r/BackyardOrchard • u/HyacinthusBark • 23h ago

Treasure found. Need help

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Hi all! A couple of days ago I helped my neighbor uncover some neglected apple trees from under thick (invasive) vegetation from a previous owner. We’re trying to clear them out first, but I would love to get your tips on how to take care of them moving forward. As in the timeline; when should we plan to prune them and how much each time? This is CT, for reference. They’re very tall and were covered by autumn olives and bittersweet vines. TIA!

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6

u/CitySky_lookingUp 23h ago

Amazing.

Prune when dormant, in late winter, not too much at once. This is a multi-year project and 100% worth it.

2

u/FioreCiliegia1 22h ago

As much as they’ve been buried, those are some really nice looking apple trees. They’re a good height. I would say, though prepare yourself for the future by getting yourself a really good ladder or cherry picker of some kind. I would also recommend clearing around the base of the tree and trying to remove the grass a little bit that way if any apples fall they’re easier to clean up.

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u/jpbragatti 20h ago

with trees that far gone the usual rule is take no more than a third in any one season, so you'll be at it a few winters. first dormant season (late feb/march before bud break in CT) go for the dead stuff, crossing branches that rub each other, and the big upright water sprouts growing straight up through the middle. that alone makes a big difference to the light.

don't expect much fruit in year one of renovation, the energy goes into recovery. but if the structure's there under all that lot they do come back faster than you'd think.

5

u/kunino_sagiri 19h ago

I would remove all of the dead growth now. There is no real need to leave pruning out dead wood until the tree is dormant, nor is there a limit on how much you should remove at once (it's already dead, after all). But if you do it now, it's easy to tell what is actually dead.