Winter Pruning a Small ‘Brown Turkey’ Fig Tree
It’s fig-pruning season, and our backyard tree was due for a trim. Here’s how I went about it.
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Book Notes: Growing Fruit, by Chris Whitelock
This new volume covers all the essential fruit growing principles in a clear, concise and clearly illustrated style, and is ideal for beginners.
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A Few Notes on My Plans for 2026
I’ve got a busy winter pruning, planting and grafting season ahead, and I’ll be helping out at a few local orchards as well. Here are all the details.
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Stepover Apple Trees: Winter Pruning, Year Six
Six years on and the two stepover apple trees on our allotment are thriving under a winter-only pruning regime.
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Operation Cordon Rescue: Remedial Action vs Apple Canker
Three cordon apple trees infected by the dreaded apple canker – time to reach for a clean, sharp, pruning saw and get to work.
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Essential Orchard Work for Early Summer
Summer can seem like a quiet, peaceful time in the orchard, but there are still plenty of important jobs to be getting on with.
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Winter Pruning Apple Trees? Watch This.
Before you start in on this year’s winter pruning, check out this sound advice from a 30+ year expert orchardist.
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Winter Pruning Cordon Apple Trees, ‘Short Spur’ Method
I’ve been winter pruning my cordon apple trees; here’s the general method I used and details of how I pruned each tree.
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Book Notes: The Orchard Book, by Wade Muggleton
This new book on orchard planning, establishment and management covers all the essential bases.
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Time to Check Grafted Trees for Rootstock Regrowth
As leaves start to grow on your top-fruit trees it’s a good time to check your grafted plants for unwanted rootstock bud-break.
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Emergency Late Apple Pruning for Canker Control
Pruning apple at this point in the season isn’t usually advised, but sometimes you have to cut to control a problem.
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F. A. Waugh, on Pruning vs No-Pruning
A gentleman fructiculturists’s forthright opinions on pruning, delivered in 1913.
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Another Holly Mount Pruning Session, Feb 2020
A grey but dry and hugely enjoyable Sunday afternoon was well spent on helping to finish off this year’s winter pruning work.
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Mature Apple Tree: Restoration Pruning
Here’s how I went about the first phase of restorative pruning on a mature apple three that has been sadly neglected for a few years.
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Stepover Apple Trees: Winter Pruning Year One
Here’s how I pruned three stepover trees on our allotment plot, leaving them until January rather than pruning in late summer as usually advised.
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Restorative Pruning Workshop, Platt Fields, Manchester
A day of pruning tuition and practice at Platt Fields community orchard with the Orchard Project.
