Figure 3. Clothes pins are used to hold young branches at desired branched angles.
Most Ohio soils, however, are not well-drained. They usually consist of silt and clay particles, and drainage is often less than desirable. In soils that drain poorly, plants should be planted somewhat higher than they were in the nursery. More air needs to reach the root system when soils drain poorly. In these soil conditions, plants can be placed from 2 to 4 inches higher than they were during their growth in the nursery.
The width of the planting hole should be at least two or three times the diameter of the root ball. After placing the container-grown tree in the planting hole, back fill with soil. Apply water at the rate of two to three gallons per tree every two to three weeks. Mulch 2 to 3 inches deep. Refer to Ohio State University Extension Fact Sheet HYG-1014-97 Preparation and Planting of Landscape Plants, for more information.
Plant dwarf trees about 8 feet apart in the row and allow 14 feet between rows. Semi-dwarf trees should be spaced 10 feet apart in the row with 16 feet between rows.
How Do I Prune and Train Young Apple Trees?
Bare-root whips need to be pruned and trained so that they will develop into properly shaped trees. Container-grown apple trees are normally two- to three-year-old trees. These trees need lime spreading and light pruning.
Bare-root trees should be cut or "headed" back to 24 inches to 28 inches above ground at planting. All broken or damaged limbs should be removed. This procedure allows branches to form at desired heights, improves the strength of the tree, and provides a balance between the top and roots.
As the branches reach 4 to 6 inches in length, spring-loaded clothes pins can be used to form proper crotch angles (Figure 3.) These clothes pins should be removed at the end of the first season. Branches that begin to grow at 18 inches or lower can be cut off during the summer.
After one and two years of growth, all lateral branches below 18 inches or below the first lateral are removed. Remove limbs that have narrow crotch angles (less that 45 degrees).
Apple trees are trained to the central-leader system which will allow three to four groups of four branches to develop for a standard-sized tree. The central leader is cut in March at 18 inches to 24 inches above the last group of limbs to ensure the development of more limbs (Figure 4).
Figure 4. A one-year-old apple tree with lateral branches and central leader (CL).
A two- or three-year-old apple tree needs limb spreading to achieve a tree that is wide at the bottom and tapers to a point as shown in Figure 5.
Figure 5. A two-year-old apple tree with spreaders.
During the third and fourth years, remove all unwanted branches from central leaders and continue to spread limbs as necessary. The central leader will eventually be cut back into second-year wood, to bring the central leader into balance with the rest of the tree. Maintain a central leader and pyramidal form on into maturity. Never allow an upper tier to shade out or outgrow lower limbs.
