pruning my fruittrees
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by Newt on July 12, 2004 02:38 AM
Hi Babe,
First I'd like to say that your English is wonderful compared to my Dutch!! You're doing just fine!
As to your fruit trees, dead wood can be pruned at any time. Most trees are best pruned when they are dormant. In your area that would be in February. If your trees are properly pruned (see the site below) you don't have to put anything on the cuts. The tree will heal itself. Here are some sites that should be very helpful.
http://agebb.missouri.edu/mac/library/linkview.asp?linknum=1914
http://www.eap.mcgill.ca/CPTFP_7.htm
http://lofthouse.com/apple/neglect.html
If you need more information, don't hesitate to write.
Newt
* * * *
When weeding, the best way to make sure you are removing a weed and not a valuable plant is to pull on it. If it comes out of the ground easily, it is a valuable plant.
First I'd like to say that your English is wonderful compared to my Dutch!! You're doing just fine!
As to your fruit trees, dead wood can be pruned at any time. Most trees are best pruned when they are dormant. In your area that would be in February. If your trees are properly pruned (see the site below) you don't have to put anything on the cuts. The tree will heal itself. Here are some sites that should be very helpful.
quote:http://www.thegardenhelper.com/june.html
After natural fruit drop in late June, thin fruits on apple, pear, peach, and apricot trees carefully to produce larger, better fruit. Peach trees need 50 to 75 leaves per fruit to manufacture food for both fruit production and tree maintenance. Apple trees need 30 to 40 leaves per fruit.
http://agebb.missouri.edu/mac/library/linkview.asp?linknum=1914
http://www.eap.mcgill.ca/CPTFP_7.htm
http://lofthouse.com/apple/neglect.html
quote:http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/extension/fruitgarden/fruitvariety.html#peaches
Peaches, Nectarines And Plums (Stone Fruits)
Because of the many insects and diseases that attack stone fruit trees, they are relatively short-lived and should not be planted as specimen trees in an attractive part of the landscape. With care, however, these trees can produce bountiful crops of delicious fruit.
Adapted varieties usually set good crops, but early bloom makes all stone fruits highly subject to crop damage from spring freezes. Insect and disease problems on the fruit usually require control measures to produce edible fruit.
Careful variety selection is necessary. Non-adapted varieties lead to poor production and disappointment. See Figure 2 for information on the varieties best adapted to your area.
Pruning and thinning are required for healthy trees and for the consistent production of large fruit. Pruning encourages the vigorous growth required for annual production and keeps trees manageable. Prune stone fruit trees to an open center (see the Training and Pruning section). Thin by hand about the time small fruits are the diameter of a dime. After thinning, the fruits should be at least 6 inches apart on peaches and nectarines and 3 inches apart on smaller plum varieties.
If you need more information, don't hesitate to write.
Newt
* * * *
When weeding, the best way to make sure you are removing a weed and not a valuable plant is to pull on it. If it comes out of the ground easily, it is a valuable plant.
by Bestofour on July 12, 2004 04:35 AM
Newt, what about in Monroe, NC. We have two plum trees, two apple trees, and one pear tree. Last year the plums molded before we got most of them off the trees - so much rain. This year we only got a bucket full, I guess because of the drought. We didn't get any pears at all. The leaves were actually falling off the pear tree before we got some rain. Now the tree look good, but we won't get any fruit this year. These trees were here when we moved in and they're out in the middle of the field far away from the house so we don't water them. What should I do to clean them up a little?
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http://www.picturetrail.com/bestofour 
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http://www.picturetrail.com/bestofour
by Newt on July 12, 2004 05:37 AM
Hi Sheri,
Please look at the sites I referred Babe to. They will show you how and when to prune and also how to care for the trees. Here's one for Pears.
http://members.efn.org/~bsharvy/edible7.html#PearEuropean
Here's one for peaches and one for apples that I should have given to Babe too!! Note the info about not having a lawn under the peaches.
http://members.efn.org/~bsharvy/edible6.html#Peach
http://members.efn.org/~bsharvy/edible1.html#Apple
I hope this helps!
Newt
* * * *
When weeding, the best way to make sure you are removing a weed and not a valuable plant is to pull on it. If it comes out of the ground easily, it is a valuable plant.
Please look at the sites I referred Babe to. They will show you how and when to prune and also how to care for the trees. Here's one for Pears.
http://members.efn.org/~bsharvy/edible7.html#PearEuropean
Here's one for peaches and one for apples that I should have given to Babe too!! Note the info about not having a lawn under the peaches.
http://members.efn.org/~bsharvy/edible6.html#Peach
http://members.efn.org/~bsharvy/edible1.html#Apple
I hope this helps!
Newt
* * * *
When weeding, the best way to make sure you are removing a weed and not a valuable plant is to pull on it. If it comes out of the ground easily, it is a valuable plant.
by Bestofour on July 13, 2004 03:41 AM
Thanks a lot. These trees have been out here forever without anyone doing anything to them and they've survived. Should I just leave them alone?
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http://www.picturetrail.com/bestofour
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http://www.picturetrail.com/bestofour
by Newt on July 13, 2004 05:11 AM
Hi Best,
Well, you could just leave them alone, let them fend for themselves and harvest what you can. Or, you could at least prune them using those sites I gave you as a reference. You could also do the fruit thinning in late June to see if that will give you a better harvest. I guess it all depends on how much work you want to put into them and how much fruit you want to harvest.
Guess I wasn't much help with that question, eh?![[dunno]](im/graemlins/dunno.gif)
Newt
* * * *
When weeding, the best way to make sure you are removing a weed and not a valuable plant is to pull on it. If it comes out of the ground easily, it is a valuable plant.
Well, you could just leave them alone, let them fend for themselves and harvest what you can. Or, you could at least prune them using those sites I gave you as a reference. You could also do the fruit thinning in late June to see if that will give you a better harvest. I guess it all depends on how much work you want to put into them and how much fruit you want to harvest.
Guess I wasn't much help with that question, eh?
Newt
* * * *
When weeding, the best way to make sure you are removing a weed and not a valuable plant is to pull on it. If it comes out of the ground easily, it is a valuable plant.
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We have a big garden with a couple of fruittrees. An apple-tree with a lot of apples (already thinned-out)but we have forget to prun last fall so it looks more like a apple-bush now....I have no idea what kinda apple-tree it is. When is the best time to prune it? Wait untill after harvest? I don't think I can wait to long because of the change of frost. And do i have to put something on the cuts?
In my back yard I have also a plum, a prum and a peach tree. Same thing, no pruning done last year/spring so when is the best time to get things done?
Thanks for your advice. I am a real new-bee-garden-girl
Maybe my messages contains some language-mistakes
but my first language is Dutch....:-))
greetz
Babe (Kamloops BC Canada)