CANOPY MANAGEMENT IN APPLE

Introduction:

• It has been stated that the limiting factor in the productivity of an apple tree is the
shade it casts upon itself.

• Equally important in high-density plantings is the shade of adjacent trees.

• Intensive studies (Heinicke 1964, 1975) have shown that there are distinct light
zones within an apple tree (fig).

• To quote Heinicke, "A layer of fruit and foliage on the outside surface of the tree
receives a high proportion of the available light far in excess of tree requirements. A
second layer further down has adequate light, and a third layer or core in the center of
the tree has insufficient light for the production of quality fruit. The solution to greater
productivity lies in eliminating the unproductive area of inadequate light, which will
improve the overall efficiency of that area of the orchard occupied by a tree."

Fig: Light penetration into canopy of a large apple tree.

• The zone that receives less than 30 percent full sunlight is less fruitful and produces
smaller fruits

• The two most important factors in determining the percentage of the total leaf surface
that receives inadequate sunlight are tree size and tree shape.

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 • In the light distribution studies mentioned (Heinicke 1964, 1975), the shaded,
unproductive area decreased as tree size decreased.

• Canopy management is one of many factors that affect tree size, and size can be
controlled by pruning only within rather definite limits.

• The other factors are: interaction of rootstock, cultivar, soil, fertilization and cropping
and the precise control of tree size requires an appropriate combination of all these
variables.

Pruning and training are the two important canopy management aspects for deciduous trees.

Trees are trained into several growth forms:

• Bush trees

Standards

Half-Standards

• Dwarf bush

• Restricted forms:

Espaliers

Cordons

Pyramid

Spindle bush

Stepovers

Standards:

• Tallest trees with a clear trunk upto 2m height.

• Longest to come to fruit and can be hard to pick.

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 • Propagated on a seedling rootstock.

• They reach full size in 10 to 12 years with a height and spread (crown diameter) of 20
to 25 feet.

• Standard trees usually begin to bear in 5 to 6 years.

Half Standards:

• A free standing tree, with a straight, clear trunk of about 1.35m height.

• Because plant growth occurs at the tip of its branches, the trunk height remains the
same through its the life so a half standard fruit tree will ultimately be about 4 metres
tall (around 1.35m trunk plus about 2.5m head) and 3 metres wide.

• They are easy to pick than a standard.

Dwarf Bushes:

• Smaller than half-standard.

• Have a clear trunk of 75cm height.

• Dwarf fruit trees are perfect when space is limited.

• Provide an abundance of full-size fruit that can be picked without using a ladder.

• Dwarf trees tend to bear fruit sooner than their larger counterparts.

• Spraying, pruning, and harvesting can be performed from the safety of the ground.

Restricted Forms

1. Espaliers:

• Formal wall trained trees with horizontal arms coming from a main stem.

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 • They require little pruning once established and are attractive in blossom and fruit and
architecture during winter.

• MM106 is most suitable for small apple trees with three or four tiers but M26 can also
be used

• MM111 is best for large apple trees or poor soil.

Planting and initial training

• Firstly you need to establish a training system against a wall or fence. Erect horizontal
wires 35-45cm (15-18in) apart between posts, or straining ‘eyes’ on walls or fences.

• Trees should be planted 3.75m-6m (12-20ft) apart, according to their vigour.

• Pruning an unfeathered maiden (one-year-old tree with no sideshoots)

• When planting an unfeathered maiden, cut back the main stem to 30cm (1ft) from the
ground

• Allow the top three buds to grow out in spring, train the top one vertically up a cane,
the others two to canes at 45 degrees to the main stem. In November, lower them
carefully until they are horizontal, tying them in with soft twine

• Cut back the vertical stem to within 45cm (18in) or the lower arms, leaving two buds
to form the next horizontal layer and the top bud to form the new leader. If growth is
weak, prune back the horizontal branches by one-third to downward facing buds

• The following year train the second tier in the same way as the first. Cut back
competing growths on the main stem and sideshoots from the horizontal arms back to
three leaves above the basal cluster

• Repeat the process until the trees have produced their final tier and grown
horizontally to fill their allotted space. Then allow two shoots to grow, tie them to the
top wire and cut them back to within 2.5cm (1in) of their base the following winter

• Remove the blossom in spring, for the first three years, so all of the energy goes into
plant growth.

How to prune established espaliers

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 • Trees should be pruned annually as growth slows down in August.

