I would appreciate some advice about how to prune the apple I grafted up at the fruit propagation fair a couple years ago. It has been in a pot until this past spring. I finally planted it in the ground and it thrived this summer. A couple branches grew 2-3 feet, mostly horizontally. Unfortunately there is not really a central trunk. I have no idea how to prune it to encourage it to grow into a properly shaped tree. Any advice. Thank you.
Anthony Ohotto
Portland Oregon
Welcome to the forum, Anthony.
Without seeing your tree, I can visualize it... I’d bend up the best ‘horizontal’ branch to a vertical position. Drive a 2X2 inch wooden steak very close to the ‘trunk,’ carefully bend a horizontal limb upward, and tie everything (with some room for expansion) to that stake at maybe 3 or 4 points. If the ‘new tip top’ is at a point you’d like the eventual tree to begin branching, cut off it’s tip or ‘terminal bud’ early next spring and the 3 or 4 buds below it will push out it's future ‘branches.’ If you’d like the branches higher, just leave the tip bud alone.
Though the tree will not be perfectly straight at the moment, in a few years it shoud look fine. If for any reason the branch you bend upward breaks … use the other one …but be gentle. I’d cut the other branch back to it’s trunk next spring, or shorten it if it’s simply in the way… This can all be done closer to spring of next year, so you can allow the tree to remain ‘as is’ through this winter.
Otherwise – you can cut the side branches back some and allow the current ‘tip, top, or terminal bud’ to grow to branch height next year…
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