Anna Apples - Early July Photo - from L.E. Cooke Orchard

Question: I've never owned fruit trees and now have an Anna's Apple tree. It's late Oct. and I have a load of apples on my 5' tree. I have read that I need to prune but all of the sites I've been to on the net show tree pruning on tree's without leaves or apples. Should I prune off the apples and branches?

Help!!!   Val -Westminster, CA

Answer: Congratulations on your first crop of apples.  At least I am assuming it is your first crop since you mention the tree is only 5 feet tall and Anna is supposed to fruit in late June but new plantings frequently throw off timing from more established trees.

I like to remove fruit from young trees so the tree puts more energy into growing the roots and branch structure instead of growing fruit.  And young tree fruit often is not as sweet and tasty as a more mature tree.  I remove the fruit for up to three years - but most people find that they are too impatient and want their fruit now!  Don't blame them since we plant fruit trees to get the better taste from tree ripened fruit. For your tree, this late season fruit plucking might not make much difference in growth except your tree still needs to store up starches and other food in the roots for the upcoming dormant season.  Also picking the heavy fruit might prevent breaking of the young branches.

I would not prune the tree until it is dormant.  Right now it needs its leaves to provide the food the roots store up for next spring's new growth.  As the tree grows older you can consider light pruning during the growing season but save the heavy pruning for the dormant time.

When the tree is dormant, prune it for the shape and branching you want for the future.  I like to prune my trees short with low branching so I don't need ladders when the fruit is ripe.  Others like to keep it higher to mow under it (I don't like to plant fruit trees in lawns).  Apples can be pruned in many ways - central leader, vase shapped, espaliered, etc.  Here are some sites that give detailed information: