I can’t decide to either notch or head cut these 1 year old apple tree whips. They are on g890 rootstock around 5ft tall. I plan to train to modified central leader. They are in pots now next season they will go in ground in my yard to be free standing trees.
I’ve watched skillCult YouTube videos on notching. But others recommend heading at 36".
What would you do with these whips?
Is it to late in season for a head cut or notching?
Zone 6b WV
Classic approach is cutting back to just above where you want a scaffold limb. Ideally you’d pick a specific bud to be new leader and a bud below to train as scaffold.
Skill Cult guy is (I think) very interested in bearing trial fruit from seedling stock grafted on precocious rootstock. If you need fruit ASAP, letting it get super leggy may promote early flowering.
But if these are known varieties you 100% want to keep, IMO early years should focus on shape. My take is that the “standard” pruning schedule is a bit more reliable at getting the structure you want.
ps how old were rootstocks? Thats some great 1st year growth!
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You might try both methods. Notch above about twice as many buds as you want scaffolds as not all usually succeed. But If you absolutely require success and don’t mind postponing fruit a bit then I’d head them. Notching skill is good to have in your bag of tricks.
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@hambone
Thank you. Yea im in no rush for fruit. I think i will head them. Is it to late in season to head them ?
@mashdar
Thank you the rootstocks were young bought bareroot last year and grafted last year. Im in no rush for fruit
Not too late for heading, IMO.
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This is exactly right, IMO. Head the whip 2-3 buds above where you want the top scaffold. The top remaining bud will attempt to assert apical dominance, growing straight up. When this shoot appears, remove it. The next bud will then try to do the same. Again, let it start then remove the shoot. Meanwhile, with no apical tip suppressing branching, lower buds will have popped shoots. Pick 3-4 well spaced shoots to be your future scaffolds, remove the rest.
Now is good.
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I would choose notching over heading. My take is why regrow something you already have. By notching you should be able to slow down the central leader while also invigorating the scaffold branches your looking to create.
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I topped them. I decided to top at 42" because of deer. I Also painted the lower 26" of the trunks just incase of sunburn.
How do they look?
Auxins are hormones that suppress branching. Auxins are produced by the apical tissues as a way to eliminate competition from lower-growing shoots. Notching works by blocking the flow of auxins from the apical tip to the vegetative bud below the notch. Heading works by removing the source of the auxins – the apical tissues. It seems obvious that heading is a more direct and effective way to reduce (nearly eliminate) the downward flow of auxins, which then enables branching.
To be clear, notching does nothing to slow down the central leader. It also does nothing to invigorate the scaffold branches. Your assumption seems to be that a notch diverts the upward flow of nutrients into the vegetative bud that then grows into a scaffold. That’s not what happens. Notching blocks the downward flow of auxins.
Good pruning involves lots of heading cuts. You should get used to it.
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Some sort of trunk guards if you have rabbits.
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The trees look good. Just a note – as you probably know, deer will stand on their hind legs to reach any growth below roughly 7’. Therefore you will need something like 7’ high fencing to keep deer away from any growth that is lower. When and if the scaffolds grow to a height >7’, you could remove the fencing but then you’ll need to wrap the trunks with hardware cloth to prevent damage from rubs. It’s a smart idea to wrap now to prevent damage to bark from mice, voles, rabbits.
I speak from experience: You may go months with no fences and no deer damage. Then overnight, the trees can be demolished. And rabbits will girdle young trees.
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Thanks for the help. Ill definitely get some guards and fence them.
Last season deer demolished my young mulberry tree
Do you keep guards on year-round?
We need some guard to protect against damage from voles, mice, rabbits, even deer. That said, I’d note that the spiral plastic guards need to be used with care. Surprisingly, they do not automatically expand as the trunk grows. As a result, over 1-2 years they can girdle a growing tree.
I use plastic guards on small trees. But I either supplement or replace them with a cylinder of wire mesh / hardware cloth, usually held in place by a long cable tie or two. Large trees that might be victims of rutting bucks are wrapped with 3-4’ of wire fencing.
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One argument for notching.
And some additional info:
https://blogs.ext.vt.edu/tree-fruit-horticulture/2020/03/27/notching-and-pgrs-to-induce-branching-in-newly-planted-non-bearing-and-bearing-apple-trees/
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