• A short treatise on apple/pear pruning:

    Do the main pruning when the leaves are off i.e. now.

    Firstly remove any stems crossing back into the crown completely. Remove anything spindly, i.e. much thinner than a pencil. Prune back last year's growth by 2/3 to 3/4 to 5mm above an outward facing bud. The direction the bud is pointing is the direction the new growth will go, you can aim the buggers!

    If your tree is a whip, i.e. a young tree consisting just of a central trunk, prune at the height you want the main trunk to be eventually, about 4' to 6' normally works. Ensure that you have a few buds below this cut, these will form the main branches in subsequent years. You can then remove any branches which are too low at a later date.

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