RE: Apple Tree: Illustrations for Pruning Advice
Nice flower photo. The flower pops the electric colors in the blue vase.
For info on companion plants for your apple tree, check out a past article I wrote to ideas.
Maybe you are happy to share pieces of your tree with the wandering deer. Most people would probably seek to deter them from the tree in some way. When animals like deer, rabbits, and goats chew the bark away on the trunk, it could kill the entire tree in a matter of days. I've used foam rolls (normally used on pipes, also works on branches and thin trunks). and plastic screens in the past to protect my trees. Many people also wipe scented oils on their wood. I've heard of people using furniture polish. We used to use that on table legs to keep the dog from chewing on it.
Prune the tree when it becomes fully dormant, right before it starts budding. Usually this is in January and February for the Northern Hemisphere. It is too early to prune. When you harvest, the tree branches will respond by bouncing back upwards into the light now that the weight is gone. It might be a good time to train the branches with spacers and wires while the new wood is still slightly green. Monitor through the winter if wires or string appears to be strangling the bark, and retire it if necessary.
Only prune woody areas out of season when the tree is broken, such as after a storm or when an animal eats it. If there is risk of a storm with high winds, it is sometimes better to prune the tree into a stronger shape, so it doesn't whip around so much. New green wood can be pruned off sparingly in the Spring and end of Summer if you want the tree to focus on filling in new growth in areas that are lacking foliage. I also coat my wood in the spring with vaseline, a tip I learned to promote the wood to stay softer and hydrated, and produce many more thick buds.
Thanks :)
Yes, of course, not a smart question after you mentioned several times waiting until Jan/feb to prune and I even wrote it on my calendar! I guess I was just eager to get started after all of your valuable feedback. Suppose that means the first step of this project is tearing up the lawn.
No, I am not happy to share the tree with deer and all of the back yard is fenced off with a very tall fence none of the other deer have been able to get around--just this particularly smart one that comes through the hedge on her belly (not an easy task and none of the others have done it). My neighbor told me she got on top of a crate in his back yard, stood on hind legs and ate the limbs off from his tree too!
I've used weird smelling sprays to deter deer before and that's a good idea. One year I got several of those Victoria Secret body sprays for Christmas (all very powerful smells that were too sickening to use) so they worked great! I've got Vaseline so that's another great idea.
Thank you again!