• Cut back sideshoots growing from the horizontal leaders to three leaves from the
basal cluster, 7.5cm (3in) long. Shoots from previously pruned sideshoots should be
cut back to one leaf from the basal cluster, 2.5cm (1in) long

• If any secondary growths arise after this pruning, cut them back to the base in
September. Sideshoots on the vertical stem are best removed completely

• If there are large amounts of immature or secondary growth when cordons are pruned
in August, delay pruning until mid-September. If this does not reduce secondary
growth, prune in winter instead using the same method

2. Cordons:

• Wall or wire trained trees grown as a single upright or oblique stem or as multiple
upright stems gaining from a single leg at the base.

• They are easier to prune and train than an espalier.

• They crop early and allow several trees to be grown in a small space.

• Cordon fruit trees are simply trees grown as a single stem, with all the fruit swelling
on short laterals immediately off this central stem.

Cordons are normally grown at a 45-degree angle for the simple reason that this increases the
length of the stem, and hence fruits, at picking height.

Support system, planting & initial pruning

• The best time for planting cordons is in winter. Use one-, two- or three-year-old
cordons.

• Use M27 rootstock (extremely dwarfing) or M9 rootstock (very dwarfing) for apples
where the soil is fertile; otherwise, use M26 rootstock (dwarfing).

Support system

• Cordons need a permanent support system made up of three horizontal wires 60cm
(2ft) apart with the lowest wire 30cm (1ft) from the ground. If planting against a wall
or fence, fix the wire using straining eye bolts that will let the wire be fixed not less

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 than 10cm (4in) away from the structure to allow for air circulation. Keep the wire
taught with straining bolts available from fencing suppliers. Use a sturdy 2.5mm, gage
12 galvanised wire.

• If using posts, the posts should protrude 1.8m (6ft) from the ground with about 60cm
(2ft) below ground, spaced 2.2-3.5m (7-12ft) apart. The end post should be strutted.
Fix bamboo canes diagonally to the wires for the trees to be trained on.

• Plant trees at an angle of 45 degrees. If planting more than one cordon, space at 60-
90cm (2-3ft) apart. The wider spacing within the row is for infertile, shallow or sandy
soils. Tie the cordon to the diagonal bamboo cane fixed to the wire support with a soft
string. Cordons can be allowed to reach a height of about 1.5-2m (5-6½ft) so take that
into consideration when planting.

• After planting, cut back all laterals (side shoots) longer than 10cm (4in) to three buds,
leaving the leader and any short laterals unpruned.

How to prune and train a cordon

Summer pruning an oblique cordon (at 45 degrees)

• Summer pruning is carried out in August, or in areas where growth is strong, such as
wet parts of the country, delay summer pruning until September when a large terminal
(end) bud has formed at branch tips and the tree has stopped growing.

• Look for sideshoots over 22cm (9in) long (length of a pair of secateurs), which grew
earlier in the summer directly from the main stem, and cut them back to three leaves
beyond the basal cluster (cluster of leaves at the base of the current season’s growth).
Those stems that grew from existing sideshoots or spurs can be pruned harder - to just
one leaf beyond the basal cluster

• Leave shoots less than 15-22cm (6-9in) long until mid-September and then shorten to
one leaf beyond the cluster of leaves at the base

• Prune any growth that forms after summer pruning in September (or October if
pruning later). Prune to one leaf beyond the last cut

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 • Tie the leading shoot ('leader') in to the support until it reaches the required length.
Thereafter, prune it back and treat subsequent growth as for other laterals

• When the cordons reach the top wire they may be lowered from 45 degrees to not less
than 35 degrees (as there is less risk of the stem breaking) in early spring. This will
increase the length of stem, and so the amount of fruit produced. Again, once the
cordon has reached the top of the support, prune it back in late summer and treat
subsequent growth as for other laterals

• Winter pruning oblique cordons

• Neither the leader nor side shoots are normally pruned in the winter, except where the
tree has grown a lot since summer pruning or you need to renovate a neglected tree

• Over time the spur system can become over-long or complicated. Remove older and
unproductive sections of the spurs. Occasionally rejuvenate the spur system by
pruning back to a stub 3-5cm (1-2in) of the main stem cutting above a well-placed
dormant bud

3. Pyramids:

• These are small, neat cone-shaped trees, about 2-2.4m (6½-8ft) tall, with branches
starting about 60cm (2ft) from the ground; they come into fruit earlier than a half-
standard and are easy to pick.

