Pruning Apple Trees
Categories: Fruit GrowingThere is a great difference of opinion here regarding the pruning of
three-year or older apple trees. Many people cut back three, four and
five-year-old trees half the season's growth; others only cut back six
inches.
Apple trees are cut back during their early life to cause branching and
to secure short distances between the larger laterals on the main
branches. This secures a lower, stronger tree. Cutti
three times should secure a good framework of this kind, and then the
apple should not be regularly and systematically cut back as the peach
and apricot are. It is not possible to prescribe definite inches,
because cutting back is a matter of judgment and depends upon how thick
the growth is, what its position and relation to other shoots, etc. The
chief point in cutting back is to know where you wish the next laterals
to come on the shortened shoot, and if you do not wish more laterals at
once; do not cut back at all. Treatment, of laterals which come of
themselves is another matter. Do not clip the ends of shoots unless
laterals are desired. If you keep clipping the ends of apple twigs, you
will get no fruit from some varieties.
More
-
Potatoes And Frosts
Can I keep frost off of potato tops by building smudge fires! I would like to plant about February 1, but we usually have a few light frosts here during March. If I were to turn water in the field when too cold, would that keep the frost off, an... Potatoes On Heavy Land
Will potatoes grow well in adobe land, or partly adobe, that has not been used for seven years except for pasturing? Although potatoes enjoy best of all a light loam in which they can readily expand, it is possible to get very good results on ... Potatoes Should Be Planted Early
I have Early Rose potatoes planted about May first. The tops look fine, but there are few potatoes and small, and, though not developed, have commenced growing a second time, sprouts starting from the new potatoes. When should I plant and what c... Poultry Diarrhea
Will you kindly tell me the cause and cure for bowel trouble among hens? The "quick cure" for chick diarrhea has not yet been found. Prevention is the only sure remedy. The first treatment in diarrhea (which must not be confused with simple lo... Poultry Forage
... Poultry In The Orchard
Kindly advise me about keeping hens in an orchard. I would like to know if they will injure the trees in any way if kept in large numbers. In what way would they benefit the trees? From the point of view of the trees there is no doubt that the... Poultry Manure
Give directions for using chicken manure. For use of young trees, is there any difference in treatment of deciduous and citrus trees? For use in the vegetable garden and the flower garden, what should be mixed with it and in what proportions? So... Poultry Manure
The value of poultry manure often is overestimated. Its content of plant-food is one half greater than that of horse manure, ton for ton. The availability of the nitrogen is so great that returns from applications are immediate, and give the impressio... Poultry Tonic
What is a good poultry tonic? The following is a very good tonic for general purposes: Tincture of red cinchona, 1 fluid ounce; tincture of chloride of iron, 1 fluid drachm; tincture of flux vomica, 4 fluid drachms; glycerine 2 ounces; water, ... Pregnancy Of Mare
Is there any way to tell when a mare is in foal? I have had a veterinarian and he could not tell me. There is no very good way to tell whether a mare is in foal for some time. Practically speaking, the safest way to do is to have her bred eve... Prejudice Against Commercial Fertilizers
The owner of land that was made very fertile by nature, and that has not been cropped long enough to reduce the supply of available fertility to the danger-point, rarely fails to entertain a prejudice against commercial fertilizers. It is the rule th... Prejudice Against Timothy
Timothy, among the grasses, is especially in disrepute as a soil-builder, and yet its value is great. The belief that timothy is hard on land is based upon observation of bad treatment of this grass. There is a common custom of seeding land down to ti... Preparation
A seed-bed for small seeds planted in mid-summer must be able to retain moisture. Nothing robs a soil of water more surely than a breaking-plow. Its use is a necessity in farming, but this effect of plowing must be borne in mind when a seeding is plan... Preparing For Fruit Planting
What effect will a crop of wheat have on new cleared land, to be planted in fruit trees later on? One crop of wheat or barley will make no particular difference with the cleared land which you expect to plant to fruit later. It would be bette... Preserving Eggs
What is a good way to preserve eggs for home use? In a cool cellar, eggs will keep very well in a mixture of common salt and bran. Use equal parts, mix well, and as you gather the eggs from day to day pack with big end down in the mixture and ... Price Of Prunes On A Size Basis
Explain the grading in price of prunes. For instance, if the base price is, say, five and three-fourths cents, what size does this refer to, and how is the price for other sizes calculated? Also, what is the meaning of the phrase "four-size basi... Probably Not Broom-corn
I have a side-hill ranch on which I would very much like to raise broom corn. The soil produces good grapes, fruit, corn, oats, peas, etc., and ... Prolific
... Proper Feeding Of Young Pigs
If I put two 50-pound shoats to an acre of barley that will yield 10 or 12 sacks of grain, how many months could they be kept there to advantage, and what gain could I expect them to make in that time? If the pigs have been properly fed and we... Protecting Young Citrus Trees
Is it necessary to have young orange trees covered or leave them uncovered during the winter months? It is desirable to cover with burlaps or bale with cornstalks, straw or some other coarse litter, all young trees which are being planted in ... Prune On Almond
What root is considered best for prune trees? The ranch lies above the creek. A friend is very partial to the almond root instead of the myrobalan, but I understand that the prune tree sometimes outgrows the almond root. If you have a deep ra... Pruning Almonds
