Therefore it is vital that you understand how to care for trees in a way that will ensure their immediate success as well as future good health. During the first stages of the tree s life, the roots, trunk, and branches have not yet fully developed to a self supporting strength. Therefore if your tree is growing fruits, occasionally the combined weight is enough to snap off an entire branch. The Gala apple has yellow skin with a slight hint of red, and it is medium sized. The insides are yellow, very juicy, firm, crisp, and smell excellent. When they are fresh they are one of the best tasting apples you can grow. They grow quickly, and the trees bear heavily. They become ripe in late July. This same rule applies to the weight balance of your tree. Sometimes, for reasons we will never understand, a tree will grow several branches on one side and weigh itself into being lopsided. So hopefully I have provided you with a basic knowledge of pruning. There are more situations and types of branches that require pruning, but what I ve outlined is the very basic parts. I once had a friend who was dealing with a very bad moth infestation. He couldn t find a single fruit on his tree that didn t have a worm inside of it. He ended up having to cut down the entire tree (the stump was a wriggling mass of white larvae. I threw up when I saw it. Damn my weak stomach!) and have the stump professionally removed to get rid of all traces. These trees are also great if you are trying to attract different varieties of birds to your yard. They provide great branches to nest in. Unfortunately the Rocky Mountain Juniper doesn t grow as fast as other hardy plants like it. The rate is less than 10 inches per year. Another one of the most popular drought resistant trees is the Russian Olive. When making the cut, you do not want to just cut a straight line into the tree. It is best to cut a sideways V into the tree. This is because if you cut the straight line, the tree will end up rolling to one side or the other. If you cut in a V , the tree will be able to fall in the exact direction that you want it to fall.