Fruit Tee Pruning & Maintenance

 


 

Richard Evans & guest ' demo' Charles Worsfold with the Pruning group.

PRUNING GROUP

 - We’ve had 2 meetings now. The first to sort out everyone’s interests, and the second to get some expert advice.  We were very lucky to have Charles Worsfold, a friend of Richard Evans, along to talk to us and demonstrate some of his tricks used to train young fruit trees.  He has a lot of experience growing apples and cherries in the UK.  He is going to come back in the autumn to advise us on pruning mature trees.  I think we’ve all learnt a lot, and feel much less afraid of tackling our “babies”. Helen Harrison - Group Leader

Charlie's response to John Rogers canker problem:

Today tend to spray but in your case scratch out and paint with gloss paint as you have done - however would advise the tape that was added should be removed in the Spring.

CASE STUDY

John Rogers who was unfortunately unable to be at our expert's workshops has had a problem with one of his apple trees….. it was weeping through the bark & so John performed surgery on it & cleaned the wound & put special (French) ointment on it & tapped it up.

Has he done the right thing – by copy of this email he may correspond directly with you (… is that alright Non???....) –see pictures below:

 We will publish Charlie's response here when it arrives.
 

     

(Charlie… I think some of the cross overs need pruning out & there are some smaller new shoots in the middle?)

The next meeting of the group wil be on October 12 at the Vining's place at St Crepin de Richemont. Where there are several fruit trees to hone our skills on..

IGC  Pruning Workshop  – Thursday 5th November 2009 (By Rita Vicery)

 Useful notes taken on behalf of the group – as questions were raised the following points were recorded as part of general discussion:  

 SAP – the sap in spring starts to rise at the end of February and is strongly flowing in March.     

  • Therefore the time to prune cherry trees is spring so that the cut bleeds a bit
  • ( ensures impurities from pruning process are eliminated)  

Important – ALWAYS disinfect cutting tool after pruning before moving on to another tree.

  • Apple trees – prune ANYTIME
  • Pears – either prune while still sappy in late autumn or in spring once you have estimated the volume of blossom.  When prune, cut back to 3rd bud.
  • Plum – similar to pears
  • Fig – is the only tree you can prune and tie to desired direction/growth pattern
  • Mirabelle -

 Walnut trees – modern varieties grow much more quickly than the older varieties

 STAKING – each fruit tree must have a strong 6 foot stake for its entire fruiting life. (approx 20 years)   Place to the windward side of tree.

 POLLINATION –  

  • Apple/cherries/plums/pears – grow 2 trees – either the same variety or another variety which blossoms at the same time.
  • Plant about 7foot/2metres apart.

 Protect trees from deer – surround trunk with wire mesh guard.  If tree already wounded by deer, paint wound with emulsion paint NOT gloss.

ROOT STOCKS – this determines the size of the tree.  Can graft a different variety of apple onto an existing apple tree.   This is also true of other fruit trees so long as it is like with like eg plum with plum.

 Grafting trees – the techniques for this, needs to be studied further.

 LOW SIZE – to keep fruit tree low and therefore easy to pick – when pruning, cut vertical branches right down to the horizontal branches.   Do NOT trim vertical branches near the tops as this encourages vertical growth.

 FRUIT BUSHES – general principle is to cut out old wood only – NOT new fruiting wood.    The exception is autumn fruiting raspberries, which should be cut down to just above ground level in late winter.  New growth will appear in early spring.

We hope you can read this very artistic note taking below - showing evidence of Helen Harrisons great cakes!!!!!

 
 

Pruning work group report November 12th 2009

Please bear in mind that the pruning group haven’t suddenly become experts, we are just reporting our findings, heavily influenced by Charlie Worsfold a friend of mine who has come over from UK on 2 occasions & who has over 200 Cherries amongst other trees in his care. He has given us some very basic lessons on tree care.

This is what we have learnt together with wider research by Helen Harrison & Richard Evans.

Starting with new young trees…..

New trees

New trees should be planted attached to a 6 foot stake & nails should be placed into the stake near its base, I will tell you why in a moment, this stake will prevent sway at the base of the trunk from the wind, which weakens the tree & also allows water to congregate in the bowl formed by the movement of the trunk; in time it will as a consequence rot away & kill the tree. A strong central upright leader branch should be selected as the king pin of the tree, any others that cannot be pulled down parallel to the ground should be cut out. To form the desired goblet shape, select about 4 healthy looking branches, if they exist in the new tree, & bend them down parallel to the ground & tie them with twine from the branch to the nails which were put in the stake when planting – I have some flexi binding especially for this job with me today for you to purchase (funds to the club) – by the way it is essential that this be done when the sap is surging through the tree to make the branches more flexible.

After this just generally tidy up the plant using the principles I will tell you about when we hear about pruning.

Fruit trees must be pruned every year, usually during the dormant period. If you don't begin proper pruning early in the tree's life, the result is "alternate bearing," which means that one year's harvest is bountiful while the following year's is puny.

Apple trees are the most common fruit trees home gardeners choose to grow. Pruning is necessary in order to open up the tree canopy to sunlight and air circulation and promote fruit production and a healthy plant. Follow these tips to pruning your apple tree so you can reap a bountiful harvest year after year.

