Poorly old apple tree!

[DGB]

Hi all, this is my first post on this forum so please go easy on me. I would like some advice on my apple tree. It is approxamatly 70 years old and for the 11 years or so I have lived in this house it has produced juicy big fat apples every year. each year I have pruned and shaped it to get it to the shape that suits me best for apple collection as its quite tall. However this year I removed a great deal of ivy that has been covering the trunk of the tree and found the sore sights in the photos. My questions to you are should I do anything to 'patch up ' the damage to this tree caused by either the tree splitting or very bad pruning and is in your opinions is it still structually safe? Any advice would be very welcome,

 

Thanks Damien

[DGB]

Hi again I live in Walsall in the West Midlands???

[agg221]

That's quite a cunning collection technique.

 

I'd do the first year's pruning when the leaves drop. You can technically do it a month or so earlier but it just makes it messier and harder to see what you're doing.

 

I've stuck a couple of pictures on below of a tree I've gradually been reducing as it was beginning to lean more than I wanted. Flat top single tier is a classic shape for large apples. This particular one is a long-keeping cooker called Annie Elizabeth and they're before and after shots on the day I pruned it in 2011. I forgot to take a 2012 photo but I think I cut where the yellow lines are (together with some general thinning and removal of crossing bits).

 

Alec

[DGB]

Hi and thanks again for the great replies, one final question, what is the reason for cutting back the grass from the tree as mentioned in one of the posts?

 

Thanks

[Tony Croft aka hamadryad]

Hi and thanks again for the great replies, one final question, what is the reason for cutting back the grass from the tree as mentioned in one of the posts?

 

Thanks

 

Dont need to worry too much about that aspect, but basically grass is more competitive than tree roots and so aside from encouraging the avoidance of the root collar with mower and strimmers alike mulch enhances the biology of the soil more in keeping with tree soil ecology and hence is of great benefit to tree health as a consequence.

[Tony Croft aka hamadryad]

and I wouldnt cut it back, this may cause more harm than good, just mow it off to as low a grade as you can then mulch over the top.

[agg221]

I agree with Tony - the other thing it does is to give you an area where you can apply fertiliser without it being taken straight back up by the grass! After mowing, I'd stick down some cardboard first to smother the grass, with something more decorative on top that stops it blowing away - chipped bark or compost would do the trick.

 

Alec

[DGB]

Ok so back in July I started this thread with regards to my tree.

 

Now the leaves have fallen I have taken some more photos to show more clearly the branch struture in case there are any further considerations to the previous posts.

 

Also i have been busy 'trying' to train the lower watershoots into branch like structures and have done this to ALL shoots but should i be looking and cutting them out till i get less shoots?

 

Lastly should i start the cutting now???

[Tony Croft aka hamadryad]

i wouldnt thin anything out, it will need all the foliage its got when you take the outer growths back. Once its developed anew set of leads then worry about shape and form

[agg221]

I would still cut pretty much as per my previous diagram - can't see anything specific I'd change (it's temporary anyway on the upper section).

 

As Tony says, I would leave everything lower down alone for now. You will need to thin it out eventually, but let it build up a bit first and pick the best placed shoots. I also wouldn't tie it down at this stage, as you want to encourage vigour in the water shoots, which means breaking the apical dominance (highest thing grows most vigorously) so more upright would be better - a shallow angle of about 30degrees from vertical would be ideal.

 

Alec

[DGB]

Ok, so loosen off the tie downs. Got it.

 

How do I train the braches next year to give me horizontal spead if i allow them to grow and thinken would i stand more chance of damaging them by trying to pull them once there more establised.

 

Is now the time to cut??