It's best to leave it alone for at least one growing season, more branches = more root establishment for your newly
planted tree.

Konrad

Actually, I would just cut some side branches back about 10 inches, a few weeks before new growth's in spring, especially the one on the left...nice little tree!

Konrad

Thank you, Konrad.

There are a few smaller 'twigs' that are growing off the main branches that are downward-facing a little bit - I planned to chop those off since I have read that you want to get rid of any downward-facing wood.

Also - the branch at the bottom on the right is just as big as the one on the bottom left :)

Brian

I like slightly downward angled branches. My best producing branches are ones that the weight of apples has trained down. I won't remove them until they have a bearing replacement.

I agree with Konrad's first post and wouldn't prune it at all this year. It's nicely branched and trained.

There's nothing that will be too big to hit with pruning sheers with summer pruning or in the following dormant season.

It is a nice tree and the nursery that grew it should be named. Too often we only hear of nurseries who ship us disappointing trees. You will have to remove a few branches as the tree grows for a couple of years, but not now. Al

Thank you for the reply, calistoga.

The nursery was Willis Orchards in Georgia.

While I was very happy with the Concord Seedless and Flame Seedless grape vines I received, I wasn't too pleased with the Niagara or Crimson vines received. They look like small bushes and do not have any decent-sized "trunks" coming off of the plant whereas the other two had at least four-foot "trunks". I ordered three-year specimens and the Concord and Flame are, but the other two, although labeled 3year, look like only one year.

You can see in this picture the two vines growing up either side of the arbor, but the other two are planted at the base of the other two posts and you can't see them at all:

{{gwi:125676}}

The tree is also very nice, but I ordered a 6-7' tree and after it was in the ground, was less than 5' tall. I was hoping to get some apples this coming year, but I don't think that will happen - although they did say it was 'fruiting size'.