A Cut In Time
14 February 2006 Try to get all the apple and pear tree pruning finished this month. Buds are already starting to swell and if we have a mild spring leaves and flowers may soon appear. The longer you leave the job the bigger the risk of knocking off fruit buds as you work through the branches.  The first operation is to cut out any diseased branches especially those suffering from canker disease. The infected area will be discoloured with cracked bark and sunken areas. Cut the disease out using a sharp knife or where the whole branch has been girdled then remove it completely. Broken branches are cut back beyond the damaged area.
Branches that are rubbing together or crossing over should be thinned out.
Those that are heading into the centre of the tree should be pruned back to an outward pointing shoot. Keeping the centre of the tree open allows light and air to penetrate to all the fruit.  With old fruit trees that have been severely pruned the previous year lots of thin shoots (water shoots) will often appear on the old branches in the centre. These should be removed as close as possible to where they emerge from the bark.
Shorten back all strong growing side shoots produced the previous year removing one third of the growth. It is possible to direct shoots to fill a gap in the framework. Prune the young shoot to a bud that is pointing in the direction that you require a branch. That shoot will then head in that direction.  It is important to know the difference between a fruit and a growth bud. The former is fat and rounded while the growth bud is thin and pointed. The finches love flower buds and if allowed to will leave the tree without a single apple or pear. The only satisfactory, preventative measure is to drape a fine net over the tree making sure there are no gaps where birds can enter. Remove the protection as the flower buds open taking care not to damage or knock off the flowers.
Remove grass and weeds from the base of the tree and protect the bark from strimmer damage.
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