Gnarly old fruit trees

[wizzbang]

Hi everybody.
As some of you may know I am moving to a house with a big garden which includes a small orchard.
There are quite a few trees and I honestly don't know what type or how many of any different types of trees there are but I have noticed that they are all old looking with loads of pale green lichen on them. They look like gnarly, nobbly old trees. They don't seem to be dying and I know that its quite natural for trees to have jackets of moss and lichen on them in the dull months.
My questions are, where can I learn best how to identify the trees, how best to manage them and does anybody think its worthwhile getting a professional in to have a look at them.
I could wait a season and see what happens but im an eager beaver and I want my fruit trees to be happy and produce lots of lovely fruit for me.
Lynne x

[rustylady]

Pictures please Lynne

Any idea how long the orchard has been there?

[Glutton4...]

They will probably be Pears and Apples. Lichen on a tree is a sign of clean air, or so I was once told. They sound lovely. For identification, pictures would definitely help; whole tree, plus close-up of the bark.

[Darwin.]

I'm no expert on trees but I would've thought the easiest way to identify them was from their leaves. I know you're eager to find out ASAP but it won't be much longer now until leaves start showing up.

[boundtothesoil]

Hi everybody.

My questions are, where can I learn best how to identify the trees, how best to manage them and does anybody think its worthwhile getting a professional in to have a look at them.

I'd get someone along from the Marcher apple network to look at them in the autumn
Apples and Pears in the Southern Marcher Counties
They specialise in varieties found in the counties along the England- Wales border and are pretty active I believe.

There aren't many people in the UK who'll be able to accurately identify old/heritage/local varieties from just the bare tree, beyond distinguishing between apple, pear and plum. Even taking into account flowering/leaf morphology/habit is a pretty difficult ask. I think you'll have to wait for the fruit to ripen, or spend a bit of money on DNA profiling! (contact University of Reading initially).

Living in West Wales, I've noticed that most varieties (but not all) over 10 years old become hosts to a fantastic display of lichens -it's a natural consequence of growing without sprays in a clean,wet climate. I know that others on this forum have quite strong views about this, so will say no more.

[FB.]

If you want fruit and a happy tree, it's often best to leave them alone - at least until you've ascertained what you're dealing with. If any look obviously in poor condition you may want to take action.

When you say "professional to look at them", do you mean to renovate or to identify? Many so-called "professional" people who are basically just gardeners don't always appreciate the needs of an old fruit tree. Be careful who you let near the trees.

Identifying old trees is sometimes difficult - sometimes impossible. Even with a name given to it by someone who insists "it's definitely xxxx" is not as reliable as their confidence may sound. Even if you saw the label the day it was planted does not guarantee that the nursery/supplier didn't mis-label it (which does happen occasionally).
Sometimes different climates and soils will cause variation in the appearance of the tree or its fruit compared to the same variety grown elsewhere in the country.
There are thousands of known varieties and thousands more which are thought to be "lost" - not to mention that some of your trees might have been grown from seed, or where the rootstock has taken over.

Every little scrap of information could be necessary, no matter how silly it might sound.
The estimated decade of planting will be useful to know because that makes certain varieties more likely (and eliminates certain others).
Asking the previous owner(s) or neighbour(s), or finding out some of the history behind the orchard might get you started in the right direction.
Keeping a detailed picture diary of the trees throughout the year, including twigs, leaves, blossoms and fruits at various stages of development will all be valuable information.
Also noting down when the flowers are open (e.g. "most flowers open in the last week of April") and when the fruit is ripe.

If you want to simply tell apples from plums, pears, quinces of others then post-up some "whole-tree" and close-up of twigs pictures in the next few days and they should be identifiable.

[wizzbang]

Pictures please Lynne

Any idea how long the orchard has been there?

I think perhaps 112/115 years but im not saying that the same trees have been there all that time. The gardens seems to have been laid at the same time the house was built. I don't have any documentation about it but by design it does look as though it was planned at the time the house was built.
Older than me! Now that IS going some lol.
Lynne x

[wizzbang]

I'll try and get some pictures at the weekend when I go down to Cressage.
Thanks for fabulous advice again. I will also try to give each tree an identity number so that I can keep a proper track of which photos belong to each tree. There aren't hundreds but I think there could possibly be 20 trees and some trained fruit trees along one border.
Thank you.
Lynne x