New Fruit Trees

[swampie sue]

Hi

I have just purchased two fruit trees from Ken Muir, One is a Summersun cherry & The other a Quince. I planted them yesterday, Could someone please advise me when, do I start to train them and how do I do it. Please note I am a complete novice when it comes to gardening.

Swampiesue

[debjay]

This site may be of use
Royal Horticultural Society - Advice: Fan-trained Fruit Trees
Good Luck
Debs

[swampie sue]

Hi debay unfortunately I do not wall to train them too. A very old fence that has to be changed very soon & a very short wall that has already got two gooseberries and two redcurrants taking up all the space.

They are on dwarf stock ( I thinks that the term) so will only grow to about 6" at the moment the trees are just one long stem, and I would like a little tree.

BB or should I say 2 little trees

[crichmond]

you can train them using canes tied together to form the shape required for training, you the tie the branches of the tree to it as it grows.

[drichard12]

Ha debjay I enjoyed the link. Thank You

[deadwood]

There is a book by the RHS called Pruning, by Christopher Bricknell. Not uncommon just need to locate a book shop with a good supply of gardening books.

It describes how to prune things, and there is a section of fruit trees thst covers bush, fan, cordons, espalier training. Not sure where a quince fits in.

It is a little dry in its approach but does describe all the training options.

[swampie sue]

Thanks deadwood,

What I need though, Is an Idiots guide LOL

BB

[deadwood]

Probably no such thing or they all are.
At the end of the day you prune them to a shape that suits you

As an example the RHS a few years ago did an investigation into pruning rose bushes. They had 3 rose plots.

On one they pruned as the classic books say, hollow centre, cup shaped and outward facing buds.

Cannot recall the second method probably just neat bush not cup shaped.

Third was very basic, cut with hedge trimmer at 3 ft high

Guess which plot gave the best roses, best growth and most numerous rosesrolleyes:
It wasn't the first 2 plots. This left the RHS a bit puzzled and not sure what to recommend.

[swampie sue]

Hi deadwood,

I think that's brilliant. LOL

[Snadger]

I have seen gardening contractors 'pruning' roses with a strimmer fitted with a brushcutter blade!