Article discussion - Renovating old fruit trees

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Article discussion - Renovating old fruit trees
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Nick

Joined: 02 Nov 2004
Posts: 34535
Location: Hereford

Posted: Tue Oct 17, 06 9:40 pm Post subject:
Depends where you live, but grants are available for pruning old trees. Herefordshire CC gave me a tenner for each tree. ï¿½100 of my taxes back, I guess.

Kinnopio

Joined: 14 Aug 2006
Posts: 356

Posted: Wed Oct 18, 06 7:03 pm Post subject:

My (highly productive) pear tree has fallen over, the bulk of its roots are still in the ground and it doesn't seem to have stopped it producing a bumper crop again this year but obviously I want to right it as it is blocking one of my paths and it being so near the soil i fear it may catch a disease. Does anyone have any tips on how to do this? I was thinking of waiting untill winter but am not sure how to go about actually righting it and how to ensure it doesn't fall over again.

Treacodactyl
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Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 25795
Location: Jumping on the bandwagon of opportunism

Posted: Wed Oct 18, 06 7:28 pm Post subject:
Anders, if you can borrow a copy of this Months (Nov '06) Kitchen Garden magazine there's an artcle about renovating old cherry and pear trees.

Tavascarow

Joined: 06 Aug 2006
Posts: 8407
Location: South Cornwall

Posted: Wed Oct 18, 06 7:31 pm Post subject:
That article says it all basically the only thing I would add would be stone fruit summer, pip fruit winter & using sharp clean tools. As to righting a pear tree thats blown down your talking intensive care. Definately something to be done when dormant. Probably best to say it was growing in the wrong place & plant a couple elsewhere.

dougal

Joined: 15 Jan 2005
Posts: 7184
Location: South Kent

Posted: Wed Oct 18, 06 8:03 pm Post subject:

Kinnopio wrote:

My (highly productive) pear tree has fallen over, the bulk of its roots are still in the ground and it doesn't seem to have stopped it producing a bumper crop again this year ...
Does anyone have any tips on how to do this? I was thinking of waiting untill winter but am not sure how to go about actually righting it and how to ensure it doesn't fall over again.

After the Great Hurricane of 1987, an apple tree blew over, branches on the ground 45ï¿½+ lean, and I just set it up again -- but I put it up again within days. (Hurricane Thursday night, stock market crash Friday, tree sorted over the weekend.)
I remember doing a little clearance of the surprisingly small hole left by the uprooted root ball.
A cross-brace (X shape) was lashed (very carefully) together from the the (3 ft long?) halves of an old post.
A rope was attatched as low as possible (3" above ground?) on another tree opposite to the direction of fall. Another rope was fixed to an appropriate strong point on the fallen tree. A branch was chosen that was quite high as the tree ended up.
IIRC, care was taken to wrap the attachment points with old towels, to protect the tree from the rope, and many round turns were taken to spread the load over several inches of the trees.
A hand winch was attached between the two ties and it was cranked back to (more or less) where it had come from. The cross brace was inserted (padded), and lashed into place on the upwind (fall direction) side. After the winch tension was released and it had settled onto the cross-brace, the root hole was packed with topsoil.
The tree got some watering thereafter when anyone remembered.

I mention the detail because the ruddy tree survives to this day - albeit smothered by a ruddy deliberately-planted and deliberately unpruned clematis...

gil
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Joined: 08 Jun 2005
Posts: 18416

Posted: Wed Oct 18, 06 8:29 pm Post subject:

Just re-read the article for the first time in a while - I've got a couple of greengage/yellow plum trees that have gone mental, so will try dehorning next summer. They fruited quite well this year, but much was unreachable.

I've also got a Katy apple tree that is healthy, bushy crowned and never fruits much, though it bears some blossom. Next to it is a seedling Katy, which is much smaller, and does crop. Time for action this winter... Any advice, other than follow article instructions ? Anyone had a similar tree and pruned it to produce fruit. I wouldn't describe it as overgrown, just mysteriously unproductve.

Slim

Joined: 05 Mar 2006
Posts: 6630
Location: New England (In the US of A)

Posted: Wed Jan 02, 08 4:23 pm Post subject:
Maybe I'm too cautious, but the one thing I'd add to the article is more of an emphasis to stretch the renovation out over 3 years if possible. (I just get so nervous about cutting up such wonderful resources... then again, when in doubt, cut it out!)

dougal

Joined: 15 Jan 2005
Posts: 7184
Location: South Kent

Posted: Wed Jan 02, 08 4:29 pm Post subject:

cpg03 wrote:

... the one thing I'd add to the article is more of an emphasis to stretch the renovation out over 3 years if possible.

That's certainly standard advice. Probably limiting the first year's efforts to removing dead/diseased/crossing branches.

Access.
Anyone got (or got a hire source for) a proper tripod ladder?

Slim

Joined: 05 Mar 2006
Posts: 6630
Location: New England (In the US of A)

Posted: Wed Jan 02, 08 4:43 pm Post subject:

Quote:

Anyone got (or got a hire source for) a proper tripod ladder?

Or a good design for a homemade? (ok maybe that's a bad idea for safety reasons, but I'm really tempted...)

gil
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 08 Jun 2005
Posts: 18416

Posted: Wed Jan 02, 08 8:25 pm Post subject:

dougal wrote:

a proper tripod ladder

I remember those from growing up fruit-picking in Kent. Brilliant. Why can't you get them these days ?

sean
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 42219
Location: North Devon

Posted: Wed Jan 02, 08 8:33 pm Post subject:
You can. Quite dear though.

dougal

Joined: 15 Jan 2005
Posts: 7184
Location: South Kent

Posted: Wed Jan 02, 08 9:05 pm Post subject:

sean wrote:

You can. Quite dear though.

Yep, and there are even more expensive versions...
https://www.outdoorexpress.co.uk/cart.php?target=category&category_id=85

sean
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 42219
Location: North Devon

Posted: Wed Jan 02, 08 9:18 pm Post subject:
Cheap version at Scotts of Stow. Not that tall, but it might be of use to some.

gil
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 08 Jun 2005
Posts: 18416

Posted: Wed Jan 02, 08 9:25 pm Post subject:
Nah. The ones I remember were wooden, and a proper tripod shape - all three legs joined at the top, like a pyramid, with rungs on all three sides.

James

Joined: 11 Jan 2006
Posts: 2866
Location: York

Posted: Thu Jan 03, 08 1:34 pm Post subject:
The ones I've used have a loop attached to the two legs on which you stand. The third leg goes through that loop, so it can swivvel around . But when pressure is applied by standing on the ladder, the swivvel joint catches and goes rigid. You can become quite dextrous with these swivelling ladders (but then again, you can have some terrible crashes into tree canopies)

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