Tops of the trees as promised.

Plum - bit of a mess eh?
http://tinypic.com/m/i6m5nd/3

Tops of hydrangea in front of cotoneaster
http://tinypic.com/m/i6m5nc/3

Holly. There are new leaves there too (the pale ones) so not just the
base
http://tinypic.com/m/i6m5n6/3

Apple - I can really see how much I need 'the book'
http://tinypic.com/m/i6m5mx/3

At least I will be around for a while to try and sort these out.

Thank you if you have the time to look tomorrow

Ophelia


--
http://www.helpforheroes.org.uk/shop/

On 28/08/2014 19:18, Ophelia wrote:
Tops of the trees as promised.

Plum - bit of a mess eh?
http://tinypic.com/m/i6m5nd/3

Tops of hydrangea in front of cotoneaster
http://tinypic.com/m/i6m5nc/3

Holly. There are new leaves there too (the pale ones) so not just the
base
http://tinypic.com/m/i6m5n6/3

Apple - I can really see how much I need 'the book'
http://tinypic.com/m/i6m5mx/3

At least I will be around for a while to try and sort these out.

Thank you if you have the time to look tomorrow

Ophelia


Hello again, Ophelia. Good idea to start a new thread.
As you probably know, I've been replying to Jake D's original post. It
seems only good manners since we rather hijacked his thread! (Thanks,
JD, for not complaining).
Thank you for taking the extra photographs. Alas, I'm having a spot of
trouble with Tinypic just now :~((. I got a glimpse, then they
disappeared. I'll look again later.

I'll try and work from memory for now, so I might mentally 'hop' about a
bit.

*Cotoneaster: not certain which one it is, but it looks vigorous enough.
However, I'm not terribly happy about the taped up wound where your
dog showed his appreciation. If there are wounds (probably), they
really need to get some air to them while the wood really hardens off.
After that, instead of using tape, could you protect the area with, say,
a modified wire hanging basket instead or even a strong wire mesh which
would allow the shrub to breathe, otherwise you may be inviting fungal
problems. You'd need to keep an eye on it as the Cotoneaster grows so
that the wire doesn't cut into the bark. The same is true of the tape,
of course; if it doesn't 'give' when the trunk expands, then the tape
will tighten and cut in. This can be very damaging/even fatal.

Although Cotoneasters don't need lots of pruning, you may choose to tidy
it into a preferred shape which best accommodates its space/looks
aesthetically pleasing to you. Pruning should be done in winter or
mid-spring, except for Cotoneaster horizontalis which should be pruned
in late winter. I tend to prune out the extension growths on my
Cotoneasters so that the berries are shown off. I usually do this in
autumn, however, and never had any problems. Cotoneasters do not always
respond well to very hard pruning, so only take out larger branches that
you really don't want.

*Plum Tree: these must be pruned in good, dry sunny weather so that the
cut heals quickly, otherwise the tree can succumb to 'Silver Leaf',
which is very harmful, so you need to act on a sunny day. Hope you can
find one:~).

Recalling the earlier pics, your plum seemed to have a number of poorly
healed stubs where previous pruning took place. Woody pruning cuts (not
just for plum trees) should always be at the 'collar': somewhat
sub-conical, wrinkled area of the branch between the trunk (or major
branch) you're cutting back to and the branch you're cutting out. This
area contains the healing cells and hormones which will start to heal
the cut. So: do not leave a stub, do not cut flush with the trunk.
Hope I've explained that well enough. Anyway, you need to cleanly cut
away the stubs and half branches. Also take out any dead, dying or
damaged wood. Having done this, clean your secateurs/loppers so that
you do not introduce disease to new cuts. Just as with an apple tree,
the plum should not have any inward-growing branches which will stifle
air movement, or branches that cross each other and cause - or may cause
- chafing, so you will need to cut these out.

At the moment, that is heaps for you to do and you don't want to stress
the tree by taking out too much wood at once. What you can do, however,
is look for any fruit (healthy, damaged, suffering Brown Rot [fungus in
rings] or 'mummified') and remove them. In fact, because of the fungus
risk, it would be better to do this job before you start pruning!

Well, Ophelia, it's nearly dinner time again, so I'm going to have a
rest from the screen now. Sorry I couldn't see your new pics, but hope
I've given you enough information for now.

Oooh, just had a thought! Do you know the varietal name of your apple?
It may tell us whether it's tip or spur bearing ... which has a
bearing on the pruning;~).

I must do a bit of gardening tomorrow, but will look in again later on
and discuss the Holly et al *and* will try and find those pics. Have a
lovely evening.
--
Spider.
On high ground in SE London
gardening on heavy clay

"Spider" wrote in message
...

