Apple Tree Buds - Fruit vs Vegetative Buds

Apple Tree Buds - Fruit vs Vegetative Buds

I wanted to share this just to help explain and hopefully help others understand the difference. Just a quick study of most any tree you can see there is a clear difference in your buds. When it comes time to prune a tree, there is always a fear of pruning off fruiting wood, especially on trees that fruit on second or third year wood. On small trees this really doesn't matter as you need to focus on shaping the tree and letting it get established. When it's ready to put on a good fruit load the tree will let you know.

Also a look at fruiting spurs, which are common for most apple trees. These make it very easy to not worry about accidentally prune off fruiting wood when shaping the tree.

[PeerensClement]

Great explanation, thank you. Pruning our backyard apple tree today, and this is most helpful! I don't want to cut off too much fruit for this years harvest.

[greatwesterngardens]

Great video and that was as close to a perfect explanation as I've ever heard. Personally I would take out that vertical water sprout rather than the spur. in the long run that vertical isn't going to be very beneficial and will create density in the interior of your tree. But you're closer to the situation than myself so happy pruning sir and have a productive year!

[heavenbunnyhophouse]

thank you Tom, I am studying apple trees/branches/buds for an art project and found this extremely helpful 🙌

[gwill]

thank you best video yet on this subject love the close up.

[coldsteel]

Simple, helpful, to the point. Thank you!

[janosaldroun]

Great explanation. I'm new to pruning fruit trees and cutting off the "wrong" ones is always a concern.

[scottconcertman]

_Tanks Budmeister._
See lines on your fingers where knuckles Bend? How they resemble yearly growth extensions on fruiting Spurs.

Many wrinkle sets close together along a short spur reveals how markedly shortened its seasonal extension growth rate has set the pace.

Surprisingly some Spurs the length of your pinky can be over 10 years old once you count up seasonal wrinkles.

This slow extension could be to conserve space after already finding optimal conditions in that specific position.

Potentially this intentional slow growth method could help strengthen spurwood.

(On the branches of common non spurring Hardwoods we want to see good extension. Which records the overall trees season-by-season growth rate.

Make sure to walk around the tree and observe a good number of new Branch tips to get an overall average. As on one or more branches isolated to certain sides of crown May reveal stem girdling root constricting that side of trunk or as simple as increased shade.

Premature fall color affecting a few or just one isolated branch could be from cicada damage, Branch partially snapped off, or unlucky owner of a Freemanii Blaze maple,

Sometimes certain species Spur demarcation point.
Connecting between where year ended, and spring picked up again. Can be a weak link by becoming easily detached. Could become intentionally weakened when spur needs to self prune.

Lastly those vigorous upright epicormic sprouts quickly lengthen so if no observable wrinkle, it's less than one year old.

Actually I was searching for a video showing how to support vegetative sprout bent over in a more horizontal position.

It may develop into a fruit producing spur. Or at least once it's no longer vertical, as a horizontal it will retain a much slower extension rate.

As sometimes you need to retain emergency sprout growing near a previous removal cut wound to assist secondary tissue (what I call fat lip tissue) compartmentalize closure.

[narayandasmasbad]

Very clear and detailed information. I appreciate it! Now I know I can remove the fruit bud on my mulberry cuttings.

[kevinm]

This video was helpful for me. Thumbs up!

[aaron]

Excellent advice I have done orchard work and your spot on

[shoshanae]

I was interested to see that you chose to leave a water sprout looking growth, but many choose to do so as long as it doesn't keep growing straight up at 90 degrees, or they bend it down.

[dagobaker]

can u do a video for plums and apricots ? trying to figure out which are veg and which are flowering

[malan]

So the white fuzz is not a bad thing like fungus? It’s on my apple trees. Planted them back in September 23

[alisonburgess]

I have what i think will become fruiting spurs on my pears and spur bearing apples along their branches (they're only 3 years old). But they have leaves growing out of them - are they spurs, do you think?

[surajkaith]

Sir, well explained. How can I chat with you about Apple growing?

[msarans]

What is that fuzzy thing ? My apple tree is kind of covered with that slight fuzzy thing over the buds and some stems. I just planted it now in spring and the buds are opening

[thomasozanne]

Ive grown one from seed i think it has the spurs now :) wonder how fruit will be

[mikebetts]

I am still unsure about how to identify future fruiting buds when summer-pruning.  I am getting ready to prune and it seems fairly obvious that a branch with no fruit at all right now might be a good candidate for removal but I do not know how to tell if it might produce fruiting buds later this year.  Any thoughts on this?

[alan]

Any way you could show something like this for stone fruit?