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Neglected fruit trees


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We've also inherited the same and I recently asked advice from a neighbour who has the greenest of fingers and always produces delicious veg and fruit. He doesn't ever spray his trees and believes in pruning out neglect and disease, he took me round his garden and explained which branches he would lop off and where (in layman's terms the dead looking ones & you simply lop them off just above a healthy looking bud & always at this time of year). He seems to cut out anything that's knackered looking, bent, twisted etc. He also said for me not to be afraid to cut down leading shoots which are just growing up, up and up (he said lop at least 1/3 off) - he says a short stubby tree bears more fruit than a tall, willowy one.

On the other hand, another neighbour with equally green fingers swears by spraying every fruit tree in sight with "copper sulphate" at this time of year.

I'm going to try the pruning method first.................

Hope this helps
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FN

Have a look at this. http://www.ipm.iastate.edu/ipm/hortnews/2001/2-9-2001/prunetree.html

The advice from Penny's neighbour is not far off the mark, start with broken, dead, diseased and crossing branches, do not be afraid to be hard on the tree, but try and keep it looking "pretty".  Some recommend that with a neglected tree it is not done all at the same time.   BUT before you go hacking off tips and shortening branches, find out what sort of tree it is as some apples grow on tips, others on side shoots, so you can see what would happen if you just clipped off all the tips if you have a tip bearing tree

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Thanks for those tips. I will probably try a mixture of all three methods as they may need all the TLC they can get. I had also seen 'blue' trees in the village and wondered what they'd been sprayed with I will seek some stuff out in the local Terre du Sud ASAP. Here's to abundant fruit trees next year!!
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  • 4 weeks later...

Having just read all the informative advice.  I wonder can anyone tell me what effects of pruning heavily this year will have on next years fruit crop.  I too have just moved to France and have a handful of apple, pear, damson and golden plum trees.  We had plenty of fruit this year, but it was too high to reach.  The fruit was also very small, especially the pears.  The trees have been neglected for a number of years.  Also does anyone know anything about walnut trees? We have two, but only had half a dozen nuts on each tree.

Any advice most welcome.

 

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[quote]Having just read all the informative advice. I wonder can anyone tell me what effects of pruning heavily this year will have on next years fruit crop. I too have just moved to France and have a hand...[/quote]

Dotty

Firstly you should not do any pruning until February. The experts advise against heavy  pruning, neglected trees are sorted out over a number of years.  Look at the link on my post above, if you prune the wrong way you are in danger of cutting off all your blossom buds if you have end tip fruit trees.  If you do prune heavily next year you will not get much fruit, but you should the following year if the weather conditions are favourable.  I've noticed that fruiting here seems very hit and miss, and trees that are well pruned, and fertilised produce naff all while the neglected ones just drip fruit, it seems to run bi-annually, one year good, the next very little, but not all the trees perform the same way in the same year for some reason. Neglected trees will produce little or small fruit, the size can also be affected by the heat and drought.

As a start, take your wood burner ashes out ( but only wood ashes) and sprinkle them round your fruit trees, prune in February and fertilise well in Spring. next year you may not get much or even the year after, but you will reap rewards ion future years.  With Walnuts, just keep them tidy, take out dead and crossing branches, we had a poor walnut crop this year, far too dry I think, perhaps next year will be better.

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