The Ideal Time to Prune Apple Trees
Apple trees should be pruned in late winter, but you can prune into the spring and summer if you must. Avoid pruning in the autumn since this stimulates new growth at the same time the tree should be getting ready for winter. The new growth may not have a chance to harden off before cold temperatures and frost hit, which may lead to cold damage on the tree.

Pruning Tools
 It's important to have the right tools for the job. Keep the following tools handy for when you prune:

·  Hand pruners. Use this tool to remove small branches and twigs. You'll probably use this tool the most, so keep them sharp and handy.

·  Loppers. Loppers have long handles and provide more leverage when pruning larger branches. They're typically used to prune branches larger than the width of your thumb, or about 1" diameter or more.

·  Folding saw. This tool is useful when pruning limbs larger than 3" in diameter.

·  Pole pruners. These consist of a blade attached to a long pole and are handy for reaching high branches.

Pruning
When starting to develop a new tree you should look to create a goblet or vase shape with an airy void in the middle to let the air & light access the tree. They should ideally be kept short & stocky, this helps the tree bear a fruit load without broken branches.

What to prune out of the tree, the first thing to do is to apply the 3 D’s rule by removing any dead, damaged or diseased branches. When going to make a cut, look for the branch collar, which is the "wrinkled" part near the base where the branch is connected to the tree trunk. This portion of the tree has all the cells necessary to heal wounds. Never cut into the branch collar when pruning. Instead, make the cut just above the point where the branch collar flares.

Then cut out vertical shoots or branches (known as water sprouts which suck the energy out of the tree to no avail.

Clear out the centre of the tree to the extent that you can throw your hat through (apparently an expression that the experts use)

Remove any competing branches that will cause problems for the tree. Sometimes these branches create a hollow where water can collect and encourage rot. Look for branches growing toward the inside of the tree, and remove them to improve air circulation. When you remove a branch or a limb, the bud directly under the cut will take over and grow. For this reason, you should cut above outward-facing buds

Clear shoots from beneath the branches as the shoots & buds need to be on top to access the light.

By this stage, to quote our Mentor, Charlie, the tree will tell you what to do…. I think he thinks he is Prince Charles!) – After a while logic will guide you (this aspect maybe a problem for the ladies out course!!)

During the first couple of years after planting, allow the tree to grow its roots and establish itself before doing any pruning. It's good to prune away dead, injured or diseased branches immediately after planting up to the third year.

Begin heavier pruning in the third year of growth. First, remove any dead, injured or diseased branches. Then moving up the tree, look for branch angles, or scaffolding branches which are branches that grow from the main trunk, preferably evenly spaced, at 45- or 50-degree angles. Leave these scaffolding branches for the basic framework of your tree.

Fruiting buds are dark-coloured, wrinkled wood that grows from scaffolding branches. Leave these small branches since they're the ones that produce fruit. Trees begin to form fruiting buds at around three years of age.

Vegetative buds are similar in appearance to fruiting buds, but they're not so wrinkled and dark. These buds form leaves and new branches.

A fruit tree should have only one central leading branch. Don't allow two leader branches to form, or the tree will become weak. Identify the healthier or stronger leader, and remove the other. The ideal apple tree has one central leader surrounded by evenly spaced scaffolding branches that have plenty of fruiting spurs.

 Neglected trees

Prune these trees back over a 3 year period, don’t try & recover the tree in one go. The severity of the pruning is dependent on what you want the tree to ultimately be… a fruit producer or a decorative tree to sit under during the hot summer sun of the Dordogne (I think you also have sun in the Charente so the same applies there)!!

The pruning work party pruned a similar tree (though not entirely neglected) at Terry & Margaret Hotel under the direction of Charlie. Whilst substantial pruning took place, this particular tree has started its 3 year cycle of treatment. An important point to remember with this degree of pruning is to ensure that when the growth period starts there will be shoots coming back into the centre of the tree - these must be removed.

Thinning Fruit
During seasons of good weather, the apple tree may produce an overabundance of fruit, causing fruit "crowding" on the branches and resulting in smaller-sized apples. In order to grow tasty, normal-sized apples, it may be necessary to thin out the fruit. Generally speaking, fruit should be spaced about 6 inches apart along the branches; thin out closely grown apples and select out the smaller-sized ones in favour of the larger fruits.

All these techniques are based on the treatment for apple & pear trees (pip trees) the timing of the pruning of other varieties e.g. plums, cherries apricots etc (stone trees) is the difference. These should be done when your sap is rising…this will help the plants bleed when pruning to assist the cleaning of the wounds. Cleanliness with your tools is even more important with stone trees, as they are apt to pick up diseases such as silver leaf on plum trees, more easily.

Thanks for your patience –if anybody wants a copy of our written report, let me know & I will email them to you or hand them to you if you are Heather or without email facilities.

Perhaps after our discussion, with Caroline’s permission, we could have a look at some of the trees in the Orchard of Caroline’s neighbours to see the variety of conditions that trees can get into & possible to some mental pruning using the principals we have told you about.

Numerous photos of various gardening club events over the last year a lot of which are stunning, were available on a laptop slideshow.

Some interesting videos on tree pruning:

http://www.5min.com/Video/How-to-Prune-Apple-Trees-Part-12-166437827
http://www.5min.com/Video/How-to-Prune-Apple-Trees-Part-22-166437775
http://www.5min.com/Video/How-to-Create-a-Better-Apple-Crop-166437216
http://www.5min.com/Video/How-to-Prune-Plum-Trees-166434895 (Plums)