Rejuvanating Old Pear & Apple trees

[bernie5711]

I'm new here so I don't know if I'm posting in the right forum. I have an old apple & pear orchard that I just cleaned out. It took several months of non stop work and the trees are MUCH bigger than they should be. They are completely out of control and have probably been totally neglected for 25 years or more. Now that the ground is all cleaned out, I've been planning on what to do with the trees (as far as cutting back) come March. The apple trees are probably between 30 to 35 feet tall and I have one pear tree that's probably 45 to 50 feet tall! I'd like to get them all down to 15 to 20 feet eventually. I've been reading up a little on how to do this but it seems like they have said not to "Dehorn" like a large shade tree. I took this to mean not to cut the main trunks down to height. I'm not sure how to get the height down without cutting the main trunks? On the pear tree, even at 20 feet up, the trunks are as big around as a large man's thigh. Can anyone offer any advise on the proper way to bring these trees down to a manageble height and if I'm supposed to cut the main trunks over a period of years?

THANKS!

 

[Smart Red]

You are correct about waiting to prune in mid winter - Feb to March - when there is usually a slight thaw. The general rule is to not remove more than 1/3 of the branches each year, so it would take 3-4 years to get your trees back to a more manageable level - if indeed it can be done.

I took a class on repairing an overgrown orchard. None of the trees were as tall as what you've described, though. In the end, you have a choice. - try to get the trees back or tear them out and replant. Therefore, you can't really do anything 'wrong' by cutting back one of the large branches - thigh thick or not - each year. Consider how trees adjust to losing a large branch to weather. Don't be afraid to be ruthless.

You will have to spend extra time forming the trees as the first new sprouts, called water sprouts, will be growing straight up. You will want to get a few to turn outward. (I tie a weight to these branches to get them trained outward.) These will form the structure of your new tree and will fruit first. All the other water sprouts should be kept cut off or you'll have a tangled mess.

I'm sure I've forgotten things you'll need to know so just ask and I'll help where I can.

 

[bjanet]

I agree with Smart Red...I was taught the "rule of thirds". You don't cut more than a third of the canopy or the root system at a time. It will take a couple of years, but you will have a great orchard!
Also, the apple limbs make great smoke for a smoker! Good luck!

 

[bernie5711]

BJanet & Smart Red

Thanks for the info. Smart Red.....Where did you take this course? Was that just a local thing or should I be able to find one here in my area...Western PA. You also said "if indeed it can be done." Is there some issues I should be aware of to know if it can be done?
Thanks
Bernie

 

[secuono]

Can we get a picture of your orchard?
I've never seen full size trees in an orchard, would be really neat!

 

[journey11]

I've worked on an overgrown apple tree at my dad's farm to try to get it under control and was surprised by how much it could take. First thing I did was to cut out dead and diseased limbs, then any that crossed or touched, then young watersprouts. Next year I took off some low limbs that were in the way, tipped the ends back on others to make for sturdier branches, and took out some medium sized branches that needed to come out to open it up to sun and air. I kept up with the water sprouts every year. Over the course of about 4 years I finally got it to where I wanted it, leaving the larger and more drastic cuts for last. I cut one large upright leader out of the center, a seriously overgrown watersprout, that was about 6-7" in diameter and thought for sure I'd done a stupid thing, but the tree has done fine, 6 years later. My goal was to open the tree up, bring the bearing limbs low so the apples were easily reachable. Make sure you take your large cuts on an angle (so water won't collect on the wound). And don't cut flush with the trunk. You need to leave a couple inches of the branch behind so that the tree can work on sealing the wound (bark will over several years try to cover it like a scab). There is a word for the location you are supposed to cut on the branch, avoiding crossing into the trunk at a certain point (collar? can't remember right now...) It's always going to be ideal that a fruit tree is pruned and shaped annually, but you gotta make do with what you have, of course. If all else fails, maybe you can learn about grafting and propagate some replacements. Also, pay close attention to keeping your orchard cleaned up, removing dead/dropped fruits and leaves, and stay on top of spraying for bugs and diseases to give your trees the best odds since they will be more vulnerable.

 

[bernie5711]

Sure.

I'll take some pictures tonight and try to attach them. I might have to post a note for help as I'm not exactly up on all this technical stuff. Of course I guess I could always get my 10 year old grandson to do it for me! .
Anyway, I'm not sure if it qualifies as a text book orchard. Only 2 pears and 7 or 8 apple trees but that's what we've taken to calling it. Until I cleaned out the unbelievably thick undergrowth you wouldn't have known there was any type of fruit trees in there! Because of the thick stuff down below the trees have had to spread up and out to have any hope of getting any sun. The amout of dead stuff taken from the lower parts of the tress was counted by the truckloads.

 

[journey11]

Oh, I'd definitely call that an orchard. Your pears you'll want to leave tall, as that is their growth habit.

 

[secuono]

My "orchard" is one baby pear tree.

You just upload pictures to facebook or an image hosting site, like Photobucket.
Then you right click on the image and copy the image url.
In your reply in the forum thread, click the Img button above the smiley icons. Paste the url you copied between ][

 

[Chickie'sMomaInNH]

you could also take cuttings and try your hand at grafting. do you have a local agricultural extension or a college that has classes for those learning the agri business? sometimes if you contact them they will set up to have a class on grafting of trees to old trunks or rootstock. some rootstock will make dwarf to semi-dwarf trees. it sounds like your trees are very old and are either on standard rootstock or their own roots. try searching on youtube for videos on grafting fruit trees or rootstock grafting. i'm just lucky that UNH is about 30 minutes from my city and there are tons of orchards around our state so they host classes a couple times in the late winter/early spring.

btw, you can also upload your pics directly to TEG's website. use the 'uploads' tab above and it should give you directions on how to do it. i usually copy and paste the code it gives you into the post without using the url tag.