Question about a pear tree and a new apple tree
Cherylac
Posts: 6
Hi, 6 months ago I moved to rural Norfolk to be with my partner. 5+ years ago he planted a cherry tree and a pear tree. There's no issues with the cherry, but the pear was never staked, and has never been pruned, as Mark has never been interested in gardening. Last weekend, he finally put a stake in because of how far the stake was leaning. I suggested that the steak go behind the tree to pull it back slightly (it's still fairly flexible), but he thought it should go in front, just to stop it leaning even more. Is the stake in the right place?
Also, we have planted several more fruit trees, to make a little orchard (back garden is 3/4 acre). Several weeks ago we planted a bare root braeburn apple tree, and it has a branch that I'm convinced needs to be removed, as it crossed over behind others. Can someone tell me if this is the correct thing to do, before i cut it off?! (I have no idea why it's rotate the pictures).
Cheryl
Posts
Cherylac the stake is in the wrong place for a start it should be next to the trunk and secured with a bigger tree tie. As for the apple the lower branches need pruning out completely, I count seven from the bottom up all of which need removing. That will give you a better shape to work with. That will leave you with five upper branches which will all grow better.
Pansyface, the orange stuff isn't attached anymore, and hasn't been for some time, I only discovered it still there due to clearning back the blackberries that run all along the fence. Mark said it snapped about 2 years ago, but he couldn't get it out becaause the blackberries had gone wild. I have NO idea why it was planted inside the cage, other than the fact Mark has some funny ideas about gardening, as I said, it was originally planted over 5 years ago, and I only moved in with Mark 6 months ago. I'm only trying to rectify what's already been done! I think we're going to have to get some wire cutters to cut the cage off now!
Dave Morgan, the tree ties only arrived yesterday, and were much smaller than expected, larger ones are already on order, and will be here in a few days! Thank you for confirming which branches need removing. Having come from a large town with a postage stamp size garden, fruit trees are not something which I have much experience with.
The pear is a Conference, the apple is a Braeburn. We also have a Discovery apple, a Victoria plum and a Czar Plum, all of which are of a similar size to the Braeburn apple in the picture. Should they be pruned similar to the Braeburn?
Whichever tress they are cherylac you need strong branches to begin with twiggy stuff needs pruning out especially lower down and anything crossing. Fruit trees need a bowl shaped centre so the light can get in which aids flowering and fruiting
...and the air can blow through, discouraging disease.
...which means taking out any branches in the centre (especially the main leader if it's still there) and arranging for up to half a dozen branches to grow up as if they were fingers of a hand holding up a cricket ball (or tennis, if you prefer, or even an orange...). Also take out any that are crossing (as mentioned) and later on any that are dead, damaged or diseased. And then there's pruning the individual branches and their laterals....
If the apples are both spur-bearing (nearly all varieties are), they and the pear are all pruned the same way. If you're doing it now, you need to do it now as they'll be starting into growth any minute. Cut back last year's growth on each main branch by 1/3 to 1/2 to a bud pointing the right way, then cut back the laterals to a bud a few inches out - these will form your fruiting spurs. The cuts should be sloped up to the bud to shed rain, not horizontal as some of those in the photo are.
Plums (and their kin) must only be pruned in summer, ideally May - June when they're growing fast. This alows them to resist infection with the fungal disease 'silverleaf' which tends to enter and would (eventually) kill them.
I found a good series of videos on YouTube from Ashridge Nurseries showing step by step how to prune fruit trees of various ages and into full trees or half height bushes. This is one of them https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rkYXR4uOEjU
They definitely helped me with our young apple trees and I think there are lots of other videos from their site about all sorts of other things garden-related too