Too much fruiting can stunt the growth of a dwarf tree. However, I don't think 6 or 7 total fruits is bad. If any look weak, diseased, or imperfect at any point during the season, you can snip them off. If not, leave them all on. I wouldn't sweat it unless I had like a dozen of them on there.

Thanks dmtaylor. :) The thing is it has only begun flowering and I think there will be plenty more where that came from. I could likely get a dozen or more. My anna apple tree which is the same age (and much weaker/smaller) made probably 70-100 small apples (which of course I pruned many off) and is still flowering...

I don't want it to overproduce and stunt it (it's semi-dwarf btw), but I don't want to wastefully limit the number of fruits more than I need to. I like the idea of completely homegrown organic apples and would like as many as I can get! :D

Thanks. :)

I let me 3 yrs old William's Pride apple tree fruited last year for the first time. I only allowed 4 apples. I got them to a good size. It's really good, refreshing early apples, by the way. This year, the tree has grown some more and flowered a lot more since I did not let it carried many apples last year.

Are there branches on top of your tree? My tree is about the same height as yours but all the scaffolds/branches are on the top of the tree, not lower brances like yours.

There are very few branches at the top, but it seems the bottom ones are growing the most. I figured it would have been better to have top branches but i didnt want to basically start all over :x

I just planted a Williams Pride this year. LOL Now I can't wait mamuang

Silent,

I have 2 William's Pride. The second one was planted last year. Both were from bareroot,were tall over 4 ft at planting. I did not know about pruning at planting then. I did not like the way both trees were leaning. This year, I decided that it's not too late to correct the one I planted last year. I dug it up and replanted it about 3 weeks ago (kind of late to do that)and head cut it down to 3 1/2 ft. It does survive,leave out, straight and short. That's what I want my trees to grow, short and straight (if possible). I'll do some pruning to the older one this summer, too. Your tree's branches are a lot lower than I would prefer. You should decide if you want to do something to correct the tree this year or not. You may waste this year but may be better off in a long run.

Randy,

To me, William's Pride is a very good apple. The trees are very resistent to CAR (in my area). I don't have to spray Immunox on them. I gave the apples to two of my friends. Both said they were the best apples they have ever had (possibly because they're the first ripe on the tree apples they ever had). I think you'll like it.

Thanks for the advice I was considering doing that... but I don't see the problem with lower branches?