Hello again, Ophelia. Good idea to start a new thread.
As you probably know, I've been replying to Jake D's original post. It
seems only good manners since we rather hijacked his thread! (Thanks, JD,
for not complaining).

From me too I have been learning from your posts to him as well)


Thank you for taking the extra photographs. Alas, I'm having a spot of
trouble with Tinypic just now :~((. I got a glimpse, then they
disappeared. I'll look again later.

I'll try and work from memory for now, so I might mentally 'hop' about a
bit.

*Cotoneaster: not certain which one it is, but it looks vigorous enough.
However, I'm not terribly happy about the taped up wound where your dog
showed his appreciation. If there are wounds (probably), they really need
to get some air to them while the wood really hardens off. After that,
instead of using tape, could you protect the area with, say, a modified
wire hanging basket instead or even a strong wire mesh which would allow
the shrub to breathe, otherwise you may be inviting fungal problems.
You'd need to keep an eye on it as the Cotoneaster grows so that the wire
doesn't cut into the bark. The same is true of the tape, of course; if it
doesn't 'give' when the trunk expands, then the tape will tighten and cut
in. This can be very damaging/even fatal.

Gosh thanks! It is just string but I will take it all off immediately and
keep a good eye on my dog!


Although Cotoneasters don't need lots of pruning, you may choose to tidy
it into a preferred shape which best accommodates its space/looks
aesthetically pleasing to you. Pruning should be done in winter or
mid-spring, except for Cotoneaster horizontalis which should be pruned in
late winter.

I can't remember the type, but it does spread horizontally if that makes any
sense?

I tend to prune out the extension growths on my
Cotoneasters so that the berries are shown off. I usually do this in
autumn, however, and never had any problems. Cotoneasters do not always
respond well to very hard pruning, so only take out larger branches that
you really don't want.

It is rather spreading and the branches are drooping down to ground level.
Noted! A job for next month then?

*Plum Tree: these must be pruned in good, dry sunny weather so that the
cut heals quickly, otherwise the tree can succumb to 'Silver Leaf', which
is very harmful, so you need to act on a sunny day. Hope you can find
one:~).

heh well it won't be this week ... g I will! I have heard of silver
leaf and wondered if it has it and that may be why it hasn't fruited but
apart from some holey leaves, it looks ok. What does 'silver leaf' look
like?


Recalling the earlier pics, your plum seemed to have a number of poorly
healed stubs where previous pruning took place. Woody pruning cuts (not
just for plum trees) should always be at the 'collar': somewhat
sub-conical, wrinkled area of the branch between the trunk (or major
branch) you're cutting back to and the branch you're cutting out. This
area contains the healing cells and hormones which will start to heal the
cut. So: do not leave a stub, do not cut flush with the trunk.

I don't remember cutting it but it has been a long time. If I don't cut
flush with the trunk, how will it not leave a stub?


Hope I've explained that well enough. Anyway, you need to cleanly cut
away the stubs and half branches. Also take out any dead, dying or
damaged wood. Having done this, clean your secateurs/loppers so that you
do not introduce disease to new cuts. Just as with an apple tree, the
plum should not have any inward-growing branches which will stifle air
movement, or branches that cross each other and cause - or may cause -
chafing, so you will need to cut these out.

Right! Looking at it atm, if I cut out all the cross branches, it might not
leave much else. Is it ok to leave it fairly denuded? Will it grow to fill
in the gaps?

At the moment, that is heaps for you to do and you don't want to stress
the tree by taking out too much wood at once. What you can do, however,
is look for any fruit (healthy, damaged, suffering Brown Rot [fungus in
rings] or 'mummified') and remove them. In fact, because of the fungus
risk, it would be better to do this job before you start pruning!

I don't have many apples and some are really nice. A few others look
'scabby' is that what you mean?


Well, Ophelia, it's nearly dinner time again, so I'm going to have a rest
from the screen now. Sorry I couldn't see your new pics, but hope I've
given you enough information for now.

Yes!!! Thank you once again! As I have mentioned I am saving all your
advice and will continue to work through it.

Oooh, just had a thought! Do you know the varietal name of your apple? It
may tell us whether it's tip or spur bearing ... which has a bearing on
the pruning;~).

Yes, it is a James Grieve. I always remember that because when I planted
it, someone asked me what type of apple it is. When I told him he asked me
why I called my tree, James. g


I must do a bit of gardening tomorrow, but will look in again later on and
discuss the Holly et al *and* will try and find those pics. Have a lovely
evening.

