Spreaders are effective in forming wide-angle crotches in young apple trees. Cut off the nail head and sharpen. Pull the limb downward just enough to make the spreader fit tightly. The sharpened nails are inserted into the bark but cause no permanent injury. The spreaders can usually be removed after two years, and the limbs remain in the wide-angle position.
Leaves manufacture food and protect the trunk against sunburn.
But to remove no branches would result in crowding and formation of narrow crotch angles, shown on first page. This diagram shows how to develop permanent scaffolds at desirable spacing and location while maintaining enough foliage along the trunk at the same time. These produce thick clusters of leaves for shade and food manufacture. After a full canopy has developed above, in two or three years, these temporary branches are removed close to the trunk. NMSU and the U.S. Department of Agriculture cooperating.