Renovating orchard trees 01 February 2025 with Sylvia Travers

Learn how to renovate neglected and overgrown orchard trees. The main focus will be apples and pears, with some time spent looking at plums and cherries. The day will include demonstrations in West Dean Gardens orchard.

Course Description
The aim of the day is to equip you with the knowledge and confidence to tackle an orchard that requires significant renovation. You will learn how to assess an orchard – whether you are renovating to control size, improve fruiting or to simply keep veteran trees in good health. The focus will be on apples and pears, as they are the most common trees found in UK orchards.

Teaching will cover how and when to prune and potential problems with older trees, such as pests and disease, nutrition and soil health. Other aspects include understanding the physiological differences between young and old trees, and how this influences their pruning and general management.

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