Training, Pruning & Picking
Training Fruit Trees
Wondering how to prune your apple, pear and plum trees? How do you train a fruit tree? Too often fruit trees become neglected after planting. If you want to get the most out of your fruit trees and reduce the chances of diseases, you need to learn the different methods for training your tree.
Winter Pruning
Why do you prune in winter? When should you winter prune your apple, pear and plum trees? Many people don’t realise that the time of year you prune your fruit trees has a radical and often opposite effect. Here we learn about winter pruning and why we do it.
Summer Pruning to Stimulate Fruit Growth
Why do you prune in summer? When should you summer prune your apple, pear and plum trees? Here we learn about summer pruning and its benefits and disadvantages. Make sure you’re not creating the opposite effect that was intended by pruning at the wrong time!
Thinning of Fruit
Should apples be thinned? How do you thin fruit on a plum tree? Nothing gets us fruit tree growers more excited than a large crop of apples, pears or plums. However, what you may not realise is that you should be thinning your crop! If you don’t, you risk a large number of poor quality fruit that won’t ripen properly.
Picking and Storage of Fruit
How can you tell if a fruit is ripe? When can I pick my fruit? How do you store apples correctly? Having planted, grow and nurtured your fruit trees, you don’t want it to all be for nothing! Make sure you know how to correctly pick and store your apples, pears and plums. Don’t let them go to waste!
Fans, Cordons and Espaliers
How can you train your apple, pear and plum trees? Whether you’re making use of a walled garden, efficiently making use of planting space, or simply want to add some style and grandeur to your orchard, special pruning techniques can create productive and aesthetic results. Fans, cordons and espaliers are some of the more popular designs.
Summer Pruning to Reduce Tree Size
Considering reducing the size of your fruit trees? There are many reasons why you may want to reduce the size and volume of your fruit trees, for example to free up more space in your garden or to make harvesting fruit more manageable!