How to Make Cuts to Prune an Apple Tree

Examine the apple tree in late winter before the tree begins producing leaves, to find the areas that need pruning.

Remove suckers that appear around the base of the tree, at previous pruning points and at branch crotches. Cut suckers off flush with the surrounding tree, using pruning shears.

Cut off any damaged or unhealthy branches with the pole pruner or the lopper pruner. When you find these branches, make a flush cut where they intersect with the next largest, healthy branch.

Find any branches that intersect and rub inside the canopy of the tree. Cut off the weaker of the intersecting branches with the pole pruner or the lopper pruner where it intersects with the next largest branch.

Remove branches that grow in vertical directions -- both upward and downward. Cut these branches off with the pole pruner or lopper pruner where they intersect with the next largest branch.

Check the tree for narrow crotch angles. Allowing branches to grow with narrow crotch angles results in weak branches. If you find branches with angles less than 40 to 60 degrees, cut these branches off from the main trunk with the pole pruner. Saw the branch off with a vertical cut about 1/4 inch outside the branch collar -- the point where the branch connects with the trunk.

Thin branches around the outer perimeter of the tree to shape the tree and control the size. Use the pole pruner or lopper pruner to cut back the ends of branches at the point where they originate from larger branches.