Help needed, how is the best way to prune apple trees and when? also a pear tree, grown from a pip 25 years ago, 2nd. year its fruited.
Bren
Pruning Apple TRees
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peter
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Best get a copy of the RHS Fruit Garden book. 
Pruning varies depending on the "style" of tree you have. A full size tree and an espalier need different pruning.
A photo of your tree(s) might get you some specific advice.
Usual time is when dormant (no leaves) as you can see the shape/structure and there are less pests/diseases about to get into the cut.
Trained apples (|cordon, espalier.....) also need summer (in leaf) pruning to prevent excessive growth, basically pinching out shoots.
Pruning varies depending on the "style" of tree you have. A full size tree and an espalier need different pruning.
A photo of your tree(s) might get you some specific advice.
Usual time is when dormant (no leaves) as you can see the shape/structure and there are less pests/diseases about to get into the cut.
Trained apples (|cordon, espalier.....) also need summer (in leaf) pruning to prevent excessive growth, basically pinching out shoots.
Do not put off thanking people when they have helped you, as they may not be there to thank later.
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oldherbaceous
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Dear Bren, i agree with Peter about getting a book, maybe get one from the libary, pictures are a lot easier to follow than trying to describe with words on here.
I don't suppose there is anyone you know that could help you, as someone showing you on your own trees is even better than the above.
Hope your keeping well.
I don't suppose there is anyone you know that could help you, as someone showing you on your own trees is even better than the above.
Hope your keeping well.
Kind Regards, Old Herbaceous.
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There's no fool like an old fool.
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Geoff
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Many years ago my father came up with a great solution to this problem. He took over a 45 tree orchard from his father where many of the trees had been neglected during the later part of his life as it became too much for him. Dad contacted the local horticultural college for advice. The result was they organised a field trip of students and lecturers and came and did the job with him joining in and learning.
I'm not suggesting you could do this but as well as reading you may be able to find a short course or just a single public lecture on the subject. I like to think I am training my modest orchard of just over 20 trees correctly but as OH says I don't think I could write it down - once you get the confidence to have a go it just comes naturally and seems quite straight forward.
I'm not suggesting you could do this but as well as reading you may be able to find a short course or just a single public lecture on the subject. I like to think I am training my modest orchard of just over 20 trees correctly but as OH says I don't think I could write it down - once you get the confidence to have a go it just comes naturally and seems quite straight forward.
as said above it depends on what state the trees are in to start with.
if they are old and not touchd for a time , dont aim to end the job in one go. Start by trimming off any broken bits, anything excessivly long can go , anything rubbing against another branch should go. then its more an art than a science, there is no one right way to trim a particular tree, youneed a vision of the final shape and si in a season or two and prune towards getting that with a reasonablly open airy structure.
got to go, think ive now got hard boiled egg for breakfast
if they are old and not touchd for a time , dont aim to end the job in one go. Start by trimming off any broken bits, anything excessivly long can go , anything rubbing against another branch should go. then its more an art than a science, there is no one right way to trim a particular tree, youneed a vision of the final shape and si in a season or two and prune towards getting that with a reasonablly open airy structure.
got to go, think ive now got hard boiled egg for breakfast
Thanks you all for your suggestions, I've been to the library this morning and got a couple of books as Peter and OH suggested, have only glanched at them so far, lots of shapes to choose from, I will have to wait till the leaves drop to see what they look like.
Geoff I don't know of any lectures or classes taking place around the B'ham area.
Richard depends what you call old for an apple tree, (they're not as old as me) I like the open-centre bush shape, may do one espalier, I've got four in all and one pear tree.
Hope your eggs were'nt spoiled.
Bren
Geoff I don't know of any lectures or classes taking place around the B'ham area.
Richard depends what you call old for an apple tree, (they're not as old as me) I like the open-centre bush shape, may do one espalier, I've got four in all and one pear tree.
Hope your eggs were'nt spoiled.
Bren
There's one at Pershre College in November: http://www.warkscol.ac.uk/pershore/rhs_ ... r.html#nov
I'm going - in the hope that the trees there will look more like ours and less like the ones in the book!
I'm going - in the hope that the trees there will look more like ours and less like the ones in the book!
Bren
The shape of the fruit tree is determined by how it is pruned/trained in the first 3 years or so of it's establishment.
If older than a few years, you will need to carry out regulated pruning,
Here is an article which may help - can't find the web address for it.
Mole
Pruning Apple Trees
We tend to take apples for granted. They're always available at the grocery store, even by the checkout at my local gas station. Red, shiny, and sweet - every day of the year. But if you are trying to grow your own apples, your trees need some care about now. Many gardeners put off pruning the way children avoid cleaning their rooms. And their trees, like the rooms, just get messier with time, and tougher to deal with. It's time to prune.
If you haven't pruned in recent years, there's a lot of work to do. And you should know that pruning this year won't increase production right away. Fruit load is determined by early June for the following year. But by pruning now, you can make your tree more vigorous and shape it so that it's more likely to produce good fruit in future years. Experts say that you can cut off 20-25% of the branches of a tree without doing it any harm .
First, stand back and take a good look at the tree. Your job will be to get rid of the clutter and to open up spaces so that light can reach all the leaves. And you should try to make your tree pleasing to the eye, as apple trees can be lovely sculpture if pruned well.
You will need a good pruning saw with a pointed tip to get in tight places. A bow saw will not do. And sharp secateurs, not dull things you used on roots, or to cut fencing. Bypass secateurs, good ones that work like scissors, are worthy of an investment. You will need them every year, once you decide that pruning is actually fun.
