tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29834831.post8906584407571710615..comments2024-03-27T18:07:43.918-07:00Comments on Daniel's Pacific NW Garden: Winter Pruning Columnar Apple. 1.19.15Daniel Wachenheimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11009166706587141830noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29834831.post-86230205702804411802016-11-17T19:56:21.124-08:002016-11-17T19:56:21.124-08:00Winter is fine for pruning apple trees. It's a...Winter is fine for pruning apple trees. It's a good time to remove excessived growth. I would say try not to remove flower spurs, but it sounds like yours are already too high, and none at the lower level. If it was mine, I would prune it this winter. Of course, there is always a chance that it won't like that, but you are not getting any apples now anyway.<br /><br />One thing, if there are no lower flower buds and you remove all of the top growth, you won't get apples next year. It might be better to prune half of them this year, and the other half next year.Daniel Wachenheimhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11009166706587141830noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29834831.post-34823329304384766362016-11-17T19:54:37.858-08:002016-11-17T19:54:37.858-08:00This comment has been removed by the author.Daniel Wachenheimhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11009166706587141830noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29834831.post-52582411932510331632016-11-11T22:55:49.120-08:002016-11-11T22:55:49.120-08:00We have five columnar apple trees that are fifteen...We have five columnar apple trees that are fifteen years old and have never been pruned. The few apples it bore this year were too high to reach, so the squirrels got them. They are probably fifteen feet tall. Can they be pruned this winter or have we waited too long? Zone six in Missouri. Please advise.m_hennessy@sbcglobal.netnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29834831.post-80879141926200278222015-11-13T23:58:48.509-08:002015-11-13T23:58:48.509-08:00What I'd like to know is if one could graft Co...What I'd like to know is if one could graft Columnar Scionwood onto the scaffold branches of an Open-Pruned Apple Scion and get multiple columnar apple 'truns' growing to significant heights on a single full-strength rootstock.Kyrt Ryderhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09600938397472578939noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29834831.post-78905729487850841792015-01-27T07:03:20.921-08:002015-01-27T07:03:20.921-08:00Lance, the scions will be columnar only if they ar...Lance, the scions will be columnar only if they are a columnar variety. If non-columnar varieties are grafted onto a columnar tree, the non-columnar part will still be non-columnar.<br /><br />I thought about grafting a red-leaf crab apple on top of a columnar tree, to give it kind of a mop-top. Have not done that yet.<br /><br />Since they are kind of a novelty, they might not be available at a scion exchange for a few more years. The newest ones are probably patented, but the older ones are past patent so can be exchanged. Seedlings should come out about 50:50 with columnar shape, but who knows what the apples would be like. That's my other idea - cross Prairie Fire crab with North Star columnar apple. Select red leaf varieties, see which ones grow columnar shape. Then one might get red-leaf, columnar tree. That might take many years, and require many seedlings, so I probably won't do it.Daniel Wachenheimhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11009166706587141830noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29834831.post-76489576659454247902015-01-26T22:31:41.679-08:002015-01-26T22:31:41.679-08:00If I graft scions on a columnar tree would I get d...If I graft scions on a columnar tree would I get different variety of fruit that adapt the shape of columnar? I would love to have one like that their shape is so sculptural. lancehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03657961543274999017noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29834831.post-56023725320958283772015-01-21T18:59:06.812-08:002015-01-21T18:59:06.812-08:00Thanks Lance. The catalog photos don't do the...Thanks Lance. The catalog photos don't do the columnar trees justice. I also have small - 3 to 4 ft tall - specimens of "Scarlet Sentinel" and "Golden Sentinel". Not sure if they will have as formal upright structure. They might, with some judicious pruning. I've eaten 2 apples from "Golden Sentinel" - those are quite good.<br /><br />These are nice in a mixed garden bed. They don't take up too much room.Daniel Wachenheimhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11009166706587141830noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29834831.post-21118479569777953282015-01-21T11:56:05.078-08:002015-01-21T11:56:05.078-08:00wow, the shape of the tree is very nice. It makes...wow, the shape of the tree is very nice. It makes picking them rather easy and space saving. Yes, its rather rare. Have not really seen it anywhere.lancehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03657961543274999017noreply@blogger.com