To clip or not to clip

[Pulsegleaner]

Hi all,

To my relief (given that the gardeners pulled up the first two, and the place I got them from doesn't have any more) my Himalayan Sorb Apple appears to have survived the winter, and is putting out a new flush of leaves.

Only thing is the leaves seem to be only going up to about half the height of the treelet. I already thought it possible the tip had been damaged, but it looks like the whole top half may be dead wood.

So do you think that, at this time of the year, I should assume the top is dead and clip the tree to just above where the leaves start, to encourage new growth and side branches?

 

[digitS']

I'm certainly no authority on apple trees and pruning, Pulsegleaner.

It's easily imaginable that the tree would struggle to support branches that have a very low percentage of living tissue and what is destined to die within a few weeks or by the advent of cold weather. Discouraging that effort by pruning would likely encourage new growth with its chance to mature and survive into 2022.

My experience with pruning goes back to the rose greenhouse and pruning thousands of plants each year - (Hey, Rosaceae ). Our season for doing that was during the weeks of summer. You see, there are very few days after June when there is much of a market for cut flowers. And yet, the plants would have to be fully geared-up for the late fall and winter/spring holidays.

With the long days of summer and abundant sunshine, plant growth might have been tremendous. We had to short-stop that to bring things under control. I have also watched as the neighborhood squirrels "prune" new growth on my climbing rose. In fact, wildlife isn't really attracted to old growth until hunger drives them to that. (The tree squirrels will be fat and asleep by that time .) So, plants in the wild have to adjust to summer pruning. Keep in mind, all this is just my 2¢.

Steve

 

[Pulsegleaner]

Technically it isn't an apple per se. It's a sorb apple, as in Sorbus domestica. Still edible fruit but completely different genus. But that is neither here nor there.

And it isn't branches either, the tree is too young to have them. What I'd be clipping is the top of the trunk.

 

[flowerbug]

is it a grafted tree?

 

[Pulsegleaner]

Not as far as I can see. I think it's a rooted cutting. It's only about 12 inches.

 

[Pulsegleaner]

Example of the species,

 

[flowerbug]

Not as far as I can see. I think it's a rooted cutting. It's only about 12 inches.

oh, ok, i don't think if it is that small that clipping or not will make that huge of a difference.

if you want a single main stem trunk the sooner you decide which shoot should be your
leader and you get it trimmed back so it can heal up the better.