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Project

JAS pruning of seven apple trees in Vellinge

A large villa lot with ageing apple trees that had not been pruned in years. We opened the crowns, took down risk branches on harness, and left clear notes ahead of next season.

Tree PruningVellingeCompleted August 2025

A gardener prunes a fruit tree in spring, leaving a cleanly thinned canopy

Vellinge, south of Malmö, is one of Skåne’s most established places for older fruit plantings in private gardens, with generous plots and whole rows of apple trees from the 1970s villa boom. Our client, on a quiet cul-de-sac, asked us to take on seven mature apple trees (Malus domestica) that had not been pruned for several years and were beginning to lose yield.

At our July site visit we measured the trees at between 6 and 7.5 metres tall with clearly congested crowns, water sprouts along the main scaffolds and crossing branches rubbing on each other. Two trees also had limbs hanging over the neighbour’s carport, a classic reason JAS pruning becomes urgent in Vellinge with its slightly larger plots.

The full job was carried out within the JAS window, that is July, August and September. This is when apple trees sit in soft growth balance and wounds heal fast without the tree responding with heavy water sprouts, which is the risk of hard late-winter pruning. We lowered the top line, thinned from the inside out and steered each crown into an open, light-friendly bowl shape.

Many clients across Vellinge kommun want to combine autumn harvest with a beautiful winter silhouette, so we plan JAS pruning as recurring work every other year for mature trees. With Swedish RUT relief at 50 percent on labour, qualified fruit-tree pruning remains affordable even when it requires harness work, a tall ladder and a full trailer of haulage.

What we found on site

  • Seven mature apple trees (Malus domestica) between 6 and 7.5 m tall.
  • Very congested crowns with clear water sprouts on the scaffolds.
  • Two trees with limbs extending well over the neighbour’s carport.
  • Crossing and rubbing branches inside the centre of several crowns.
  • No visible canker, overall wood and bark health generally good.

How we approached the work

  1. Initial review of each tree’s bowl shape and main scaffold structure.
  2. Height reduction of around 1.5 m on the two tallest trees, in stages.
  3. Crown thinning from the inside out for light and air to the centre.
  4. Removal of water sprouts, crossing branches and dead twigs.
  5. Clean cuts on the limbs over the neighbour’s carport, inside the boundary.
  6. Haulage of all brushwood to the recycling centre in Vellinge.
This autumn we picked more apples than we had in five years, and the trees stand lighter and more beautiful than at any point since we moved in.

Lena, villaägare i Vellinge

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FAQs about tree pruning in Vellinge

Short, honest answers to what we get asked every week. If yours is not here, just call, we are happy to help.

  1. 01What is JAS pruning and why is it better for apple trees?
    JAS stands for the Swedish names of July, August and September, the window when apple trees (Malus domestica) sit in calm growth balance after midsummer. Cut surfaces heal fast, sap flow is low and the tree responds with moderate regrowth rather than a forest of water sprouts. Late-winter pruning, which many gardeners still do in February, often gives the opposite result on mature trees. For clients in Vellinge we always schedule hard pruning into the JAS window.
  2. 02How much can be removed from an apple tree at one time?
    As a rule of thumb we never remove more than a quarter of the green crown volume in one season, and we spread the cuts across the whole tree rather than topping everything at once. Too much removal triggers heavy water sprouting the following year and stresses the tree unnecessarily. On the two tallest trees in Vellinge we therefore spread the height reduction across two JAS seasons, keeping yield, balance and tree health intact.
  3. 03Are you allowed to cut branches hanging over a neighbour’s plot?
    Under Swedish law a neighbour has the right to ask for branches and roots crossing the boundary to be removed, but only after the owner has been asked to do so first. In practice we always solve it by dialogue. We never cut on the neighbour’s side without permission, and we trim only up to the boundary line with clean cuts back to a side branch, never leaving stumps. In Vellinge this is especially common between gardens with old apple rows.
  4. 04Does fruit-tree pruning qualify for the RUT tax relief?
    Yes, pruning of trees and shrubs in a private garden qualifies for the Swedish RUT tax relief, including JAS pruning of fruit trees. We deduct 50 percent on the labour directly on the invoice, up to the annual ceiling per household member set by Skatteverket. Climbing harness, chainsaw and our gardeners’ time are all part of the labour. Haulage to the Vellinge recycling centre is invoiced separately, but normally as a small line compared with the pruning work itself.
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