Apple tree pruning?

[sandspider]

Hi all

I've got a small mixed orchard, planted about 5 years ago, mainly on MM106 rootstocks. I've lightly pruned the trees, but think I need to do a heavier prune. Below is a photo of the largest and most unruly tree! I know to prune dead, diseased, dying, then any crossing branches, and can do that. However, to get it to the open goblet shape I think I'm aiming for, I think it needs more. Marked in red is what I think would be about right (cutting back the longer sections so we can reach the apples on the remaining branches and opening the middle a bit) and marked in green is what I'm toying with doing for a harder cut back and to guide the tree more towards the goblet shape.

Does anyone have any thoughts on this? The green option looks quite drastic, but might be worth doing to get the tree into a better shape for the future...

Thanks.

[nickdub]

You can't go too far wrong, taking the new growth back by a bit, as you have indicated with your red marks.

If you want to open up the centre, then the branch that appears to go straight up from the trunk needs to be taken out. Not easy to be sure of this from a photo, as it could be that the branch is actually splayed out on the far side of the tree and just look to be going up in 2D.

If you can fit an imaginary large beach ball into the goblet of branches you are heading the right way :-)


Cheers

Nick

[ameno]

Yeah, I'd just remove that tall central branch to the green line, and then all of the others just to the red lines.

[Babru]

I like the imaginary beachball suggestion nickdub. I have one newish apple I'm trying to train, and I look at it and wonder what I'm doing....this will help.

[sandspider]

Thanks Nick and all. I will get out my imaginary beach ball and see where I can fit it in! The pic is deceptive, there are two large branches going straightish up.

I think a more serious cut is in order.