In winter, apple trees shed their leaves and stand quite bare in the garden. However, this time can also be used with the apple tree to ensure a constantly renewed crown shape and a rich harvest next year with the tree pruning in winter.
The right cut
When pruning the apple tree in winter, care must be taken to choose the right time for the pruning. The time between January and March is good for this, as there is only a little juice in the bark of the apple tree. If there is a thaw in a mild winter, this should not be used to cut the tree. Otherwise, when it cools down again, unwanted frostbite on branches would occur on the open wounds in the crown of the tree. Butt cuts with branch sections protruding upwards should be avoided, as water collects on them and freezes to form ice surfaces.
Food for insects and birds
Unlike the leaves, not all apples fall completely from the tree naturally. If not all the apples are picked during the harvest, some specimens can remain on the branch until spring. In principle, this also promotes the hibernation of some pests, but to a certain extent it makes sense as winter food for birds. If these are attracted to your garden by this food source, they may in turn serve as popular predators of caterpillars and worms in summer as well.
The foliage of the apple tree in winter
If possible, the foliage of the apple tree should not remain under the snow cover throughout the winter. If there is lawn under the apple tree, it can otherwise suffer from mold infestation in the spring. Since the foliage also serves as a breeding ground for diseases and various fungi, it should be collected and composted in good time in autumn. In the following year it can serve as fertilizing humus around the trunk of the apple tree.
tips and tricks
If you have an apple tree in a pot, you should protect it from frost in winter. Since the roots are not below the surface of the earth, they can eventually be damaged by frost.