HORTICULTURIST DEPARTMENT OF MAORI AFFAIRS TAURANGA

Te Ao Hou, July 1956, Page 55

HORTICULTURIST DEPARTMENT OF MAORI AFFAIRS TAURANGA Pruning young trees This is the time of the year, when those with new homes are purchasing fruit trees and of course planning their gardens and home orchards. Too often one observes perfectly good trees that have not been planted properly or have been crowded into a small area without sufficient room to develop and consequently within a few years are a liability rather than an asset. Firstly plan the area available and if possible plant mid season varieties of peach, plum and apples, and, if climatic conditions allow, a grape-fruit and standard Lemon or Meyer which ever is the choice. It is far wiser to plant a few trees and thoroughly maintain them. Allow 16 to 18ft between the trees and dig holes sometime before planting. The top soil should be removed and the sub-soil forked over, an application of bonedust can be liberally worked into the soil removed, and allowed to weather until planting time. In areas that are fairly wet a dusting of lime may be beneficial. At planting time when the trees are received from the nursery the roots will probably need attention, trim and cut back any damaged or malformed roots. The main roots should be cleanly cut and small roots trimmed hard back to the main roots. Spacing roots when planting is also very necessary for if for instance two main roots are allowed to grow in the same direction the tree when fully grown may suffer damage in a storm and be blown over, often the result of not being anchored in every direction. Actually the tree has a duck foot appearance when dug up. This trouble can often be avoided if care is taken at planting time. Citrus trees are usually received balled and a little attention to the roots is necessary as the nurseryman attends to this work prior to balling operations which take place in the autumn. After placing the tree in its permanent position be careful to see that the tree is firmly imbedded by tramping the soil thoroughly to exclude all possibility of air holes which become waterlogged after heavy rain, be sure also that your trees are not planted too deep. This fault seems to be Pruning three and four-year-old trees. common, always plant at approximately the same depth that the trees were grown in the nursery rows, this can be defined by the colour of the trunk, usually the bark is a light colour below the surface of the earth and darker above ground level. When planting is completed the top soil can be placed about 1 to 2 inches higher than the surrounding surface and by late spring will have settled down. If trees are at all exposed staking may be necessary, but after one year these may be removed as decaying wooden stakes often cause root trouble. Pruning of the young trees at this stage is also desirable. The main leaders should be cut back to about one-third of their length, allowing only three defined well spaced leaders to remain, if trees are not pruned often, poor, weak and unhealthy establishment is the result. A good practice is to grow vegetables between the trees for the first year or two, so as to continue cultivation. Only grow small crops such as cabbage, cauliflower, carrots, parsnips, etc. Crops such as pumpkins are rather troublesome as they tend to climb over the young trees and if not prevented will spoil the shape of the young trees. Tomato culture should also be avoided near peach trees owing to disease, which is transferred to the soil, and at times affects the young peach or nectarine.