Need an apple tree expert!

[suziquzie]

I have no idea how old.... we've been here 3 years now and they were ugly when we came. I doubt the guy we bought it from did anything with them or planted them, he was here 10 years.
They get streaked red / green when they are done. I should've taken a pic last fall.

[larry_stewart]

My dad a a few trees that produced ugly, deformed apples. His solution was to buy one of those hand-cranked apple cider presses. Just grinds up the whole apple, seeds and all, presses the juice right out of the apple, so it doesnt matter how ugly they are. The cider is crazy good, especially considering it comes from such an ugly apple. The problem now is keeping the **** squirrels from eating the apples !

By the way, just want to make it known that im no expert , just a guy with a few apple trees

[quicksilver]

Some serious pruning needed according to your pics.
A couple of locations you can visit, who show and tell better than I can:

Pruning:
YouTube - Fruitwise guide to apple tree pruning-sawing large branch
(also watch related videos on right side)

extension.oregonstate.edu/catalog/html/ec/ec1005

(when you check this article out, then go to Contents, and check that out as well.

extension.unh.edu/Pubs/HGPubs/caremat.pdf

diseases:
(I thought this was good because your trees, according to your pics, seem to be very near evergreens)

GARDENING : Maintenance : Pruning Apple Trees : DIY Network
(scroll down to green print on fruit tree diseases)

Pollination:

www.cloudnet.com/~edrbsaas/applepollination.html


Keep us updated with your progress. (words & pics)

I don't know why some of the links aren't connecting lately, but if they don't for you, type in the above info, outside of the forum. Sorry.

[pacanis]

My apple farmer just stopped in. I'm probably repeating others or what you've already read, but here it is anyway;
He said to wait until winter and prune off all the vertical growth. I've ridden through his orchards before and apple trees kind of look like mushrooms. They are wider than they are tall, and not all that tall anyway. So that's the look you are going for.
He also said you HAVE to spray. He sprays about every six weeks, both an insecticide and a fungicide. You can buy large netting to wrap around the tree for bugs, and he said they do in China due to cheap labor, but if you live in a damp or rainy climate you will need the fungicide, otherwise you get absolutely no shelf like after you pick the apples..... about three days before they start rotting, but they are OK to eat right off the tree. If you are into organic, they do make organic sprays now, but they are very expensive.

And that's what I know :^)

[suziquzie]

Organic isn't an issue, I'll spray whatever I need to spray to avoid eating bugs. :)
I think once the things are pruned they are going to look like a post sticking out of the ground, ALOT of the growth is pretty vertical!
Oh well. Thanks muchly, I appreciate your asking!

[MJK]

From the pictures it looks as though there is nothing wrong with your apple trees a little pruning won't cure. Wait until after the leaves fall and trim the vertical shoots. Dad used to say you should prune an apple tree so a robin could fly through it. Of course this was the man who took a baseball bat to an apple tree in the back yard. He beat it several times on the trunk before it budded. Somewhere he heard if you shock a tree like this it would produce fruit. We had an apple tree in the back yard that was only good for shade so he whacked this tree rather than his prize Red Delicious and Macintosh trees. Guess what? That fall he had more useless apples than he could shake a stick (bat?) at. Bottom line is don't worry about over harming the tree. Be more concerned about the type and AMOUNT or sprays you use if you must use them.