4. Spindle Bush:

 These are small trees about 2-2.4m (6½-8ft) tall, roughly cone shaped, with branches starting
about 60cm (2ft) from the ground; they come into fruit earlier than a half-standard and are
easy to pick.

5. Stepovers:

These are horizontal cordons on a short leg; they can only be grown in fertile soils,
and need staking their whole lives; they make nice edging to kitchen garden plots.

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• The stepover apple (horizontal cordon) is a modified training method of the oblique
cordon. It is best suited for spur-fruiting apple trees.

• It is necessary to start training on very young trees. Choose a maiden whip that is
supple and can be bent over. A maiden whip is a one-year-old tree with either no side
branches or only sparsely branched. The main stem must not have been pruned to
encourage branching.

• Make sure that the selected cultivar is grafted onto a M27 rootstock. Although M9
and M26 rootstocks are suitable for conventional cordon training, they would be too
vigorous for stepover training.

• When selecting a cultivar, bear in mind that most apples are not self-pollinating and
you may need to plant two different cultivars unless a suitable pollination tree is
growing nearby.

How to train stepover apple tree:

• Train a stepover in the following way;

• Prepare a single tier support using robust posts, at least 60cm (2ft) long spacing them
1.5-2m (5-6½ft) apart. Fix to the posts a tightly-stretched horizontal wire suspended
45cm (18in) from the ground

• In winter, plant the maiden whip next to the post and tie the tree to it. If more
stepovers are planted in a row allow 1.5-2m (5-6½ft) between trees

• In spring, start gradually and carefully bending the tree towards the horizontal wire.
Tie the stem to the wire at several places to distribute the pressure and ensure it bends
evenly

• The gradual bending of the stem may take the whole growing season

• In summer, shorten any laterals (side branches) that develop from the main stem to
three leaves

• Do not prune the leader until it reaches the desired length, then prune just above a bud

• The subsequent summer and winter pruning is the same as for a single,
oblique cordon

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 • If the growth becomes more bushy and vigorous at the bent trunk end of the tree, an
additional winter thinning may be necessary around that part

Problems

• Stepover apples suffer from the same pest and disease problems as more
conventionally grown trees. These include codling moth, apple canker, apple
scab, brown rot and powdery mildew.

Notes:

• Apples are grown on rootstocks which influence the ultimate size of the tree, the age
at which it produces fruit and its yield.

• M27 is extremely dwarfing and good for dwarf pyramids, spindlebush or stepovers, in
pots or small gardens.

• M9 is used for similar purposes as M27.

• M26 and MM106 are good rootstocks for small to medium sized gardens.

• MM111 and M25 are for standard trees only and are rather too vigorous for most
sites.

TRAINING

Training of Standard Trees

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First year summer pinching:

• The scaffold are selected at equal distance with the lowest branch 30-60cm above the
ground and the others are spaced vertically at 10-15 cm apart.

• The growth of retained scaffold may be encouraged by depressing the growth of other
shoots by pinching the top 3-5cm of other shoots.

• Summer pinching is done from mid-April to mid-May or when the shoots are 10-
20cm long.

First year dormant pruning:

• Done in winter following the first summer growth.

• Three scaffold at equal distance should be selected preferably with a vertical spacing
of 10-20cm.

• The primaries are headed back to achieve a balance in growth among them.

• 2 good limbs available may be headed back to 45cm from the trunk to suppress their
development until a third scaffold can be selected at the end of second growing
season.

• Cut the laterals back to 1 bud and differ scaffold selection until the next year. Such
trees will generally grow vigorously and will benefit by summer pinching during the
second growing season.

Second year dormant pruning:

• In second dormant season, 5 to 7 secondary branches per tree, usually two on each
primary scaffold are selected.

• These secondaries are directed partially outward.

• New growth from such branches will fill in laterally giving the tree a well shaped
framework.

• Secondary limbs should be left full length until it is necessary to maintain balance
with the primaries or other secondaries.

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 • If the primary scaffold branches are over vigorous, it can be retarded by heading back
to balance with the rest of the tree.

Most trees will produce short laterals and spurs during the second year and these should not
be immediately removed as these provide shade and some early fruit.

Third year dormant pruning:

• This consists of thinning and removal of unwanted branches and cutting others to
desirable side lengths.

• During the third growing season, secondary branches often form fruit spurs, but, on
young trees, fruit buds may be found at the tip of unpruned shoots.

Fourth year dormant pruning:

• By this time, training has been largely completed.

