I started some ume (aka Japanese apricots) a couple years ago that have now seen two winters and some apricots that are only a few months old.
One of the ume was topped by deer and seems to be starting to form an open center shape but the other was not.
When should I start pruning the apricot seedlings, is it still okay to prune the ume now that they have leaves, and what resources do you suggest for learning how to make proper pruning decision?
If they are potted plants, pruning is different. The first picture, should keep the balance from all side. Prune out the upright branches(can’t see well from the picture). The second picture looks better. Just thin some branches that are too close together. Prune one of two uspright off to have one leader ( I prefer leave the week one alone). Mume at least needs to be pruned twice a year, best 3 times.
Thank you! I think I’ll wait until it’s a bit warmer and then thin as you suggest. It’s hard to find what seems like a reliable, scientific, and relatively easy for me to understand primer on what pruning technique I should use for different types of plants and how to do it.
My apricots seedlings I may just leave alone for the first year and start pruning them starting year two.
