Spraying And Pruning Are Now Important...

Press, Volume XCIX, Issue 29233, 17 June 1960, Page 8

Spraying And Pruning Are Now Important...

Pruning of all kinds of fruits is now advisable, and spraying can also be done in fine weather. These are really jobs which supplement one another, and the wise man will spray before pruning, for any affected growths will have been made harmless and disease is not likely to be spread from the prunings. However, it is wise in any case to pick up all prunings for burning. There are many spray fluids and powders on the market which are effective and easy to handle by the amateur grower provided the instructions are carefully read and followed.

Sprays To Use For use in winter, sprays mainly fall into two classes. For all stone fruits and walnut trees, either lime sulphur or bordeaux are used, while for all pip fruits, raspberries and other berrying plants and also the grape vines, red or winter oil is required. Citrus trees and all evergreens are safest if white or summer oil is used. Pruning Apples and Pears The art of pruning is chiefly acquired by close observation of the habits and customs of the particular trees. There are rules which stand to most varieties, but no particular system can be applied in all its details to every variety. The following principles are given in relation to the average tree, and, with modifications, will be a guide when pruning large trees, where any extension is unnecessary.

Shorten the leading branches and also the laterals back to two or three buds. If there is room for extension, leave the leading shoots rather longer, say five to six buds, cutting the laterals back to two or three buds. Trees that are growing well, making good growth and medium crops of fruit, can be made to increase their crops by leaving the laterals rather longer, say five buds. The result of this is that the top bud develops into a shoot, while the lower buds form fruit spurs. Next year the shoot is cut back to two or three buds, and the result is a spur-like branqh which carried several bunches of fruit. The main objection to this method is that it produces a very ugly looking tree, although it increases the actual cropping surface. Young trees make a thin, twiggy growth, and hard pruning for a year or two is necessary to form a strong framework that will carry the crop. The laterals should be cut back and the terminal shoot left for long extension. The short, plump buds found at the lower part of the branches are fruit buds, and should be retained. Cuts hi Pruning As a rule when pruning little notice is taken as to what sort of cut is made, so long as the branch is severed. Now there are correct and incorrect methods. It is not always possible to make the best “cut,” but if one knows what is good and what is not good it is decidedly a gain. First essentials are a sharp knife, saw and secateurs. No “cut” is

good that is made with any tool that leaves a ragged, jagged surface. With saw cuts it is an advantage to pare the surface over with a knife and apply a coat of tar or paint if the branch is large, or even if it is small, if time permits. When making a cut do not leave too much wood above the bud to die back and cause a snag. Neither should a splinter be left, due to blunt secateurs or knife. Cut clean across with a slope from the bud, but so that the lowest part is not below the bud. To cut with the slope towards the bud means that an undue amount of moisture is thrown on to the bud and may cause damping. To try to rectify a bad cut by making a second one* results in the process of healing being much slower: hence it is a disadvantage and also a waste of time—two cuts instead of one. Do not cut so low that the wood at the back of the bud is cut away. The chances that the bud will be damaged by the tool used, or, in any case, the support of the wood and the sap at the back of the bud is removed and the bud, having to depend on only a portion of the stem, is weakened and often starts and then fails, leaving a nasty piece of dead stem.

Selections On Grafts If you intend putting on some grafts of fruit trees in the coming spring, you should select the grafts as soon as possible. Choose the best wood from the best trees, cut them into lengths about a foot long, tie in bundles, correctly label, and bury in the coolest position possible, so that when the time comes to put on the grafts the scions will be more dormant than the stocks which are to be grafted over.

Essential Points in Grafting The scions should be taken from healthy, fruitful trees; disease and other characteristics can be transmitted by scions as easily as by seeds. The scions should be removed and “heeled” in some time before using. Always use a sharp knife, and secure clean cuts. To have to trim a cut or surface a second time is against success. Do not lie the grafts too tightly, as this checks the flow of sap. Broad strands of raffia or strips of old cloth are best. Always see that at least one side of the bark of the stock and of the scion are in close contact. A good join on one side is better than a poor one on two. Have everything ready before cutting the stock or scion. Be steady and careful, but remember the more quickly the surfaces are joined after cutting the more chance of success. “A good grafter is a quick grafter.”

A Simple Slug Trap.— One of the simplest and most efficacious traps for slugs is any piece of old wood laid down in their haunts. It is all the better if it is of some thickness, and if the underside that is next to the earth is half rotten. A chunk of wood four inches thick and about nine inches wide, and any length you please, is a sure trap. You have only to turn it over and collect the slugs that will be underneath, and offer them to the nearest ducks, or make an end of them by any other method.