What's the best time to prune an apple tree?
I have an apple tree in my yard that's been pretty neglected and I don't know when I should prune it. I want to do it right so it keeps giving good apples next year without me killing off any branches.
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★ Best answer
What you don't want to do is prune in the middle of summer or when there's a risk of frost, because the plant gets stressed and open wounds get infected easily. The best time is late winter, when the worst of the cold has passed but before spring growth starts, so the tree has time to heal before it leafs out. Remove the dead branches, the ones that cross each other, and open up the center a bit so light gets in; you don't need to go too aggressive, better to prune less than more.
It's not that big of a deal if it's neglected, apple trees are pretty tough. Heavy pruning is best done between July and August here in the southern hemisphere (or February-March if you're in the north), when the tree is dormant but before the strongest frosts - which is the opposite of what was mentioned above. If you prune in deep winter with frosts after, the wounds freeze and rot; better to do it when some warmth starts coming back but the tree hasn't fully woken up yet.
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