"Spider" wrote in message
...

Hello again, Ophelia. Good idea to start a new thread.
As you probably know, I've been replying to Jake D's original post. It
seems only good manners since we rather hijacked his thread! (Thanks, JD,
for not complaining).

From me too I have been learning from your posts to him as well)


Thank you for taking the extra photographs. Alas, I'm having a spot of
trouble with Tinypic just now :~((. I got a glimpse, then they
disappeared. I'll look again later.

I'll try and work from memory for now, so I might mentally 'hop' about a
bit.

*Cotoneaster: not certain which one it is, but it looks vigorous enough.
However, I'm not terribly happy about the taped up wound where your dog
showed his appreciation. If there are wounds (probably), they really need
to get some air to them while the wood really hardens off. After that,
instead of using tape, could you protect the area with, say, a modified
wire hanging basket instead or even a strong wire mesh which would allow
the shrub to breathe, otherwise you may be inviting fungal problems.
You'd need to keep an eye on it as the Cotoneaster grows so that the wire
doesn't cut into the bark. The same is true of the tape, of course; if it
doesn't 'give' when the trunk expands, then the tape will tighten and cut
in. This can be very damaging/even fatal.

Gosh thanks! It is just string but I will take it all off immediately and
keep a good eye on my dog!


Although Cotoneasters don't need lots of pruning, you may choose to tidy
it into a preferred shape which best accommodates its space/looks
aesthetically pleasing to you. Pruning should be done in winter or
mid-spring, except for Cotoneaster horizontalis which should be pruned in
late winter.

I can't remember the type, but it does spread horizontally if that makes any
sense?

I tend to prune out the extension growths on my
Cotoneasters so that the berries are shown off. I usually do this in
autumn, however, and never had any problems. Cotoneasters do not always
respond well to very hard pruning, so only take out larger branches that
you really don't want.

It is rather spreading and the branches are drooping down to ground level.
Noted! A job for next month then?

*Plum Tree: these must be pruned in good, dry sunny weather so that the
cut heals quickly, otherwise the tree can succumb to 'Silver Leaf', which
is very harmful, so you need to act on a sunny day. Hope you can find
one:~).

heh well it won't be this week ... g I will! I have heard of silver
leaf and wondered if it has it and that may be why it hasn't fruited but
apart from some holey leaves, it looks ok. What does 'silver leaf' look
like?


Recalling the earlier pics, your plum seemed to have a number of poorly
healed stubs where previous pruning took place. Woody pruning cuts (not
just for plum trees) should always be at the 'collar': somewhat
sub-conical, wrinkled area of the branch between the trunk (or major
branch) you're cutting back to and the branch you're cutting out. This
area contains the healing cells and hormones which will start to heal the
cut. So: do not leave a stub, do not cut flush with the trunk.

I don't remember cutting it but it has been a long time. If I don't cut
flush with the trunk, how will it not leave a stub?


Hope I've explained that well enough. Anyway, you need to cleanly cut
away the stubs and half branches. Also take out any dead, dying or
damaged wood. Having done this, clean your secateurs/loppers so that you
do not introduce disease to new cuts. Just as with an apple tree, the
plum should not have any inward-growing branches which will stifle air
movement, or branches that cross each other and cause - or may cause -
chafing, so you will need to cut these out.

Right! Looking at it atm, if I cut out all the cross branches, it might not
leave much else. Is it ok to leave it fairly denuded? Will it grow to fill
in the gaps?

At the moment, that is heaps for you to do and you don't want to stress
the tree by taking out too much wood at once. What you can do, however,
is look for any fruit (healthy, damaged, suffering Brown Rot [fungus in
rings] or 'mummified') and remove them. In fact, because of the fungus
risk, it would be better to do this job before you start pruning!

I don't have many apples and some are really nice. A few others look
'scabby' is that what you mean?


Well, Ophelia, it's nearly dinner time again, so I'm going to have a rest
from the screen now. Sorry I couldn't see your new pics, but hope I've
given you enough information for now.

Yes!!! Thank you once again! As I have mentioned I am saving all your
advice and will continue to work through it.

Oooh, just had a thought! Do you know the varietal name of your apple? It
may tell us whether it's tip or spur bearing ... which has a bearing on
the pruning;~).

Yes, it is a James Grieve. I always remember that because when I planted
it, someone asked me what type of apple it is. When I told him he asked me
why I called my tree, James. g


I must do a bit of gardening tomorrow, but will look in again later on and
discuss the Holly et al *and* will try and find those pics. Have a lovely
evening.

Please don't concern yourself too much nor feel you must respond *only* to
me! I am more than happy to wait until you have to time and I am sure there
is a lot more posts that will take your interest.

You are most kind and I am very grateful

Enjoy your dinner

Ophelia


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