What Is a Spur Type Apple Tree

Spur–type apples have a growing and fruiting characteristic in which lateral (axillary) buds on two year old wood gives rise to a higher portion of spurs and fewer lateral shoots than occur with standard growth habits. This gives the tree a more open canopy and compact growth habit than standard trees.

Is my apple tree tip or spur bearing?

To determine if you have a spur-bearing apple tree, look for thick, thorn-like growth, which are the spurs. When fruit production begins, the apples develop on the spurs. Spur-bearing apple trees offer a tidy and compact appearance and produce fruit on the two-year-old wood.

How do you identify a fruit spur on an apple tree?

A terminal bud is located on the tips of a shoot and is also called the apical bud. A lateral bud develops at the base of a leaf along the shoot. Buds in apples and pears can develop on the ends of terminal shoots longer than 4 inches or on shorter shoots less than 4 inches which are called spurs.