Should I do this ?

Question

I have an apple tree (could be at least 40 yrs old) the lower limbs look like 'deadwood' and have not 'borne' fruit for quite a long while.
The upper limbs are bearing just a FEW fruit but "very half heartedly" and nothing like the quality they used to be.
I have started lopping off the dead limbs thus my question
"Should I do this?"
"Has the tree 'had it' ???

Answer 1

Have an Arborist come look at the tree and make sure it is healthy. or not infected with something like insects, disease, or fungus. It may not be bearing fruit due to those factors, or the national bee drought (there is a lack of bees to pollinate for production Nationally) or it may be not getting enough sun, water or food. Apple trees tend to bear heavy only every other year anyway.... at any rate, the dude that looks at your tree will advise you on what course of action to take with the tree, I do not think 40 is old for a tree..... after all your not using it for commercial production. I have seen way older trees bear great fruit...... Good luck and Success to your tree.

Answer 2

Fruit trees are supposed to be pruned.
It gets complicated to do it really right & if you have the dough I'd reccommend paying a proffessonal.
Your pruning should still help to rejuvinate the tree & then it will produce better for you next season. No plant benifits from holding onto dead weight, so you are definetly helping there. It's not the best time of year to prune anything other than the dead.
Give it some fruit tree fertilizer & while at the store ask if they have fruit tree spray. The label should tell you the proper schedule for your type of tree.
A trees life span is usually longer than humans, so I doubt it 'had it'.
Go for it

Answer 3

It could be that your apple tree has just reached the end of it's life, just like we do. I would set yourself a target of say, 18 months, & if after that time there is no improvement, dig the old tree up.

In the mean time, give your tree a good organic feed. In the Autumn, prune away all of the dead branches. If the tree still has lots of life remaining, it should flourish & thicken up next spring time.

Failing that, plant a couple of new fruit trees in 18 months time. Good luck

Answer 4

This year is not a good year for apples, so don't be supprised with a small crop, if lower limbs are dead and not fruiting then lop them off you will not kill the tree.

Answer 5

My family home has an apple and orange orchard, and one of the orange trees bore about two oranges a season, during all of the seasons.
We deemed it unfit to produce proper fruit and chopped it down. We turned it into lumber, and now, one year on, I am using the lumber to build bookcases and cabinets to house some of my wine collection which will be added to the cellar when I die and also some of my cork figures and prizes.
Try turning the dead limbs into lumber and build a few things out of it.

Answer 6

That is an old tree, one who has seen better days. Get a tree doctor to look at it. Some plants do get infected. Some can be saved, some can't. We had a peach tree, sounds like the same thing. We cut it down and planted a new one.

Answer 7

probably not worth the bother,but if you trim some of the upper branches back 2 or 3 inches you will get some new growth which will help next year.hope this helps.

Answer 8

you can trim back the dead branches.
make sure you trim in late fall before the tree goes dorment for winter

Answer 9

Although now is the time you can see whats what, its not the best time to prune back your tree. leave it til late September.