Care of apples and pears and a winter pruning guide

We are looking at fruit trees – apples and pears just now – and specifically winter care, pruning and management. Young trees, old trees, productive trees and lost souls alike. We have a lot of ground to cover here but don’t panic, we can take it step by step and ultimately, cut by cut.

For established, older and trees seemingly beyond profitable salvage, there will be NO pruning frenzy here. In fact, it is a positive advantage to slow things down and take your time before even picking up the secateurs or pruning saw. Pruning in this instance has much in common with meditation. Calm reflection and really, really looking at the tree.

This goes even further, a proper consideration of Time. What it, the tree, has done in the past (if it has had one), what it is doing…

A tour earlier this week around the Fruit displays at RHS Wisley in Surrey – the Fruit Demonstration Garden and Fruit Collections showing a variety of trained forms especially of Apples and Pears, but also a whole range of stone fruit and soft fruit. I moved on into the extensive Fruit Fields.

The Fruit Fields are large orchards with apples, pears, plums as well as grape vines, cherries there too, though it was mostly the apple and pears that were the thing this week – and the winter pruning regime that the RHS are in the midst of even now.

I’m in the middle of preparing a longer blog on winter pruning – following my visit to the Earth Trust last week – and having re-read many of the books I have on the subject. This will I hope put some flesh on the subject and give some context to…