IN THE ORCHARD
Beginner ’ s guide to fruit tree pruning
Pruning time , of fruit trees , roses and shrubs , is the one time in your garden where you get a chance to correct the mistakes you made in previous years . And now , August , is pruning time .
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main predators are a wide range of birds and mammals that prey upon them at the soil surface . And , as we have seen , hammerhead worms . Because earthworms do not like soil that is too acid , alkaline , dry , wet , hot or cold , their presence is a good indicator of soil conditions suitable for plant growth . So how can we create soil conditions that encourage earthworms ? If your soil is acid , add lime which will raise the pH , and also adds calcium , which they need . We know that earthworms feed on dead or decaying plant remains , including
And the biggest mistake most beginner pruners make is to prune too lightly . The principles of pruning are much the same for fruit trees and roses , and start with the need to ensure the plant ' s health and longevity . In the case of fruit trees , one
straw , leaf litter and dead roots , so spreading this kind of material on the soil as mulch will be useful . Green manure crops that are turned into the soil will have a similar effect , as will allowing crop stubble to decompose in the field . Rotating pasture with crops helps build up organic matter levels and earthworm numbers . Avoid the use of highly acidifying fertilisers such as ammonium sulfate and some fungicides , as they reduce worm numbers . Keep the soil moist , because worms can lose 20 % of their body weight each day in mucus and castings .
of the major aims of pruning should be to ensure that the tree ' s limbs do not become overburdened , which will result in them breaking under the weight of leaves and fruit . Another aim should be to limit the number of fruits that the tree produces , because a
IN THE GARDEN
It is difficult for earthworms to move through heavily compacted soil , so keep vehicle and animal traffic in your pastures to a minimum , especially in wet conditions . Using no-till methods of agriculture will result in an increase of worms in your soil . Youmightfindthatsome parts of your smallholding are richer in earthworms than others . What you can do is cut pasture sods from areas with high worm populations tree pruned too lightly will produce many , many small fruits , regardless of how much water and fertiliser you give it . Also , pruning should entail shaping the tree in such a way that sunlight reaches into the heart of its branches ,
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and transfer them to wormfree areas . New colonies will establish within a couple of years as long as there is plenty of organic matter , and soil and climatic conditions are favourable . It is important that you transplant pasture , not just worms . Do not try and transplant compost worms into agricultural soils . Species that thrive in compost will not survive the harsher conditions of paddock soils , which dry near the surface .
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