Having a go at pruning fruit trees - anyone interested?

[Rich Rule]

Shall do mate. Quite embarrassed lol

 

Good stuff mate. I reread my post and it may have come over as a bit sharp. Not my intention.

[Gus McWilliam]

Good stuff mate. I reread my post and it may have come over as a bit sharp. Not my intention.

 

No fuss bud. Sticks and stones

[geoff]

Yes please,I want in on this one if thats ok.

[Treemoose]

I'm In Meopham not far away I would love to make it if the date it right

[s.varty]

I thought I'd put this up as an idea in case it's of interest to anyone.

 

Pruning fruit trees seems to be an area which for some people is a bit of an experience gap, and it gets regarded as a black art, so I wondered if it might be useful to anyone to come and have a go.

 

As I've posted before, I've looked after Mum's smallholding orchard in North Kent (near Dartford) since about 1988. It's currently just over an acre of top fruit - mostly apples with a few pears, plums and cherries. It's not a commercial orchard anymore. The trees are now mostly about 95yrs old so well over commercial age and the aim is to keep them alive, healthy and stable, with a reasonable crop for use rather than sale. There's a mixture of vigorous and semi-dwarf, with a few young trees planted over the past 20yrs. The trees are much more the kind of size and form you would find in a back garden than a modern, dwarf orchard.

 

I'll be going down there soon to do the pruning (apples and pears). If anyone is interested in coming along and having a go then they're welcome. I'm aware this could look a bit like 'come and do some free work for me' but that isn't why I'm offering it (if it's not of interest then I'm quite happy to crack on and do it as usual) but I thought it might be of interest to see the difference between pruning forms, how they can be developed over time, different growth and fruiting habits of varieties and how to take account of it and whatever else anyone is interested in (so long as it's within my knowledge). It would be very much my personal view and I don't have any formal training or claim to be an expert but hopefully anyone interested would go away knowing more than they did when the came

 

I should add, I haven't suggested this to Mum yet, as it's always better to give her definite options rather than hypothetical ones so I thought I would see if there was any interest before broaching the subject, but I would imagine that she would be OK with it, since I look after the trees anyway.

 

Alec

 

agg, are you in the LEZ ? Just in case someone does not know what the london lez is, basically any diesel vehicle registered before 2004 (i think) has to pay £100 a day to go into the low emission zone or face a £1000 fine. I think ive got it right

[Taupotreeman]

Some photos would be good pre and post pruning. Might learn something myself.

[coleman]

Good idea, a lot of tree surgeons havnt a clue on pruning for fruit. The only reason i have a rough idea is i was taken around RHS Wisley and showed by my tutor on my RFS course. Let me know when. Would like to expand my knowledge!

[Goaty]

This is an excellent opportunity to learn in the real world and if you are being tight fisted of costs to you, East malling research are doing a winter pruning course in mid February for £75 at Bradbourne House. So this is an excellent meet and greet with learning I think.

Nice one Alec hope it goes well,

 

Taupo you reminded me of my introduction to the orchard we worked at in Motueka 2006 picking season, we arrived to meet the owner with a fireblight ridden pear tree in the back of his pickup with chainsaw in back, he was just wearing shorts.

I asked casually in conversation

"do you get fireblight?"

"Yes I've just taken that out"

Here we in the UK its shutdown for a nursery!

Sorry for derail, I have other different NZ moments flashing through my mind now.

[andrew t]

Depending on date I would be intrested as I need to prune my granddads trees soon

[Wolfie]

When I prune fruit trees In a garden i'd do the usual reshaping, and if possible, to train it as a fairly low crown. Take any dead and crossing branches out and thin out to open the crown to allow light and air to circulate. I would also prune out an amount of buds from each branch. IMO this produces a smaller but better crop. I would expect a commercial orchard would somehow be pruned differently as they would want to maximise the fruit crop.