• The trees should be thinned out and the remaining branches cut to side limbs.

• A moderate number of small shoots should be left in the centre of the tree for fruit
bearing wood.

• Adequate thinning out of branches and fruiting wood will maintain a well distributed
bearing area throughout the tree and reduce excessive spread and breaking of
branches. By fifth summer after planting, most apple varieties produce enough crop to
be considered a bearing orchard.

Training of Dwarf Trees

Spindle bush, dwarf pyramids, palmates, head and spread and cordon methods are followed
for training dwarf trees. Head and spread system for central leader tree is also adopted for
moderate and ultra high density planting. Spindle bush is found to be the most suitable
method.

In this case, one year old apple plants are cut back to a bud of about 60cm above the ground.

First summer pruning:

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 • At this time, 2 to 3 laterals 30cm from the base may be used to form the main scaffold
branches.

• Such laterals should have a wide angle with the main stem and should be spaced at
equidistance around it. The vigorous growing laterals re tied down in August.

• The ties can be removed after leaf fall or left tillthe following summer.

They should be tied so that theya re straight, not arched, otherwise strong vertical shoots will
arise from the top of the arc.

First winter pruning:

• Two or three well spaced laterals should be retained and unwanted branches arising
on the main stem should be removed.

• The scaffold banches may be cut back by one-third to half of their length to a outward
growing bud if the growth is weak, otherwise the main branches should not be pruned.

• The vigorous upright growing shoots arising directly below the shoot forming leader
and competing with it should be cut.

Second summer growth:

During the third summer, spindle bushes may carry a fruit. During August of the
second year, suitable laterals are tied down to form branches.

Second winter pruning:

To check excessive vigour of the central leader, it may again be cut back to the next
suitably placed, rather weaker growing lateral which is tied and trained to take the place of
the central leader.

Delaying pruning until late winter or early spring will also help in checking vigour.

Subsequent growth and pruning:

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 • Branches are allowed to grow from the central leader at regular intervals choosing
wide angled shoots.

• To allow sufficient light to reach the lower parts of the tree, the higher placed
branches must be kept shorter than the lower ones.

• The main branches should be so trained and spaced that there is plenty of room for
fruiting laterals for the same reason, they should not be allowed to fork.

• The branches should be spread to about 45 degree angle to the trunk for the
development of strong scaffold limbs. When the growth of the leader in comparison
with the lower branches is too vigorous, it is best to prune the central stem back to a
weaker lateral and train it as a replacement.

Pruning:

• When the pruning of bearing trees is done, the main purpose is to maintain a proper
balance between vegetative growth and fruit production. An ideal mature tree should
produce atleast 23cm of new terminal growth each year. Thus, the tree increases and
maintains its fruiting area while producing satisfactory annual crops. The trees
receiving regular pruning require light thinning and cutting of the terminal branches to
latrelas.

• This prevents the tree from getting too high for economical spraying and picking
operations.

• The center of the tree should be kept fairly open to impart better colour to the fruits. If
this is not practised for several years, it is best to thin out surplus branches over a
period of two or more seasons. Heavy pruning will encourage vegetative growth and
expose scaffold branches to sunburn damage. Old bearing trees producing small fruits
will benefir from heavy pruning which stimlates new shoots and fruiting spurs. The
larger pruning wounds should be protected by covering with bordeaux paste and
bordeaux paint.

• In standard trees, start pruning from the top of te tree and work downwards.

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 • The upward growing limbs should be cut back to strong laterals. Remove the
crowding branches and thin the remaining limbs, keaving the vigorous wood well
spaced along the lentgh of the limbs.

• Remove diseased, dried and broken branches. Remove large limbs if growing parallel
and crowding other limbs. While making large cuts, direct sunlight should not
sunscald remaining exposed branches. Remove all water sprouts exceptneeded ones.

• While removing a thick side branch, the first cut should be made on the under side of
the limb where the weakest wood occurs.

• Thin out the interferinf branches growing upward from the top of the limbs. Divert
branches to open areas by pruning back to desirable laterals. In dwarf trees, once the
central leader has reached its alooted height height of 2.5m, the extesion growth
should be cut back each year to a weaker side branch.

• The strong growing shoots and branches towarsd the top of the tree should be
removed completely.

• Renewal pruning of the fruiting branches lower down should be carried out each year
for maintainign the vegetative growth and fruit quality in the lower part of the tree.

