A Gardeners Forum Forums Gardening Reference Gardening in 2006 prune apple trees?

I have 2 apple trees in my front yard. It's getting hard to mow under them all summer and would like to clean them up a bit. Can I cut some of the lower braches off this fall?

Hey Patty...I don't know which season is best to do any pruning on fruit trees but I'll help you search out an answer. What you are wanting to do is called "limbing up"...cutting away lower branches that are a nuisance or to allow more sunlight in that particular area.

I did that one year with the old trees that used to be in my backyard...limbed up to about 12' - 15' from the ground and it was amazing how much more sunlight could reach the lawn and flowerbeds.

That's exactly what I want to do, and it blocks the view to the other yard, so I can't see what the boys are up to when they are out playing!

Where i live, we have tons of apple trees up here, and i know that they are pruned in the late spring up here but that could be because of our winters though.
Have you looked it up on the computer to see what it says?

Patty, I would wait until the trees are dormant before pruning. Too much pruning now could still stimulate some new growth that could be susceptible to winter kill.