it were mine, I would wait until late next winter and prune for an open center.

 

[cpp gardener]

Cut everything down to 3' or waist high to a bud facing away from the big branch on the left. Cut that one shorter than the main trunk by about 4" to a bud facing away from the top bud. Remove the branch opposite of that branch. Cut the lowest big branch below the tuft of new growth to a bud facing away from the trunk. Remove the littlest branches.
You should end up with a tree with 2 main branches now and expect a new upper branch that gives you 3 branches growing away from each other that will be your scaffold branches that all new growth comes from. remove any new sprouts that come off the trunk. Fruit should be easy to pick while standing on the ground - no ladders to fall off of.

 

[rdi]

Thank you for the detailed plan. I assume the suggestion is to prune now and not wait for winter?

 

[cpp gardener]

Yes, do it now.

 

[Mr_Yan]

I don't prune fruit trees at all the first year of transplanting. I bought into the idea that pruning them will trigger green growth as the plant tries to replace what was lost. Right now you want the energy and sugars from the leafs going into making roots.

Prune it a few weeks before snow is gone over the winter.

You will have to watch it and keep it well watered this first summer.

 

[Meadowlark]

Yes, right on Mr. Yan.

Winter is best for pruning a bare root first year tree. No way it would survive a pruning right now in Texas facing 5 months of heat without a root system and some foliage to generate energy...but maybe in CA it would have a chance.

 

[cpp gardener]

Easy, peasy either place as long as it gets water. This is typical commercial orchard practice. It establishes a balanced scaffold structure. The cuts will be smaller now and heal faster.
And the OP is in California.

 

[Meadowlark]

I disagree. Taking out the foliage from a recently planted bare root tree facing months of summer heat is a recipe for disaster! That foliage is desperately needed now to help establish a viable root system.

 

[cpp gardener]

Surprisingly the tree has the capacity to, you know.... grow new ones! And they usually do.

 

[Meadowlark]

That is the whole point...That "capacity" comes from very limited reserves in a newly planted bare root tree without root system. That foliage is critical for establishing a root system that will carry it through a long summer. Use up those reserves by pruning now and asking the plant to replace them is asking for trouble with a capital "T". Disaster waiting to happen.

Much safer to wait until dormancy ...and really there is absolutely nothing to be gained by doing it now.

 

[cpp gardener]

The tree lost 60% or more of its root system when it was dug up for barerooting. This would balance the top with the reduced root system.

 

[cpp gardener]

I’ve done this literally hundreds (possibly thousands, I lost track years ago) of times and the trees grow very vigorously and are quite productive within 2 years.

 

[rdi]

Thank you for your responses. Both opinions have sound parts to them. I ultimately followed the cpp gardener advice and pruned now. The arguments to decrease the top of the tree to match the smaller roots and not waste growth only to be cut in the winter made sense to me.

Here is the result, I cut the tree in the middle (between A and B in the original post). Please let me know your thoughts. On the right I grafted another apple variety for fun, to see if I am successful.

 

[rdi]

My graft died, I tried again with a scion that has only dormant buds.