The Grounded Orchardist

At work I’ve been summer pruning. I’ve been doing it a while due to the excessive growth we’ve experienced this year. It’s easy to get carried away and prune like you would in winter. Although this is fine, all I’m really trying to achieve is to uncover the fruit so it can benefit from the sun and to allow air to get through the tree to help stop pests and disease, help to create fruit spurs…and as a by product, help me out a little when winter pruning. In the very hot summer we’re having it will be risking more sunburn but I need the fruit to ripen so its worth the risk.

So I’m obviously cutting out the 3 D’s…anything that’s Dead, Damaged or Diseased. I’m taking out most of the water shoots…the growth that is growing vertically and anything that is causing congestion that won’t benefit the tree in the future. There’s been a lot of new growth this year due to the warm weather so there’s a fair bit to take out.

With so many varieties (we have 153 varieties of apple) there are some that need a slightly different treatment. I’ve left the Bramleys alone except to prune the row to allow tractors and foot traffic in. Bramleys are susceptible to sunburn and although a little blush is ok, especially as I’m not commercially growing now but I’m trying to keep them their Bramley green. The Blenheim Orange are very vigorous almost like the Bramley so I’ve just lightly pruned them to allow a bit of light in. I need them to go the familiar Blenheim Orange colour…but not sunburnt!

The other added benefit to summer pruning is that it makes you get up close to the trees. You can assess what is happening with each individual tree at a time of year you may otherwise miss it, such as taking off any brown rot you spot, pruning out silverleaf disease or Mildew you may have otherwise missed.

Of course it’s not just apples. Our figs need a summer prune to expose the fruit under the jungle of leaves to the sun. In some cases I’ll cut back to two buds. Our Kiwis also need a lot of constant taming, they’re just so vigorous…and forgiving!

I really enjoy pruning, though if it could cool down a bit that would be great. I, like everyone else want rain but I need to get this pruning done now so I need to hold off as much as is possible. Pruning in rain is a big no no. Its spreads disease especially spores from canker, scab and silverleaf disease on plums. Its also a lot more effort trying to get your saw through!!