Yesterday afternoon it did not rain. It was on with the welly boots and on to the soggy back lawn to prune the apple trees. Before venturing out I consulted both our organic gardening reference books which gave good general advice on pruning which I will not repeat here.
What did strike me was the instruction to remove new growth at the tips by up to a third. I baulked at this, so for the first few minutes I walked around the Discovery removing crossing branches and branches growing so low down that last season the fruit nestled in the grass. I then gave it quite a conservative tip prune.
Next it was the turn of Scotch Bridget. It took five years to bear fruit and I was formerly very reluctant to touch it. But now that I knew all was well I could afford to take off some very low branches and some tips. Apples put on new growth in one year and form fruit buds the next year so in effect I was getting the trees ready for 2022.
As I reflected on the 'thirds' principle. I wondered what in what other areas it might apply.
And I thought with sadness of the untended trees we 'forage' from in the fields and hedgerows around us which would respond so well to much more drastic attention than this.
