Core strength: There’s an art to apple growing...and September is crunch time!
In gardens and on allotments around the country, apples are ripening.
Of all the fruits that can be grown, apples are undoubtedly the most popular but while some gardeners are deterred from growing them because of confusion over how to prune them, others who have had their trees for a few years may be starting to wonder why they are not getting a decent crop.
Pruning in the first few years is the key to growing a healthy tree and while it may seem brutal, the most important step is to cut back the tree by a third immediately after planting, or during the following winter if your tree is container grown and not bare-rooted.
The following year pick four or five well-spaced branches to become the main skeleton, removing the remaining new growth and cutting back the side shoots on the chosen branches by one third to just above an outward facing bud.
The following year, cut back all new shoots by one third to an outward-facing bud and then in future years cut back all branch tips, removing no more than 20% of the growing material.
The exception to this rule is if you are growing a tip-bearing variety such as Granny Smith, which should be pruned very lightly otherwise you will remove the buds that will produce the crop.
Patio apple trees also need very light pruning, with just very old wood removed to allow for the development of more fruiting spurs. It all sounds very daunting but talking to the garden centre or nursery where you buy your trees should provide you with the advice you need to get started and after a while knowing what to prune and what to leave will become second nature.
If you have a high wall or are willing to stretch wires between posts, then you can grow apples into all sorts of decorative shapes. These espalier forms all require different pruning techniques and some are better suited to particular varieties than others.
Like bonsai and topiary, learning to grow apples in this way is a bit of an art form, but done properly it can be both beautiful to look at and highly productive.