Should the main branches be shortened in a three-year-old almond tree? Of course, I intend to thin out the branches. Some growers here advise me to shorten the main branches; others say do not shorten them, as it tends to give the trees a brushy... Pruning Apple Trees
There is a great difference of opinion here regarding the pruning of three-year or older apple trees. Many people cut back three, four and five-year-old trees half the season's growth; others only cut back six inches. Apple trees are cut back... Pruning Apples
Young apple trees set two years ago were cut back to 14 to 18 inches and cared for as to low branching, proper spacing, etc., but the desired branches were allowed to make full growth to the present time. They have mode great growth and if allow... Pruning Apricots
In pruning apricots, if there should be a hollow center of a big branch in center of a seven-year-old tree, should it be cut out with summer pruning? Should heavy growing apricots be summer pruned? Would it be all right to thin out a dense growt... Pruning Cherries
I have cherry trees in their third season which have been given the usual winter pruning. The trees are putting forth a great many more branches than are required, and naturally many of the branches are growing across the tree. In cutting these ... Pruning Cherries
I have some cherry trees that have not been pruned. They are beautiful trees, but it a requires a 24-foot ladder to get near the top limbs. The side limbs reach from tree to tree. They had a splendid crop this year. People here tell me never to ... Pruning Frosted Citrus Trees
How shall I prune two-year-old orange orchard, also nursery stock buds that are badly injured by frost; how much to prune and at what time? As soon as you can see how far injury has gone down the branch or stem, cut below it, so that a new sho... Pruning Grafted Walnuts
Should English walnut trees be pruned? I have along the roadside English walnuts grafted on the California black, and they have grown to very large size and the fruit seems to be mostly on the outside of the trees. English walnuts are not usua... Pruning Himalayas
Shall the old wood be cut away in pruning Himalayas? All the old wood which has borne fruit should be cut out in the fall and new shoots reduced to three or four from each root, and these three or four shoots should be shortened to a length of... Pruning In Frosty Places
This appears to be a frosty section. Pruners are at work continuously from the time the apricots are harvested until spring arrives. From what is said in "California Fruits?" I judge late winter pruning would be best far apricots and peaches. Am... Pruning Loganberries
Should the new shoots of Loganberry vines, which come out in the spring, be left or cut away? If cut, will more shoots put out in the fall and be sufficient for the next year's crop? The Loganberry shoots which are growing should be carefully ... Pruning Old Apple Trees
I have an old orchard containing some apple trees about 40 years old - trees well shaped but with plenty of main branches and limbs all very long. The trees bear profusely in alternate years but the fruit is small. In pruning would you advise cu... Pruning Old Apple Trees
How would you prune apple trees eight or nine years old that have not been cut back? There are a great many that have run up 20 feet high with twelve or fifteen main limbs and very few being more than two or three inches in diameter. Remove c... Pruning Old Vines
I have some Muscat grape vines 30 years old. Can I chop off most of the old wood with a hatchet and thereby bring them back to proper bearing? Not with a hatchet. If the vines are worth keeping at all, they are worth careful cutting with a saw... Pruning Oranges
Is it best to prune out orange trees by removing occasional branches so as to permit free air passage through the trees? Some are advocating doing so; but as I remember, the trees in southern California are allowed to grow quite dense, so that w... Pruning The Walnut
What is the proper time for pruning the walnut? Is it bad for the tree to prune during the active season? I have recently acquired a long-neglected grove in which many large limbs will have to be removed in order to allow proper methods of cult... Pruning Times
What is the best time to prune the French prune and most other trees? In Santa Clara volley they prune as soon as leaves are off; in the mountains they prune later, say in February and March, and finish after bloom is started and of course when ... Pruning Walnuts
When is the best time to remove large limbs from walnut trees? This work with walnuts or other deciduous fruit trees should be done late in the winter, about the time the buds are swelling; never mind the bleeding, it does no harm, and the hea... Prunings As Fertilizer
Is orchard and vineyard brush worth enough as a fertilizer to pay for cutting or breaking and putting back on the land? We should say not. It takes too much labor to put it in any form to promote decay, and is even then too indestructible. It ... Put It Through The Silo Cutter As Soon As You Can Get It From The Field
Do not let it cure at all, and be sure to cut and pack well. If at all dry, use water at the time of filling, and some salt then also, if you desire. There is no danger of firing if you put it in with good moisture, and by short cutting and hard packi... Putting Down Loose Apples In A Straw-lined Pit Would Be Very Expensive
It would invite decay by bruising the fruit, and the result would probably be a worthless mixture of rotten fruit and straw. The fruit should be stored in boxes or shallow trays to reduce pressure and promote ventilation, and not in bins or large pile... Quick Roosters And Laying Hens
How can I get the young roosters off quick and the hens to lay in winter? These two happy results come from correct methods of poultry keeping from the ground up. To get the cockerels off quick, they must be hatched from strong-germed eggs, i... Rape And Milo
Would rape be a good pasture crop sown broadcast? If so, at what time should it be planted? Will Milo maize grow profitable in Sonoma county? Rape can be sown as soon as the land gets moist enough from early rains to start the seed and hold th...