Native or Wild Apple tress

[struttingfool]

What is the best method to help along small wild apple trees?
Pruning?
Caging?
Leave them be?

I have found over the last couple of years quite a few wild sapling apple trees. If I had to guess 15 trees scattered around my land. I have no idea what kind of apple tree they are, but I would love to help them along to grow big and healthy and also to produce. Most of the trees I have found have multiple (2) trunks coming out of one stump. All are in the 8 to 10 foot in height. I have multiple older apple trees around the property that produce those small little green apples and I am assuming these smaller trees are the same. Any suggestions. I planted several apple trees 15 years ago. Everyone of them eventually died???

 

[Buckly]

Make sure they have a good chance at sunlight. They are probably big enough that the deer won't eat them so if you clear around the area to provide sunlight they will be large trees in no time. I also find young apples all the time. It's amazing what stuff they grew in but in a way that protected them from the deer.

 

[Native Hunter]

Agree with the sunlight. And if I had some nice specimens at preferred locations I would probably cage and do screen wire for rodents as well.

 

[Chainsaw]

On possible favorite apple trees I like to use the screen wire high enough to discourage deer rubbing as well.

 

[Fish]

Sunlight!