Pruning - 'cut to an outward facing bud'
All the books and experts say that you should always prune to an o...
All the books and experts say that you should always prune to an outward-facing bud. However, that assumes the tree has read the books. In my experience, as often as not, it’s the next bud down that develops (and even the two below the top – as shown in the pic). No problem – next year you just have to prune off the bit you don’t want. Some trees appear to be more literate than others, but if the tree wants to develop bud number 2 consistently, then maybe you should prune to the bud above an outward-facing bud (and cut off the stub in the summer).
