Although pruning season is winding down, we’re still in full pruning mode. The exceptionally cold January and a scattering of inconveniently placed storms put us behind. But the temperatures have remained on the cool side, the trees are still very much dormant, and it’s fine to keep pruning for now.
Cut that out!
For the past three days Cammy and I have been going through our older apples up on ladders, strategically thinning out the tops and cutting out (removing) a few large lower branches. (As my father used to say, “Cut that out!”) Our goal is to maximize sun-access to all parts of the tree. With more sun they will thrive and bear fruit. With less sun the lower, shaded branches will suffer, atrophy and—even worse—die. Those vibrant lower branches can provide a large percentage of the fruit, and we want them to do well. They’re not big on shade.
While I’m high up in the crowns, I’ve continued to make loops with the long, flexible water sprouts. The hope is that the loops will reduce vigor and trigger more fruit production. And of course they’re fun to do. Our Stark and Northern Spy trees are frosted with loops.
This afternoon we took a break from pruning and drove an hour south to Woolwich where I gave a talk for the Sagadahoc MOFGA chapter, followed by a potluck dinner and a lot of conversation. Before we began I handed out 3x5 cards, and asked everyone to write down a question. Then I went through them and did my best to answer them all. The questions were perfect. It was a Q and A extravaganza. And it was still light when we set out for home. It’s spring.