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Spider[_3_] · 03-09-2011, 12:52 PM posted to uk.rec.gardening

On 03/09/2011 07:11, wrote:
In ,
wrote:

If it really is that bad, then yes, choose a sunny day and do it as soon
as possible. If you don't, then winter winds will snap the branches and
Silver Leaf will enter the wounds anyway. ...

If it were right out in the open, then that would be a problem.
But it wouldn't have got like that if it were! It can wait, but
badly needs reshaping.

If you've got good, dry weather this weekend [I have;~))!], then why not
make a start? Even in a sheltered position, heavy snow fall could snap
the longer, weaker branches. If not, assess the branch structure over
winter and plan your cuts for late spring/summer.

Oh dear! That sounds like a very confused tree .. and it's owner:~(. I

Yes :-(

can only suppose that the summer growth spurts you're seeing are delayed
responses to your winter pruning. Is it feasible to shorten these
growths to create fruiting wood? What isn't clear is whether your apple
is tip-bearing or spur-bearing, and this may be part of the trouble.
Depending on how desperate you are and how misshapen the tree is, it
might be an idea to spread your drastic lopping over 2 or 3 years, just
to see how the wood responds.

It's spur-bearing. I have tried the staged pruning, and it hasn't
worked. The killer is that it's never been very vigorous (which
surely must the the rootstock), and seems INCREDIBLY reluctant to
form more than one strong new growth a year. Given that it has
almost always been precisely where it is least appropriate, I have
been in a quandary ....

Hence I need a new tack.

Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

What a mess! It sounds more like the sort of tree one would use for
espalier training, where you could allow longish low growth which could
then be tied in, allowing you better management of the pruning spurs.
For a productive standard tree, it seems to be on either too restricting
a rootstock or, maybe, the rootstock is damaged. Since you can't do
anything pruning-wise at the moment, it may help to give a goodly dose
of bonemeal to strengthen the roots.

If it were my tree, I think I would still go for the winter pruning,
followed by growth-promoting fertiliser and plenty of water. If I were
a real tree expert (and, indeed, if you felt confident enough), I might
suggest the nicking/notching approach to raise some strategic branch
growth. However, that doesn't seem to be the case:~(, so try the root
feeding and winter pruning. How drastic you are is up to you, but I'd
still suggest a 2-3 year approach.

--
Spider
from high ground in SE London
gardening on clay