Large Bramley apple tree - what to do?

[Pidgeonpost]

We've got a large Bramley apple tree in our garden, and it either needs major attention or removal. It's been pruned fairly heavily in the 10 years we've lived here, plus some fairly random annual pruning by me, out of desperation. 

It produces loads of apples - far too many for us to pick, use, store, or even give away. Everyone has too many apples and we can't even keep pace with the windfalls as you're talking of wheelbarrow loads each week. 

A local tree surgeon has said he could either remove or pollard the tree, and those seem to be the choices. Removal would be reasonably straightforward, but would pollarding just see us back in the same situation in a short time? 

It might not be so bad if we could slow the growth down, but it's rampant! Did I dream it or can you slow the growth by partially ring-barking on opposite sides of the tree? 

The tree provides some welcome shade at some times of the year - or steals the sunlight depending how you look at it! 

Interested in opinions. Pic attached - tree is 20+feet tall and climbing trees to prune them is a bit iffy now I'm 70+.

 

[peds]

To each their own, I suppose. 

 

I got 10 gallons of cider and the same of vinegar this year.

 

My lawn probably isn't quite so well nourished, though.

 

[Pidgeonpost]

On 12/04/2021 at 17:33, agg221 said:

It's a nice job that's been done on that. It will grow back but ideally I suggest finding someone who is able to summer prune it for you, taking out the water shoots in June/July before they get too big. That will slow it down a bit and make the job much easier and quicker (and cheaper) but you need someone who understands what they are doing.

 

It will still produce a lot of fruit. Are you aware that Bramleys will keep through until March? That may make good use of a few, for you and others. Whereabouts are you in the country? There are some people who will take them for juicing/cider, in exchange for a couple of bottles. Ultimately if they get composted, so be it.

 

Alec

Yes, Alec - we've just had our last apple crumble within the last 10 days - couple of Bramleys, and an apple we have yet to identify, I must post a couple of pics next time we have some fruit. It's a real picture-book apple - round, and rosy red. The fruit is quite hard, not woolly, and just a bit sharp as an eating apple when eaten fresh, but it's an excellent keeper, becoming softer and sweeter over the winter. That tree has also been pruned in the last week or so. A bit of a spur of the moment thing, but it was threatening next door's phone line.

[Tippin Alaybye]

Learned a lot from this thread. I thought the only use for apples was cider. Didn’t know you could eat them