Can I prune my apple tree now

[TheGander]

I have a small apple tree on my allotment. It has a lot of long, wispy branches which get blown about in the wind. To avoid wind damage and rocking, would it be ok to prune now ( I’m on London and it’s quite mid at the moment) or should I wait till February/ March. Thanks for any advice.

It’s fine now. If you’ve not pruned apples before, google for instructions - the RHS has quite good ones

Thank you@MereDintofPandiculation . I googled the RHS site and managed to exercise some restraint and give a light prune. It’s quite addictive once you get the secateurs out, if I hadn’t controlled myself it would have ended up with the botanical equivalent of a no 1.

That's impessive! I was thinking of "now" as "sometimes in the next few weeks when I get round to it"

As I WFH half the week I’m always looking for excuses to get out of my flat !

Ooh, is this the same for plum trees? Mine are looking a bit leggy on top. Quite young but well-established, will hopefully fruit if I remember to blanket them this time.

Step away from the secateurs @CarterBeatsTheDevil . Plums should be pruned in June/ July, during a dry spell. My damson also has a lot of vertical water shoots. Must have overpruned it previously.

Prunus (which includes plums and cherries, peaches, apricots, almonds and ornamental cherries) are susceptible to disease so you prune when the sap is rising, making it more difficult for pathogens to enter the wound