southsoundtree
Been here much more than a while
- Location
- Olympia, WA
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That is a nice reduction, but unless that sprout regulator is incrediblly effective, a huge maintenance can of worms has been opened, hasn't it?
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Hence the nature of production fruit trees. You have to prune them every year, sometimes twice a year.
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From what I've heard/ read, watersprouts can be taken off all year. Most pruning is done in the winter, unless you are looking to dwarf the tree.
I try to explain it to customers that pruning fruit trees is sort of like going to the dentist/ dental work. Better to do a little bit more frequently than to wait for years and do a lot.
Suckers start to tangle and need to be fought apart more after the first or second years growth than the current season's growth. You need to move from hand pruners to loppers or saws.
People often don't realize what it takes to prune the trees well, and to make up for past mistakes. I've been working on my own apple trees for 2 or 3 seasons (boy time flies), and have still found some stubs from old poor pruning. To fully correct and maintain poorly pruned trees (often coinciding with neglected trees), takes a lot of doing.
Its easier to do it right the first time than "remodel" the tree to correct problems.
[ QUOTE ]
That is a nice reduction, but unless that sprout regulator is incrediblly effective, a huge maintenance can of worms has been opened, hasn't it?
[/ QUOTE ]
Hence the nature of production fruit trees. You have to prune them every year, sometimes twice a year.
[/ QUOTE ]
From what I've heard/ read, watersprouts can be taken off all year. Most pruning is done in the winter, unless you are looking to dwarf the tree.
I try to explain it to customers that pruning fruit trees is sort of like going to the dentist/ dental work. Better to do a little bit more frequently than to wait for years and do a lot.
Suckers start to tangle and need to be fought apart more after the first or second years growth than the current season's growth. You need to move from hand pruners to loppers or saws.
People often don't realize what it takes to prune the trees well, and to make up for past mistakes. I've been working on my own apple trees for 2 or 3 seasons (boy time flies), and have still found some stubs from old poor pruning. To fully correct and maintain poorly pruned trees (often coinciding with neglected trees), takes a lot of doing.
Its easier to do it right the first time than "remodel" the tree to correct problems.
