HOW TO PRUNE

Dominion, Volume 29, Issue 195, 15 May 1936, Page 20

HOW TO PRUNE

Needs of Fruit Trees I. There are do hard and i’asL rules about pruning fruit trees, but there are certain basic principles which must be followed. Correct pruning encourages fruiting wood at the expense of wood that is unfruitful, keeps the trees shapely and within bounds, ensures that the fruit is borne in the best position for colouring and ripening, and is the best way to get rid of diseased and pestridden shoots. Pruning has to be done every season. Hard pruning one year and none the next stops trees bearing. Every fruit, tree needs some pruning every year. No fruit tree will be improved by the wholesale shortening of shoots in hedgetrimming fashion. The secret of success is to know on what wood the kind or variety bears fruit, and to save and encourage that wood at the expense of non-fruiting wood. The “all-over’ trimming that some gardeners adopt can only result in a mass, of unfruitful growth the following year, and little fruit. Remember that growth nearly always follows the knife. Weak growing trees should be pruned harder than strong growing ones. Young trees have to be pruned fairly hard to encourage strong growth, so as to establish stout branches; older trees rarely need cutting so hard, for here the pruning is to promote fruitfulness and not merely Strong growth. In mature trees, rank growth and fruitfulncsS rarely go together, and the more drastic the pruning, the stronger the trees grow. Many pruners fail to distinguish between ’’leaders” and “side shoots." Hard pruning of leaders stops many trees' bearing fruit, and encourages rank growth. A “leader” is the leading young shoot right at the end of a branch; the shoot which 9 terminates or extends a branch. Side shoots are the new growths that develop along the branch. There are numerous side shoots'but only one “leader” to each branch. It is important to cut the “leaders” correctly. Each leader should be pruned to a bud pointing in the direction the branch is to extend. On trees of naturally drooping habit, the “leader” is cut back to an upwardpointing bud,’ so that future’ growth is upward; on an upright-growing branch the leader is pruned to a bud pointing outward. To keep branches balanced, the "leader” may nave to be pruned lb a bud pointing to one side. It is important to cut each shoot close to, and sloping Slightly away from, a sound bud; if the cut is made wen above the bud, a "snag” of wood is left to die back; if it is so close that the bud is nicked, the bud will die. To make this cut properly, hold the shoot llrmly below the point where the cut is to be made (if the shoot is held above this point, there is a danger of your hand being cut) and commence the cut on the opposite side to the bud to be cut to, and a trifle beiow it, finishing the cut immediately above the bud. Every piece of dead or diseased growth must be removed before healthy wood is pruned, cutting back well into five, healthy tissue. When ail unhealthy parts are out of the way, the next thing is to ’’thin out." Crowded, tangled shoots must be cut bard ba,cK and the centre of tlie tree opened to let in sunlight and air to every part. Overcrowding can oniy result in disease, pooriy coloured fruit and immature shoots that will not make good fruiting wood. When there are old, neglected trees to prune, just "topping” the big branches may be doing more harm than good. The wisest plan is to thin out the crowded and weukiy branches and to do no more sawing-off of big boughs than is necessary to rid the tree of unhealthy brunches and those choking the middle of the tree. Adhere to the "thinningout" treatment rather than any wholesale cutting-back of strong branches. If there is much dead and diseased wood to be cut out, dip the knife into a small jar of weak carbolic after every amputation. Aiso, whenever the saw is used, pare the surface smooth, then immediately paint with white lead paint to keep out disease. WIREWORMS Wireworms are destructive pests during the summer, when they attack root crops of all kinds. Curiously enough, growers novel- think of them in winter—the time when they can be most easily trapped. Get a few old tins, pierce the sides with holes made by a bradawl, attach a wire handle, then till up with potato peelings. Bury these traps In the garden and pull them up after a month. They will be found full of wireworm, which, of course, can be destroyed. Another plan is to scoop out several holes in a potato, skewer it on a wire which act's as a mark and bury the potato to a depth of 4in. Carry out the examination and destruction in about a month’s time.