When and how do you prune apple trees?
By Service Plus Stockholm ABUpdated 4 min read
Short answer
When and how should an apple tree be pruned?
Apple trees are best pruned during the JAS period, July to September, when wounds heal quickly and the tree does not throw water shoots. October still works as long as it stays frost-free, and young trees can also be pruned in March. Remove dead, crossing and inward-growing branches, open the crown to the light and never take more than a quarter of the branch mass in one year. Service Plus prunes fruit trees across Greater Stockholm all autumn and judges on site whether your tree is better off cut now or in spring.
Why JAS pruning instead of spring pruning?
In July, August and September the tree is fully active and heals cuts quickly, while at the same time the pruning dampens growth. That means fewer water shoots, the straight vertical shoots that spring up after hard spring pruning.
Spring pruning in March instead stimulates growth and suits young trees that are being shaped, or old trees that need new vigour. For an established tree in a house garden in Stockholm, late summer is almost always the right choice.
How our pruner works on the tree
Saxa walks a circle around the tree before the secateurs come out. What decides the cuts is how the crown is built, where the light gets in, which branches carry fruit and which only take up room. Dead, damaged and diseased wood always goes first, then the branches rubbing against each other, and of two crossing branches the one growing outwards stays.
The rest is judgement. Every cut is made just outside the branch collar so the tree can heal over the wound, long branches are shortened back to an outward-facing side branch rather than cut off midway, and we stop well before the tree is stressed. An apple tree given the right cut at the right moment crops more evenly and needs less work the following year, while a bad cut in a thick branch can start a rot that takes decades off its life. That difference is what you are paying for.
Common mistakes
- Topping the tree straight across: this produces a broom of water shoots and poorer fruit.
- Leaving stubs: they rot inwards into the trunk.
- Pruning too hard in one year to make up for neglect: spread the renovation over three years instead.
- Using wound sealant: modern advice is against it, as the tree heals best without.
- Pruning plums and cherries in winter: stone fruit is pruned only in summer because of the risk of silver leaf.
When is it worth letting someone else prune?
Most people who call us have nothing dramatic in the garden. It comes down to autumn not having enough hours in it, a ladder that is too short or stands unsteadily on the lawn, secateurs that will not bite through the thick branches, or no idea what to do with the brushwood afterwards. When the tree stands close to the house, the deck or the neighbour's plot, few people want to gamble on where the branches land.
Service Plus Stockholm AB prunes fruit trees across Greater Stockholm. Our pruning specialist Saxa makes a plan for the tree, prunes in the right order and takes the brushwood to recycling as an option. We bring our own equipment, including for trees over four metres and branches over roofs and cables, and pruning qualifies for a RUT deduction of up to 50 percent of the labour cost, which we take off the invoice. Free quote within 24 hours.
Common follow-up questions
Can you prune apple trees in October?
Yes. In early October wounds heal more slowly than in August, but as long as it stays frost-free the pruning is fine, and a tree that shades the house or grows into it is better pruned now than in six months. Service Plus prunes fruit trees all autumn and judges at the visit what is right for your tree: the whole job now, or the essentials now and the shaping in March.
How often should an apple tree be pruned?
Every year, but lightly. A light annual pruning of 10–20% gives an even harvest and a tree that is easy to pick from. Every third year is enough for slow-growing trees.
Why am I getting no fruit after pruning?
Usually because the pruning was too hard, which makes the tree put its energy into new shoots instead of flower buds. Prune more lightly in the coming years and the harvest will return within one to two seasons.
Do you take the branches and brushwood away afterwards?
Yes, as an option. We cut up and load the branches and take everything to recycling, so you avoid the trailer and the sorting. If you want to keep firewood we cut the thicker branches into logs and leave them on the plot. Removal is transport and does not qualify for the RUT deduction, so it appears as its own line in the quote.
