"anton" wrote in news:bieuvg$2dg$1
@hercules.btinternet.com:

There are several good books on pruning fruit trees you should be able to
get one from your library


Gary's got an ongoing pruning problem, so I suggest that
borrowing a book for two weeks is not going to solve it.
'Fruit' by Harry Baker for the RHS would be a good buy.

I shall look out for that - thanks.

I can also recommend 'A practical guide to pruning' by Peter McHoy.

It has lots of good detailed diagrams explaining in detail how various
techniques work, and a section on neglected trees (I found many books that
assumed you would never let this happen, so did not advise!).

If the trees are 30-footers now, it seems unlikely that pruning alone will
reduce them so much that all the fruit will be accessible from the ground -
aren't they always going to want to be biggish trees?

I recommend a plastic fishing-net from Woolworths: I find mine invaluble
for picking fruit from my 2 large apple trees, and you can also use it to
fish out apples that have fallen into the pond ;-).

Victoria