It's important to know where to make your cuts. Don't cut flush to the trunk or larger branch, but leave intact the swollen area that bulges out where a branch begins. This is known as the branch collar, and is the site where healing takes place. Don't remove it. But don't leave long stubs, either. A 3-inch stub will have to rot away until it falls off at the branch collar, where bark will then grow over the wound. But that could take years, and meanwhile it's an avenue for disease or insects to enter the tree.
Begin with the easy stuff: cut out all the deadwood. Dead branches have dry, flakey bark. If scratched with a fingernail, they show no layer of green beneath the surface. No decisions about how much to cut: all deadwood must go.
Next, remedy rubbing. Take out a branch if it's touching a neighbor. Branches that touch will rub each other raw in brisk breezes, and open up sites for infection. Remove the newcomer, or just leave the healthiest of the two.
Continue pruning by removing branches that are headed toward the center of the tree, as they can only clutter it up, and have no future. Useful branches should be heading away from the tree, reaching out to get sunlight.
When two branches are growing parallel to each other, it is best to remove one. One will be shaded out, and is not likely to produce fruit. Pruning is not like amputating a person's limbs, so you need not agonize over which branch to cut. Just pick one, and do it.
Branches that shoot straight up, often called water sprouts, are also not likely to bear fruit. Fruit generally is produced on branches growing at about a 45 degree angle to the vertical. Short "fruit spurs" (twigs about 2-3 inches long) grow on these branches, blooming and producing fruit. But don't count on getting apples from every fruit spur - some, mysteriously, only produce leaves.
Once you've removed the bigger branches that needed to be eliminated, you can tidy up by removing the water sprouts. If left in place, these pencil thin sprouts will become big branches, creating a jumble of foliage that will shade out fruit producing branches.
The shape of the fruit tree is determined by how it is pruned/trained in the first 3 years or so of it's establishment.
If older than a few years, you will need to carry out regulated pruning,
Here is an article which may help - can't find the web address for it.
Mole
Pruning Apple Trees
We tend to take apples for granted. They're always available at the grocery store, even by the checkout at my local gas station. Red, shiny, and sweet - every day of the year. But if you are trying to grow your own apples, your trees need some care about now. Many gardeners put off pruning the way children avoid cleaning their rooms. And their trees, like the rooms, just get messier with time, and tougher to deal with. It's time to prune.
If you haven't pruned in recent years, there's a lot of work to do. And you should know that pruning this year won't increase production right away. Fruit load is determined by early June for the following year. But by pruning now, you can make your tree more vigorous and shape it so that it's more likely to produce good fruit in future years. Experts say that you can cut off 20-25% of the branches of a tree without doing it any harm .
First, stand back and take a good look at the tree. Your job will be to get rid of the clutter and to open up spaces so that light can reach all the leaves. And you should try to make your tree pleasing to the eye, as apple trees can be lovely sculpture if pruned well.
You will need a good pruning saw with a pointed tip to get in tight places. A bow saw will not do. And sharp secateurs, not dull things you used on roots, or to cut fencing. Bypass secateurs, good ones that work like scissors, are worthy of an investment. You will need them every year, once you decide that pruning is actually fun.
It's important to know where to make your cuts. Don't cut flush to the trunk or larger branch, but leave intact the swollen area that bulges out where a branch begins. This is known as the branch collar, and is the site where healing takes place. Don't remove it. But don't leave long stubs, either. A 3-inch stub will have to rot away until it falls off at the branch collar, where bark will then grow over the wound. But that could take years, and meanwhile it's an avenue for disease or insects to enter the tree.
Begin with the easy stuff: cut out all the deadwood. Dead branches have dry, flakey bark. If scratched with a fingernail, they show no layer of green beneath the surface. No decisions about how much to cut: all deadwood must go.
Next, remedy rubbing. Take out a branch if it's touching a neighbor. Branches that touch will rub each other raw in brisk breezes, and open up sites for infection. Remove the newcomer, or just leave the healthiest of the two.
Continue pruning by removing branches that are headed toward the center of the tree, as they can only clutter it up, and have no future. Useful branches should be heading away from the tree, reaching out to get sunlight.
When two branches are growing parallel to each other, it is best to remove one. One will be shaded out, and is not likely to produce fruit. Pruning is not like amputating a person's limbs, so you need not agonize over which branch to cut. Just pick one, and do it.
Branches that shoot straight up, often called water sprouts, are also not likely to bear fruit. Fruit generally is produced on branches growing at about a 45 degree angle to the vertical. Short "fruit spurs" (twigs about 2-3 inches long) grow on these branches, blooming and producing fruit. But don't count on getting apples from every fruit spur - some, mysteriously, only produce leaves.
Once you've removed the bigger branches that needed to be eliminated, you can tidy up by removing the water sprouts. If left in place, these pencil thin sprouts will become big branches, creating a jumble of foliage that will shade out fruit producing branches.
Mole thank you.
I have printed off that piece on pruning and with the books and advice from others I should make a decent job on the trees, one thing if I don't there is nobody to criticize it.
I have a good pair of felco's secateurs and a decent small pruning saw. The trees are more than 3 years old, I must have patience now and wait for the leaves to fall so I can see what shape they are, and then read up when is the best time to mulch/manure them
Bren
I have printed off that piece on pruning and with the books and advice from others I should make a decent job on the trees, one thing if I don't there is nobody to criticize it.
I have a good pair of felco's secateurs and a decent small pruning saw. The trees are more than 3 years old, I must have patience now and wait for the leaves to fall so I can see what shape they are, and then read up when is the best time to mulch/manure them
Bren