• Lower branches should not br heavily haded by branches higjer up and some of them
must be completely removed.

• A stub should be left ehile cutting back branches to the main stem so that regrowth of
the moderately vigorous fruitful bud is encouraged.

• Avoid removing too many branches. When the main branches lose vigour, these can
be stimulated by pruning.

• Ist dormant pruning: gives shape

• 2nd dormant pruning: 3rd summer pruning.

Pruning 1st year apple trees:

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 restricted forms like espaliers, cordons, fans, pyramids and spindle bushes are
managed with summer pruning, although winter pruning is used initially in their formative
growth.

Winter pruning (when trees are dormant) between leaf fall and bud burst i.e., November to
March.

Winter pruning Apples:

This depends on whether the tree fruits on spurs or towards tips of shoots made in the
previous summer.

Spur bearing: keep center open by removing larger branches with a sharp pruning saw. If
many large branches need to be removed, spread the work over two or three winters as very
hard pruning encourages even more vigorous growth.

In tip bearers, we remove previous year’s growth and leave unpruned laterals less than 30cm
long.

Winer pruning is only to give sunlight for good flowerings.

Summer pruning is only to give sunlight at fruit development.

Summer pruning is mainly for cordons, espaliers, fans and pyramids and spindle bush.

Trees grown as standards or bushes are managed by winter pruning.

When to prune:

Summer:

It is done when bottom third of new shoots is stiff and woody.

Done in third week of August for apples and approximately 10 days later in North India.

To reduce possibility of secondary growth, it can be done in late August.

Cut back new shoots (laterals) more than 20 cm long growing from main stem to three leaves
above the basal clusters of leaves.

Donot prune new shoots that are less than 20cm long as they usually terminate in fruit buds.

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For One year old trees:

1. Feathered maidens: cut back central stem just above a wide angled, strong shoot approx
75cm from ground ensuring that there are 2 or 3 evenly spaced shoots below.

Shorten these branches by half to two-thirds, cutting just above an outward facing bud.

2. Unfeathered maidens: prune a bud 75cm above ground with three or four healthy buds
below. Prune cultivars n strong dwarfing rootstocks as M27.

Two years old trees: Remove topmost shoot. Maintain 3 to 4 shoots and remove others.

Pruning the following winter:

Select one to two shoots per branch to form side branches and shorten them by one-
third.

Shorten previous year’s growth by one-third, leaving 8 to 10 branches to form a permanent

• THE MAIDEN TREE — If it is a maiden whip (a one year old tree with no side
shoots) the tree should be pruned to a bud with at least two good buds just below it at
about 75cm (30in) from ground level following planting. These buds should produce
the primary branches during the tree’s first growing season. If it is a feathered maiden
with several well-balanced side shoots, the main stem should be pruned back to leave
three or four good shoots at about 75cm (30in) from the ground. Shorten these side
shoots by two thirds of their length to an outward facing bud and remove completely
any shoots lower down on the main stem (see fig. 10). In the second year prune it as if
it were a three year old tree.

• THE TWO YEAR OLD TREE — Prune three to five of the best placed shoots by half
to an outward facing bud, to form the primary branches (see fig. 11). Remove any
shoots lower down on the main stem and any inward growing shoots. The topmost
shoot is often too upright to keep as a primary branch and should be removed. If left
in it would tend to become dominant and crowd the centre of the tree.

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 • THE THREE YEAR OLD TREE — Prune the leading shoots (leaders) of branches
selected to extend the framework by half to a bud facing in the desired direction (see
fig. 12). Select up to four good laterals to fill any gaps in the framework and shorten
these by half to form secondary branches. Prune any remaining laterals to four buds to
form fruiting spurs.

• THE FOUR YEAR OLD TREE — Only limited formative pruning will be necessary.
The tree should now be fruiting. Shorten leaders by one third and prune laterals (side
shoots arising from a branch or leader) not required to extend the framework, to four
buds (see fig. 13). From the fifth year onwards, the tree may be regarded as being
established and should be pruned annually as described below.

• WINTER PRUNING OF ESTABLISHED BUSH TREES

AIMS

• (1) To improve air circulation and light penetration in order to ripen wood and
encourage fruit bud production and at the same time reduce the incidence of pests and
diseases.

• (2) To control the size and shape of the tree for ease of picking, spraying, pruning etc.

• (3) To produce regular crops of fruit of a good size.

