Pruning and Training Procedures 



The trees were not excessively tall, the Spartan and 



Idared trees averaging 12 ft. and 



11 £t., respectively. 

 However, the leader had 

 lost its dominance on 

 some trees, particularly 

 on Spartan, and no attempt 

 had been made to maintain 

 pyramid-tree shape. Tree 

 height was restricted on 

 even numbered trees in a 

 25-tree row of Spartan and 

 in a similar row of Idared. 

 This was accomplished by cut- 

 ting back the leader to an 

 outward growing branch (Fig- 

 ure 1) and maintaining tree 

 height at this level. On 

 odd numbered trees in each 

 row we gradually shortened 

 the central leader so trees 

 of both cultivars are approx- 

 imately 2.5 ft. shorter than 

 the height-restricted trees. 

 Height of the leader on the 

 height-reduced trees averaged 

 8.9 ft. and 8.3 ft., respect- 

 ively, after pruning in Feb- 

 ruary, 1979. Height of the 

 height-restricted Spartan and 

 Idared trees averaged 11.4 

 and 10.6 ft., respectively. 



Figure 1. A Spartan/M7A tree planted in 1964. The central 

 leader was cut to a lower horizontally growing 

 lateral branch. A branch rotation program has 

 been initiated in the top third of the tree. 



A comparison of the trees is shown in Figures 2 and 3. (Tree 

 spacing appears much greater in the photographs than in reality , 



Trees of both cultivars are planted at 20 ft 

 Branch spread of the Spartan trees is 17 ft 



X 30 ft. spacing. 



therefore, 17 ft. 

 X 25 ft. spacing would be ample. Branch spread of the Idared 

 trees is 14 ft., thus 14 ft. x 22 ft. spacing appears suitable 

 for this cultivar.) 



