Pruning an old gnarly Bramley - am I doing this right? - SV650.org

13-11-11, 12:23 PM

It's huge. It needs a lot of work. Am I doing this right? Am trying to open up the middle and to reduce the huge spurs that are heading for Mars. I'm leaving 6 - 8 inches on the side spurs, chopping out inward growth. Bit late to remove crossovers, they are simply too big.

This last pic - the spur is 3 - 4 feet long.

Comments/advice gratefully received.

13-11-11, 04:40 PM

Oh well, I just carried on, and no doubt next year's blossom will tell me if I did it right. It looks a bit twiggy, but can't be helped.

Sir Trev · 13-11-11, 05:10 PM

Apple trees are very resilient Ed. My idiot neighbour has a massive old tree in his back garden which he pruned to a trunk two years ago and is now a mess of untouched young growth. The crop of apples this year was unbelievable (most of them fell in my garden it seemed).

From your OP it sounds like you're doing the right thing. Shape it well and keep on top of it every year or two to keep it attractive. Look out for buds when you prune to help keep the shape of course and it should be fine.

13-11-11, 05:25 PM

Yep Trev, tried to follow the buds - apple trees fruit on last year's wood, so I tried not to damage the fruiting spurs unless they really did need a good haircut.

We have had so many apples this year, far more than we can eat, but they were pulpy rather than juicy, and bruised easy. I could have done with an apple press - have you seen the price of them!!!!!!! - but if it's clear next year that we will have the same amount of fruit then I'll take out a mortgage for one, and for a net to go round the bottom of the tree, as home made cider from home grown apples sounds really cool

13-11-11, 07:49 PM

and apple crumble of course

13-11-11, 11:07 PM

apple trees just go for what looks right but as said they are very hardy... good time of year to do it.. failing that, cut the bugger down burn it on the wood burner (if you can get an axe through it) and plant some new ones to look after, I have three trees all which need serious work or to come down and be re plated with a new generation of tree. some people call it not very nice, I call it moving with the times, the trees are old and too big now for the garden and mostly diseased so out with the old in with the new...

Sir Trev · 14-11-11, 05:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ed

I could have done with an apple press - have you seen the price of them!!!!!!!

Make one. Seriously.

A good mate has just done so for the same reason. Check out this video - his looks remarlably similar (warning - mute the terrible music!!)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ZzOW...layer_embedded

Works a treat apparently.

04-12-11, 02:08 PM

As I don't like to leave a story unfinished, thought you'd like to see the end result. It's taken 4 weekends of on and off work, it were that big, and I finished it this morning. Very cold up the tree but worth it, I think. High up, the tree has lots of good buds so I'm hopeful of a bumper crop next year, and hoping they'll be better quality than the mushy things we had this year.

13-11-11, 12:23 PM	#1
Ed Guest Posts: n/a	Pruning an old gnarly Bramley - am I doing this right? It's huge. It needs a lot of work. Am I doing this right? Am trying to open up the middle and to reduce the huge spurs that are heading for Mars. I'm leaving 6 - 8 inches on the side spurs, chopping out inward growth. Bit late to remove crossovers, they are simply too big. This last pic - the spur is 3 - 4 feet long. Comments/advice gratefully received.

13-11-11, 04:40 PM	#2
Ed Guest Posts: n/a	Re: Pruning an old gnarly Bramley - am I doing this right? Oh well, I just carried on, and no doubt next year's blossom will tell me if I did it right. It looks a bit twiggy, but can't be helped.

13-11-11, 05:10 PM	#3
Sir Trev Member Mega Poster Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: High Wycombe, where the chair factories used to be Posts: 1,440	Re: Pruning an old gnarly Bramley - am I doing this right? Apple trees are very resilient Ed. My idiot neighbour has a massive old tree in his back garden which he pruned to a trunk two years ago and is now a mess of untouched young growth. The crop of apples this year was unbelievable (most of them fell in my garden it seemed). From your OP it sounds like you're doing the right thing. Shape it well and keep on top of it every year or two to keep it attractive. Look out for buds when you prune to help keep the shape of course and it should be fine. __________________ We are the Goon Squad and we're coming to town, BEEP BEEP!

13-11-11, 05:25 PM	#4
Ed Guest Posts: n/a	Re: Pruning an old gnarly Bramley - am I doing this right? Yep Trev, tried to follow the buds - apple trees fruit on last year's wood, so I tried not to damage the fruiting spurs unless they really did need a good haircut. We have had so many apples this year, far more than we can eat, but they were pulpy rather than juicy, and bruised easy. I could have done with an apple press - have you seen the price of them!!!!!!! - but if it's clear next year that we will have the same amount of fruit then I'll take out a mortgage for one, and for a net to go round the bottom of the tree, as home made cider from home grown apples sounds really cool

13-11-11, 07:49 PM	#5
leebex Guest Posts: n/a	Re: Pruning an old gnarly Bramley - am I doing this right? and apple crumble of course

13-11-11, 11:07 PM	#6
454697819 Guest Posts: n/a	Re: Pruning an old gnarly Bramley - am I doing this right? apple trees just go for what looks right but as said they are very hardy... good time of year to do it.. failing that, cut the bugger down burn it on the wood burner (if you can get an axe through it) and plant some new ones to look after, I have three trees all which need serious work or to come down and be re plated with a new generation of tree. some people call it not very nice, I call it moving with the times, the trees are old and too big now for the garden and mostly diseased so out with the old in with the new...

04-12-11, 02:08 PM	#8
Ed Guest Posts: n/a	Re: Pruning an old gnarly Bramley - am I doing this right? As I don't like to leave a story unfinished, thought you'd like to see the end result. It's taken 4 weekends of on and off work, it were that big, and I finished it this morning. Very cold up the tree but worth it, I think. High up, the tree has lots of good buds so I'm hopeful of a bumper crop next year, and hoping they'll be better quality than the mushy things we had this year.