On 01/09/2014 17:22, Ophelia wrote:
"Spider" wrote in message
...
It's a posh
name for pruning to (below) the bud you want the next growth to
sprout
from.
Right! I do that with other stuff I have cut back. Heh I know how to
do it, I just don't know the name of it
)
Great! That makes proceedings much easier.
Phew I got something right!!!!! g
Of course you did :~). You know more than you think you do, I'm sure.
Heh I wouldn't count on that))
I am counting on it. I can sense it's true.
You probably already do it with your roses, but you need to
understand it to shape your trees and shrubs properly.
Right! My roses are climbers and I am leaving them to do their thing
along with some other climbers, over an arch recently erected)
If recently erected, and the roses et al, recently pruned to their
situation, then all is probably well there. Some future pruning will
be inevitable, though. You will have The Book by then ... and URG,
just in case :~).
Oh Yes, thank goodness. You are a godsend) Will this book cover such
things as the climbing roses too?
Oh, indeed it does! It covers all aspects of pruning and training
roses, so you'll have a fair bit of reading to do.
Yes) I have been having a look)) Did you see, it has arrived!!!!
))) Gosh it is a super book btw. Thank you for the recommendation
I haven't pruned them at all since I
have been back. They were all over the place but I just tied them
into the rest so I would have something to train over the arch. I have
to say there is quite a thicket. They have honeysuckle growing through
them too. Hmm I don't remember planting that At least now I will
be coming up fairly regularly so it won't be left to its own devices for
several years again and the work I do now with pay off for the future.
Taming this garden is a full time job g
But you're loving every minute of it, I bet :~). Hope you've left
enough time to plant some bulbs for spring;~).
??? I hadn't even thought about those!!! Do I still have time???
You certainly do! You can tulips off for a bit, but you could be
planting lots of other lovely gems. Time for a visit to the garden
centre, me thinks!
Thanks, will do) Incidentally, I have seen 'growmore' in the pound
shops. Will that be the same stuff I see in garden centres?
It certainly should be, or it shouldn't carry the name. Have a look
on line so you know what n-p-k proper Growmore has, and compare
prices/sizes before you check out the local cheapie.
I will do that! Thank you err what is n-p-k please?
Oh heck! You don't feel like a holiday in Scotland by any chance
???? ;-)
Dinna panic, lassie, as they say up't there! :~)))
lol they do indeed)
I am looking forward to my next foray into your garden. Quite an
adventure and remarkably good for my brain. Thank you.
Noooo thank YOU!!! You are welcome into my garden any old time you
fancy ) In fact I welcome you with open arms !!!
Ophelia
Thank you, Ophelia:~). That's truly nice of you.
It would be even nicer for me if you actually turned up ... ;-) Gosh,
imagine me having all that knowledge under my roof!! heh you might get
no peace))
Neither would you ... I'd probably never stop, once started! :~))
Anyway, I don't know everything. I have my weaknesses.
Now it's time to discuss the 'undercut', so that you don't tear the
bark as your pruning cut reaches the lower side of the branch and the
weight of the part-severed branch suddenly accelerates the fall and
rips the bark as the limb descends.
Ahhhh!! yes, that makes sense! If the bark were ripped like that,
could it kill the tree? Could it not repair itself?
It could certainly be very damaging and, on a plum tree, it could let in
Silver Leaf and heaven knows what. I seem to think you had a torn stub
on your plum tree. It had partly healed and partly died back, so you'll
be able to see what can happen following a bad cut. That stub needs
your attention since you're going to become an expert overnight ;~)!
Once you've identified the branch you're going to cut and, especially
if it's a long/heavy branch, it will help to follow David's advice and
make at least one cut through the length of the branch to lighten the
load. (With a mature forest tree, a tree surgeon may make several cuts
before he nears the trunk and prepares to sever the branch where it
joins). David cited 12" to 18" for the sort of work you will be doing,
and that's fine.
http://www.wikihow.com/Cut-a-Limb-from-a-Tree
So if you received that link, you should now understand how to make a
partial cut under the unwanted branch close to the site where you
intend to make your downward cut. When I'm pruning tree branches
here, I confess I try and get the undercut as close as I can to the
intended downcut, so there is no step as shown in the link. If I get
it right, then I just need to neaten up the cut with secateurs so
there are no snags. However, until you're confident that you're
getting it right, leave enough room before the 'collar' to make a
second and final clean cut with a minimal undercut as shown.
Thank goodness for the link! That's not easy to explain, but I hope
I've managed to get it over all right. You may not need to do a lot
of that heavy duty pruning, but it's important to know how to do it
correctly. Once you know it, it's just common sense followed by practice.
Yes! Thank you! As you know I am saving all your posts along with the
links you have provided, so I can refer back.
Right, I'm now starting to get a bit woolly-brained; I'm not sure if
I've missed a plant or a technique. I don't want to leave you high
and dry before The Book turns up, so do let me know if you've still
got a query, if if you need a clearer explanation, and I'll do my
best. Perhaps David, or another pruning geek will pop up if I've
missed a basic technique that would guide you through the pruning maze.
I'll have a quick peek at your last pic links to see if I'm receiving
them.
Happy gardening!
Thank you so much for all your time and trouble I am very grateful and
I have learned so much already from your kind posts and explanations.
If I am allowed, I doubt you have heard the last from me ;-)
You are certainly allowed! It would be a pleasure to help if I can.
Be well and enjoy your own garden Heh you might even get the time
now)))
Best always
Ophelia
I am already much better than I was, thank you. I shall enjoy doing a
spot of my own gardening, but I've got a couple of busy weeks coming up,
but then hope to get stuck in, not least planting lots and lots of
bulbs:~)).
Take care, Ophelia, and enjoy that book and your garden.
--
Spider.
On high ground in SE London
gardening on heavy clay