Disbudding Fruit Trees.

Otago Witness, Issue 1875, 28 October 1887, Page 8

Disbudding Fruit Trees.

The operation of disbudding fruit trees is

not generally practised by amateur gardeners, nor are its advantages so well understood as it is desirable they should be. We shall,

therefore, endeavour to explain thesp briefly with the view of inducing readers to adopt the practice of disbudding regularly. Every fruit tree in vigorous health has n tendency to produce a superabundance oi branches — many more than ate wanted for the produc-

lion of fruit, so that the tree becomes overcrowded during the period of growth to the exclusion of light and air from a very large proportion of the foliage. The direct .consequence of this is that the bulk of the shoo.ts only form wood buds, and flower or fruiting buds become fewer every year. From first

to last, 100, in the life of a tree the tendency of vigour is always towards the extremities, I and it is as a rule strongest in those branches which approach most nearly the perpendicular from the stem. As a consequence, in a few years a tree that is allowed to have its own way or natural bent becomes overcrowded at its extremities. There may be a few fruit or blossom buds formed annually at these points, but in the central parts of the tree they will gradually diminish, and even vigorous wood buds will beceme very rare. The usual style of winter pruning — that of cutting away or shortening back every superfluous shoot has the effect of inincreasing evil. The shortening back of every shoot simply leads to the production of several shoots in its place, because the majority of the buds, if not all of them, left at the base of the shoot, will start into growth the following season.

Now if disbudding is adopted, some mitigation of this tendency is obtained at once. The removal bodily of the greater part of the superfluous shoots of a tree while they are yet so green and sappy as to be easily Rubbed off with the finger and thumb, will .help to open up all parts of it to jbh,e jbenefiQial -influence of sun and air. And if tiie re»QYsi of 'inese shoots is done with intelugefl.qe— with' 'due regard to the teachings of the 'trees themselves— the result will be the more satisfactory. The lesson taught, for instance, by the flow of vigour in every tree towards the extremities is, that except some check is put upon it there, there must be a corresponding decrease of vigour in the lower and more central parts. Now, the removal of a certain proportion of '

the shoots as the extremity of any branch, or even the pinching back of such shoots, will check the flow of sap towards the point operated upon, and divert it to buds situated nearer the base. This is the very thing wanted, and what we wish to impress upon our readers is, that a proper balance between the base and the extremities of any tree can only be maintained by means of summer pruning or disbudding.

The method of operation is very simple. If it is a wall or an espalier tree, look over the extremities of the main branches first six or seven days before touching the points at the centre or the base of the tree. The best placed buds should be preserved in such number as will sufficiently furnish the tree and help to extend its formation if it is a young growing tree not fully formed. A good idea of how many shoots to preserve will be obtained by considering the length and breadth of the foliage of the tree, bearing in mind that as far as possible the leaves of every shoot should be well exposed to light. Therefore the best placed buds are those so situated that when fully grown and in foliage they will not unduly shade neighbouring shoots. Buds that spring from the front of the branches are called by gardeners " fore-right " shoots, and, as a general rule, are never spared, except for the purpose of forming fruit spurs in apple, pear, plum, cherry, and apricot trees. They are of no use in making the framework or structure of the tree, and are even less desirable than side shoots for the formation of fruit spurs, so that, except when there is no choice, and in cases of emergency, they are always dispensed with.

As the term implies, disbudding means the removal bodily of all superiluous or illplaced buds, and it can only be performed while the buds are green and soft. The finger and thumb are the only agents required, and it the work is done before the shoots become hardened and woody, there will be no wounds inflicted on the tree, as is done with the knife, which is an important consideration, especially in the case of the various stone fruits, as preventing the risk of gumming to a large extent. As already said, the extremitiCvS should be gone over first, and about six days before the centre and base patts. By attending promptly to this at this season of the year, there will be great economy of the energy of the trees, because there will be no production of superfluous branches, which are merely to be cut away at the winter pruning. There will also be economy of labour, and the trees will be more fruitful. The treatment of bush and pyramid trees is precisely the same as those trained to walls or espaliers, only that in their case there is no question about " foreright " shoots, those that arc be.st placed with regard to preserving a regular distribution of branches in all parts of the tree being the most eligible to keep.— North British Agriculturist.