Pruning is essential for keeping your espalier apple tree neat, compact, and productive. And timing matters.
🌞 When to Prune
The best time to prune is around the summer solstice—
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December 20th in the Southern Hemisphere
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June 20th in the Northern Hemisphere
This timing aligns with the tree’s natural growth cycle. Summer pruning helps redirect the tree’s energy from upward growth (long branches) into shorter, fruit-producing spurs—setting the stage for a better harvest next season.
✂️ What to Cut—and Why
You’ll be focusing on the thin, whippy shoots that grow straight up from the main horizontal arms. These are not fruiting branches—they’re just using energy.
Leave the short, stubby shoots (called spurs) alone. These are the ones that will bear fruit.
đź“Ź How to Prune
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Find the basal cluster of leaves—this is the dense group of leaves near the base of the shoot.
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Count three leaves up from that cluster.
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Cut just above the third leaf, following the same angle as the leaf’s direction.
Doing this encourages the tree to form fruiting spurs just below the cut—right where you want them.
🎯 Be Ruthless (in a good way)
If you prune confidently and consistently like this each summer, your espalier tree will:
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Stay compact and easy to manage
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Max out around 1.5m to 1.8m tall
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Focus on fruit, not foliage
That’s it! Summer pruning might feel intimidating at first, but once you know where to cut and why, it becomes one of the most rewarding parts of espalier gardening.
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