Summer pruning on Suffolk Pink 

Suffolk Pink is an important early apple. To develop colour, sunlight has to reach the fruit, and so some vertical shoots have to be removed by summer pruning, cutting back to the lowest bud. Don’t cut the short shoots, 4-5 inches, with a developed end-bud, because these are ideal for next year’s crop - the end bud usually turns into a fruit bud. Open up the tree and remove any shoots pointing upwards. The tree won’t miss these shoots because it is at the end of the growth cycle, next year’s reserves have already been stored, and there is plenty of leaf to feed the tree by photosynthesis. Lower down, leave the shoots a bit longer. This technique can be folowed if the tree is cropping. If it is not cropping, don’t cut so far back. Demonstration by Dan Neuteboom, camera by John Paddy. Read more at realenglishfru...