Producing high-quality apples requires careful selection and cultivation of the right apple tree varieties. In the early years of an apple tree's life, it is essential to grow medium or small-sized trees with well-developed crowns. These smaller tree types allow for more efficient use of sunlight and nutrients, leading to better fruit quality and higher yields.
**Tree Types**
1. **Small Crown Sparsely Layered**
This type of tree is commonly grown on semi-dwarf rootstocks, with spacing between trees ranging from 4m to 5m and within rows from 3m to 4m. This results in 33 to 55 trees per acre. The tree height is around 3 meters, with 5 to 6 main branches. The first layer has 3 branches, the second layer has 2, and occasionally a third layer. The spacing between the first and second layers is about 80 cm, while the second and third layers are spaced 60 cm apart. On the first layer’s main branches, 1 to 2 lateral branches are left, sloping outward, while no lateral branches are allowed on the upper layers.
2. **Free Spindle Shape**
This is one of the most widely used tree forms today, especially for short-stemmed or vigorous varieties. It is ideal for dense planting, with spacing of 3m to 4m between trees and 3m within rows. The tree height ranges from 3 to 3.5 meters, with 10 to 15 small main branches. The central trunk is dominant, and there are no side branches on the main branches, giving the tree a wide conical shape.
3. **Slender Spindle Shape**
This form is suitable for high-density planting, with 83 to 133 trees per acre. Trees are spaced 2.5m to 4m apart, with 2m between rows. The central trunk supports 15 to 20 evenly distributed lateral branches, which have no further side branches. The lower lateral branches should be about 100 cm long, middle ones 70–80 cm, and upper ones 50–60 cm. The overall shape is tall and narrow.
4. **Main Trunk Shape**
This is a smaller tree type compared to the slender spindle, with a crown width of about 1.2 meters and a height of 2.5 to 3 meters. Its structure is similar to the slender spindle but more compact.
**Pruning Practices**
For mature trees producing high-quality apples, pruning should focus on maintaining balance between growth and fruiting, controlling new shoot length and quantity, and managing production effectively. Ideally, new shoots measuring 30–40 cm should make up about 10% of all new growth. The key pruning strategies are: control, adjust, and update.
1. **Control**
Controlling growth involves balancing the tree’s vegetative and reproductive development. A 1:3 ratio of fruit-bearing to leaf-bearing branches is ideal. Before flowering, excess flower buds should be removed. During and after flowering, thinning and fruit setting help achieve this balance. Overall control methods include delayed and staged pruning, while local control may involve reducing tree height or adjusting strong branches.
2. **Adjust**
Adjusting the tree structure improves air circulation and light penetration. Rows should have at least 80–100 cm of working space. Tree height must not exceed the distance between rows, and the outer leaves should have 60–70 cm of space. If branches are too dense, some can be removed to open up the canopy and improve light distribution.
3. **Update**
Updating involves replacing old or weak branches with new, healthy ones. Strong, well-developed branches should be encouraged, and the base of the tree should be pruned to promote compact growth. This ensures that each branch has good developmental potential, supporting consistent fruiting and high-quality harvests.
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