Unpruned trees tend to produce large crops of small, worthless fruit often damaged by pests
and diseases. The main part of the crop is often out of reach at the top of the tree. Branches
are often broken by the weight of the crop and cropping may become biennial. Overpruned
trees tend to produce light crops of large, flavourless fruits which do not store well, and too
much vegetative growth. Pruning is therefore done to achieve a good balance between shoot
growth and fruit production.

SPUR BEARERS & TIP BEARERS

• Apples and pears fall into two groups according to their fruiting habit — spur bearers
and tip bearers. Spur bearers produce most of their fruit on short spurs on the older

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 wood, for example the apple variety ‘James Grieve’ and the pear variety
‘Conference’. Tip bearers produce most of their fruit on the tips of the previous
season’s growth (although they produce some spurs).

• Some apple varieties, like ‘Bramley’s Seedling’ and ‘Discovery’, are partial tip
bearers, producing some spurs and some fruit on the tips. Spur bearers and tip bearers
should be pruned differently.

PRUNING OF SPUR BEARERS

Spur bearers are pruned by a combination of regulative pruning and spur pruning. The tree is
composed of a main framework of branches with secondary branches about 38-45cm (15-
18in) apart with spur systems about 23cm (9in) apart.

REGULATIVE PRUNING

• Regulative pruning involves shortening or removing dead, diseased, broken, crowded

SPUR PRUNING

• Spur pruning involves shortening lateral shoots produced in the previous summer to
four to six buds to encourage fruit bud formation close to the framework branches. As
the tree gets older it may be necessary to thin out the number of fruiting spurs, or
small fruit will result. This is done by pruning back to a fruit bud on two year old
wood or removing portions of the spurs.

PRUNING OF TIP BEARERS

REGULATIVE & SPUR PRUNING

• Tip bearers are also pruned on the regulative system, but only limited spur pruning is
required. The previous year’s shoots of 23cm (9in) or less (roughly secateurs length)

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 should be left unpruned. Longer shoots are spur pruned to prevent crowding and to
stimulate the production of more short tip-bearing shoots in the following years. The
branch leaders are ‘tipped’, removing the top three to four buds, pruning to a bud
facing in the desired direction to make them branch out and so produce more tip-
bearing shoots. Partial tip bearers require some light spur pruning.

RENEWAL PRUNING

• Renewal pruning involves cutting back a proportion of old branches that have
produced fruit to a young strong shoot or a basal bud to promote fresh growth. This
ensures that plenty of new growth is produced the following season.

PRUNING THE MAIN STEM LEADER

• The term ‘main stem leader’ refers to the new growth which leads a Minarette
upwards at the top of the tree (see fig. 16). The leader of a Minarette should be tied to
a stake or cane at intervals throughout the summer months whilst it is soft and pliable
and still growing, to keep it upright and from growing out at an angle to the main
stem. This leader is only pruned in the winter or early spring and involves the removal
of one third or more of the growth it made during the previous summer. It should be
cut to a bud on the opposite side to the stake. The length of bare stem left after
pruning should be no more than 30cm (12in). Once the tree has reached the required
height, the leader should be shortened during winter or early spring to about 1cm
(1⁄2in) from the point of origin. The leader is not pruned during the summer months.
Pruning of the leader encourages the furnishment of side shoots along its length from
which fruiting spurs are made.

PRUNING THE SIDE SHOOTS

• This task is carried out in the summer. A Minarette will start to produce these side
shoots from May onwards. The side shoot from a Minarette apple tree will have
matured by early to mid-August in the south of England and approximately ten days
later in the north. With pears, the shoots will have matured a week or so earlier. When

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 this stage has been reached, summer pruning should commence. The shoots will have
woody bases with a basal cluster of leaves and then light green leaves from the young
shoots. Any shoots which are less than 20cm (8in) in length should not be pruned.
New shoots growing directly from the main stem which are more than 20cm (8in) in
length should be cut back to about three leaves above the basal cluster (see fig.
17). Any shoots growing from existing side shoots or spurs which are similarly in
excess of 20cm (8in) in length should be cut back to one leaf, about 2.5cm (1in) or
more beyond their basal cluster (see fig. 18). The basal cluster is easy to recognise —
it is a small cluster of two to four closely spaced leaves at the base of a shoot.

THINNING THE FRUIT SPURS

• As the tree gets older it may be necessary to thin out the number of fruiting spurs, if
there are too many (see fig. 19). They should be thinned out during winter months.
Reducing the number of fruit buds increases the size of fruit but it must not be
overdone.

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