How to prune apple 'gala'

Late winter, late February to mid-March before bud break. Remove dead and diseased wood first, then thin dense branch clusters. Leave some two-year lateral tips intact for tip-borne fruit. Shorten the central leader if trees are grown in restricted forms. On established trees, remove one or two older fruiting branches each year to stimulate new growth.

Annually in late winter. Gala is a tip-bearing and partial spur-bearing apple that needs annual winter pruning to open up the canopy and sustain good light penetration. Unlike pure spur types, avoid cutting every lateral tip — Gala produces some fruit at shoot tips. Remove congested, dead, and crossing wood each year.

Remove dead and diseased wood first, then thin dense branch clusters. Leave some two-year lateral tips intact for tip-borne fruit. Shorten the central leader if trees are grown in restricted forms. On established trees, remove one or two older fruiting branches each year to stimulate new growth.