How to Prune Fuji Apple Trees
- 1). Head back your sapling Fuji apple tree by cutting the main central leader stem to 24 to 30 inches from ground level at the time you plant it in late winter or early spring. This will result in a central leader system, which will cause buds and scaffold branches to grow below the cut.
- 2). Train your tree when 2 to 3 inches of new growth appears along the central leading trunk. Clip on wooden clothespins between the trunk and fresh growth: this practice helps to direct forming branches up and out, creating strong crotch angles. Do not cut or clip the main leader at this time.
- 3). Cut all but four or five small scaffold branches back to the trunk when your Fuji apple tree is one year old. Also cut off about one fourth of the length from the remaining scaffold branches and from the central leading branch, leaving it taller than the scaffold branches.
- 4). Create a second layer of scaffold branches during the tree's second year in the ground. Choose branch sprouts that are 2 to 3 feet above the scaffolds you clipped with clothespins earlier. Clip clothespins onto the new scaffold branches to ensure that they grow up and out.
- 5). Remove all branches of older trees every year during winter when they are broken, cross over other branches and appear diseased. Continue to head back the central leader by one fourth every year and cut competing upright branches back to the branch collar. Maintain the central leader as the tallest part of the tree throughout its life.
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