We have two apple trees.
Water-sprout removal should occur close to the trunk or branch from which they are growing. Just like with regular, routine pruning, be sure not to leave much of a stub behind when you remove watersprouts. This will help your tree to properly heal itself. Summer pruning is the best way to remove vigorous, upright water sprouts (Fig. 1) and not stimulate new growth where no new branches are desired. Use summer pruning to bring trees back into balance that have become overly vigorous.
Pruning out diseased branches is another important part of pruning. Apr 13, The two garden tools required are pruners and a pruning saw. Pruning saws make healthier cuts on thick branches, reducing the number of water sprouts that shoot out in the summer. The Types of Cuts for Pruning an Apple Tree. Pruning an apple tree requires you to make two types of cuts.
These are heading and thinning cuts. Mar 22, Excessive pruning that exceeds the 1/3 state of ct tree removal, Casper WY (pruning away more than one-third of a plant's branches) makes watersprouts more likely. Major die-back, of any kind, such as the type created by extended drought or winter kill, can cause a plant to erupt with watersprouts. A wound to the trunk may cause sprouting around the wound.
As the tree matures, pruning should concentrate on keeping the center open by eliminating water sprouts, sometimes called “suckers” that grow straight up from the main limbs, and providing good spacing and access to light along each of the scaffold branches.

Dec 24, If your apple tree is a good shade tree, then it is an obvious candidate for pruning. However, pruning should not be done on all trees.
Hold off on heavy pruning until your tree is at least three years old. If a significant amount of pruning needs to be done for a tree, do portions of it over several seasons.
Oct 07, The best time to prune apple trees is either late in the winter or early in the spring because that’s the time when the tree is entering a dormant state after shedding its leaves and before new buds appear. It’s best to complete the pruning just before the growth starts in the spring, so the cuts have time to heal quickly.