Fruitwise guide to apple tree pruning-the Bramley, part 2

[EnglishDave6767]

Nice one, Stephen. Thanks for your pruning videos. Helping some friends pruning their young apple trees over here on the southern Oregon coast. Cheers!

[ProfKSE]

Stephen, please view my video response to your Silky saw.... a really sharp saw I am sure, but it doesn't touch mine.

:-)

As always, You are the Doctor of the Orchard!

- Kent

[stephenhayesuk]

@ProfKSE Astounding!

[tankarian1987]

do you speak english?

[79Testo]

Is the trunk black at the base of the tree?

[Koss12100]

I must say that Stephen does not have an idea how properly prune Bramley apple tree.

You can prune for wood, you can prune for fruit. However, Stephen invented new way. He prunes for long sticks.

[Frankenpalin]

Do you ever use those branches for grafting ?

Great videos by the way

[stephenhayesuk]

@Frankenpalin

Thanks

Do I use this wood for grafting? Yes, but not if pruning early in the season, e.g. November. I leave selected straight growths of last year's wood and cut them later, say February. The wood will live better on the tree than in my fridge, although 'pencils' of scion wood for grafting do need to be cut when still fully dormant, then stored cool and moist until grafted in early Spring.

[Frankenpalin]

@stephenhayesuk I see, I was looking at the date and I thought it might be too early in the year to be cutting for grafting.

I noticed you said you're in Hampshire, me Mum grew up in Southampton and I still have relatives scattered about there, mostly in Swanwick.

[cjacustomwoodworking]

Very helpful. Hope to take out some unwieldy branches on my flowering crab trees. They need to be balanced better, this video helps a lot.

[docmjn]

Ekkar, just planted 100 7/8" stock apple trees of varying varieties. It's spring but the weather is very warm earlier than usual. Since they are new trees, do I do any pruning now? or just let them be for the first year of growth. If I do need to prune, do I do it now? It seems on your video that you're pruning in early spring when the weather hasn't yet warmed up.

[stephenhayesuk]

@docmjn if they're small and healthy. best to let them grow for the first year.

I prune betweeen November and March. Its not that critical when you do it between leaf fall and bud burst, I have a lot to do and this isn't my main job so I start early and work through the winter.

If you have winter pruning you haven't yet done, you can do it now, but there's a lot to be said for leaving young trees unpruned the first year. if in doubt, prune less, not more.

[docmjn]

@stephenhayesuk Thanks for the advice Stephen. I'll give them a year of growth and acclimation before pruning. Your expertise is greatly appreciated.

[docmjn]

Ekkar, just planted 100 7/8" stock apple trees of varying varieties. It's spring but the weather is very warm earlier than usual. Since they are new trees, do I do any pruning now? or just let them be for the first year of growth. If I do need to prune, do I do it now? It seems on your video that you're pruning in early spring when the weather hasn't yet warmed up.

[Teorispa]

Sort of a given point what you said about using gloves when using a saw, but it is really important that you do. My Felco slipped from the cut I was making the other day and tore open the glove I was holding the branch with. Thank goodness I had them on or no more pruning for about a week or so.

[ggmorvaj]

Can't thank you enough for these grafting & pruning videos.I want to get the best out of our little orchard & these are a huge help!

[ekkar]

What I do with my trees is nothing when it comes to pest management. I just keep a healthy diversity on my land and it takes care of itself. Also maybe try introducing bats.

cheers.

[stephenhayesuk]

greetings Ekkar

We maintain healthy diversity also with hundreds of metres of hedges and 2 acres of mixed coppice. There are bats and owls, as well as grass snakes.

However, bitter experience taught us that if we do not control fungal and insect pests we will not have a saleable crop.

we spray minimally, it gives us no pleasure to use poisons but they are strictly controlled and the last spray goes on at least 6 weeks before harvest. We eat (and drink) our own apples

regards

[ggmorvaj]

Hi ekkar, I have apple pear plum & pie-cherry trees growing in Ontario,Canada.For 11 years we tried growing them with only dormant spray,insect traps,sanitation.Even keep 30+ hens running loose to help pick up fallen fruit.But we got few edible fruit (I don't mean cosmetically perfect,either, just edible)Only good for cider.Finally decided to spray carbaryl at the most effective times,3 y ago.Wouldn't spray if I didn't have to.I think 11 years was a fair trial.This has been my actual experience.

[ekkar]

firstly, thank you. It is a great pleasure to watch you work. I have to comment on your spraying though. Why? Is it out of necessity or routine? I know quite a bit about sprays and ecological disruptions because of. I also no that in all but rare infestations not spraying allows for the balance of "problem" insect with predator insects.

[alyozbashi]

many thanks

[cugmanboy]

cant help but wonder what type of gamefowls you got there crowing in the background LOL

[stephenhayesuk]

Good question my friend!

Our neighbour keeps chickens. turkeys, ducks, geese, guinea fowl and peacocks. The peacocks are the ones who make a high pitched 'yee-woww' cry which can sound quite disturbing until you're used to it. there are also a lot of wild birds like cuckoos, pheasants and woodpeckers whcih make a noise, there are all there in the background of the videos.

[respectbluder]

dont forget wind

[kalaloch03]

Love the videos, but REALLY bad wind noise. Might I suggest putting a few socks over the microphone, or having the camera person holding a umbrella to the side to block the wind. We all want to hear your wonderful advice clearer.

[taono]

hi, i have a peregrine peach tree and has had peach leaf curl ever since my neighbours fence fell on it and partially snapped the tree, i have been trying to cure the disease for 3 years now, have u any tips, as i am about to pull the tree out and start a fresh with a new tree? thx.

[stephenhayesuk]

Peach leaf curl is disgusting, and it stopped us growing peaches. You can beat it, but you have to grow a small tree, cover it up with fleece or something in winter to stop spores getting on it, and above all spray several times a year with fungicide.

Peaches are not grown commercially in Britain, the climate does not suit them.

You would probably be better off with an apple, pear or plum tree instead. I have one peach tree in my large orchard, it doesn't do well at all.

all the best.

[taono]

thx for the reply stephen, yea i heard u have to cover them, but its hard to cover, unless i start with a new young tree and keep it moderately small, also i recently learned to cover the base of the tree in frosty times with a good heap of straw (which i havent been doing)i have a stella cherry (doing really well more fruit than last year by the looks of all the blossom) and a victoria plum, which i pruned (and seems be doing better aswell more blossom) thx and keep the great videos coming!

[nipsu10]

Yeah, great series. Very useful. Thank you very much indeed.

[stockybighands]

Superb series of videos. Will be of great use

cheers.