GardenBanter.co.uk - View Single Post

Bob Hobden · 07-09-2009, 07:10 PM posted to uk.rec.gardening

"Sacha" wrote..
"Bob Hobden" said:
wrote ...
Sacha wrote:
said:
Roger R wrote:
The apple tree in my garden is around 50 years old.
I am unable to identify the veriety as it doesn't seem to match the
well
known ones, except to say that it is an apple for eating not cooking.

I read elsewhere that pear trees can live 2-300 years, but apple
trees?

50 years is old.

Is it really that old? I had a James Grieve that was 100 years old and
there are lots olf survivors of past orchards round here that must be
more than 50 years old. Perhaps it's the variety?

Probably, but also the conditions. Trees don't have a more-or-less
fixed lifetime, unlike mammals. I know that it's complicated, but
know only a few of the details.

Apples aren't long-lived trees, anyway. Mine was very old and was
about 55 years old - and succombed to fungal attack!

I think it may be variety dependant and position, micro climate, luck,
etc
has an effect too.
I say that as a neighbour has a large apple tree in their garden that was
planted just after WW1 (it has the name of a nurseryman's son that was
killed in that war but I can't remember the name, shame on me) that
still
crops well although it is a bi-annual fruiter now after being severely
pruned for the first time in years (decades) a few years ago.

Interesting answers from you and Nick. I know that I was told re my v.
old apple tree that pruning of such old trees had to be done a little at a
time, not one fell swoop!

If you had seen the state of the garden when they moved in you would excuse
their enthusiasm. :-)
I did about 40 trips to the local dump in my Defender for them.

--
Regards
Bob Hobden
just W. of London