Pruning

One of our tasks during the winter and very early spring is pruning. This helps increase the vigour of the trees and ensures a good crop the following year. It is also an opportunity to cut out old or diseased branches as well as improve access to the tree for the pickers and generally make sure the tree isn’t too congested with growth. We do not have a strict pruning regime and prefer to focus on the trees we think need it the most.

This years pruning may play a key role in how the crop unfolds. The low soil moisture availability deep down this winter will have a weakening effect on fruit bud swelling. The general vigour of the trees will be curtailed as they prepare for the blossom period – usually late April to mid May – a time of high moisture uptake. About the only method of attempting to counteract this is to ruthlessly thin the fruitlets – but large fruits in a dry season keep less well than smaller ones after picking.

This year we are focusing our pruning on our Cox’s trees, (some of which were planted way back in 1959!). Cox’s Orange Pippin is one of our most popular apples alongside Kidds Orange Red. Last year’s Kidd’s Orange Red crop was very successful but we have noticed that, as a variety, it is becoming increasingly more biennial (crops best every other year). Therefore, we hope by pruning the Cox’s we can get the best crop possible and make up for the suspected low crop of Kidd’s.

(below – some young Cox’s trees that have just been pruned)