Chopping down two trees...!!!

[cyanara]

I have several fruit trees in the garden.. our mini orchard! we have an eating apple, a cooking apple and a plum tree... as well as a stupidly placed tree with red berries on it that do not look edible!

This year the eating apple tree has produced zip, nada, zero! the cooking apple tree has produced very little and what it has produced is like the plum tree ... too high to reach!

I'm at the stage, i am thinking about cutting down the eating apple tree and the stupid berry tree!

BUT! I have a rule.. if i cut down a tree i must plant at least one to replave it. I'm thinking of planting three for the two i want to take out...

now... the question.... what to plant?

I want to plant something i will eat and something i can reach... so i'm think there must be some dwarf varieties out there.

I would like to plant another eating apple tree, a cherry tree and another plum tree..... but i have looked in my garden centre and been confused... and i have looked on line and been confused,.... it doesn't take much admitedly!!

Any recomendations for easy to grow, plentiful supplying, short fruit trees?

[shirlthegirl43]

It might be possible to cut your apple trees down in a way that will encourage lower branches. I am currently thinking along these lines for the apple trees in my garden - they have been left neglected for many years and are now in desperate need of something. I cut one back fiercely last spring and it had a lovely crop of apples this year so next spring I might just try reducing the height of the tree and see what happens.

I am sure some of the fruit experts will pop along here soon and tell me I am totally wrong but I decided since the tree was no use as it was (and most of its branches were in the way) it either got a heavy pruning and survived or died. Might even be worth you getting a tree surgeon in to advise you.

[terrier]

Same here, Shirley, I started cutting back our old apple trees a few years ago, reducing the height and letting air and light get at the branches, this last season we had a really good crop. What worries me is that by cutting back quite heafty limbs I am probably leaving the tree wide open to attack by disease. Treating a tree like this will probably 'shock' it into fruiting for that year (same as ring barking, I think thats what it's called), but how much damage am I doing to the tree?

[shirlthegirl43]

Inclined to feel that if it is a choice of chop it back or dig it out, then chop it back wins - if the tree dies from a disease or over pruning there is little difference in the end result. There is always the chance that the tree will just become a viable fruit-bearer instead.

[cyanara]

ok!! I'll try to chop it back... it will eb difficult to get to some of the taller branches.

Is this an ok time of year to cut back??

[shirlthegirl43]

I think spring is better when the sap is rising which minimises the risk of disease getting into the lopped bits.