Please don't concern yourself too much nor feel you must respond *only* to
me! I am more than happy to wait until you have to time and I am sure there
is a lot more posts that will take your interest.

You are most kind and I am very grateful

Enjoy your dinner

Ophelia


--
http://www.helpforheroes.org.uk/shop/

On 29/08/2014 18:44, Ophelia wrote:


"Spider" wrote in message
...

Hello again, Ophelia. Good idea to start a new thread.
As you probably know, I've been replying to Jake D's original post.
It seems only good manners since we rather hijacked his thread!
(Thanks, JD, for not complaining).

From me too I have been learning from your posts to him as well)


Thank you for taking the extra photographs. Alas, I'm having a spot
of trouble with Tinypic just now :~((. I got a glimpse, then they
disappeared. I'll look again later.

I'll try and work from memory for now, so I might mentally 'hop' about
a bit.

*Cotoneaster: not certain which one it is, but it looks vigorous
enough. However, I'm not terribly happy about the taped up wound where
your dog showed his appreciation. If there are wounds (probably),
they really need to get some air to them while the wood really hardens
off. After that, instead of using tape, could you protect the area
with, say, a modified wire hanging basket instead or even a strong
wire mesh which would allow the shrub to breathe, otherwise you may be
inviting fungal problems. You'd need to keep an eye on it as the
Cotoneaster grows so that the wire doesn't cut into the bark. The
same is true of the tape, of course; if it doesn't 'give' when the
trunk expands, then the tape will tighten and cut in. This can be
very damaging/even fatal.

Gosh thanks! It is just string but I will take it all off immediately
and keep a good eye on my dog!


Although Cotoneasters don't need lots of pruning, you may choose to
tidy it into a preferred shape which best accommodates its space/looks
aesthetically pleasing to you. Pruning should be done in winter or
mid-spring, except for Cotoneaster horizontalis which should be pruned
in late winter.

I can't remember the type, but it does spread horizontally if that makes
any sense?



Quite a few Cotoneasters have an arching and seemingly horizontal
growth, but C. Horizontalis is distinctive in having a 'herringbone'
arrangement of branches. I was going to add a link here, but Google is
agonisingly slow here just now and won't perform. Do look it up,
though, as it's quite attractive. I only mentioned it in case you (or
another reader) had one, since the pruning time is different.


I tend to prune out the extension growths on my
Cotoneasters so that the berries are shown off. I usually do this in
autumn, however, and never had any problems. Cotoneasters do not
always respond well to very hard pruning, so only take out larger
branches that you really don't want.

It is rather spreading and the branches are drooping down to ground
level. Noted! A job for next month then?



I would suggest leaving it until November/December, if you can, as it
will be more dormant then and less likely to throw out new soft growth
which would be damaged by frost.


*Plum Tree: these must be pruned in good, dry sunny weather so that
the cut heals quickly, otherwise the tree can succumb to 'Silver
Leaf', which is very harmful, so you need to act on a sunny day. Hope
you can find one:~).

heh well it won't be this week ... g I will! I have heard of silver
leaf and wondered if it has it and that may be why it hasn't fruited but
apart from some holey leaves, it looks ok. What does 'silver leaf'
look like?


It gives a silvery metallic appearance to the leaf, not surprisingly!
Sorry, that's not sarcasm, but once again I can't send you a link to an
image, which is very frustrating. I will try again later when Google's
bucked its ideas up. If you do find you have Silver Leaf, you will need
to cut out all infected growth, then burn the prunings and disinfect the
tools used. At last! I've got a link. Hope it works for you:
https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?PID=245


Recalling the earlier pics, your plum seemed to have a number of
poorly healed stubs where previous pruning took place. Woody pruning
cuts (not just for plum trees) should always be at the 'collar':
somewhat sub-conical, wrinkled area of the branch between the trunk
(or major branch) you're cutting back to and the branch you're cutting
out. This area contains the healing cells and hormones which will
start to heal the cut. So: do not leave a stub, do not cut flush with
the trunk.

I don't remember cutting it but it has been a long time. If I don't cut
flush with the trunk, how will it not leave a stub?



Sorry, I've obviously not explained it very well *and* I can't send you
a link. I'll try and improvise: |/......

Hope you can follow this: the perpendicular line | is the trunk,
the symbol is the collar,
the slash / is your cut and the dotted line ..... is the branch you are
removing. After pruning, you should be left with: |
It may be necessary sometimes to remove a tiny bit of the collar to get
a clean cut, but there should always be enough left to heal over. I
hope this has helped a bit.
Now, thankfully, you can see the link:
http://treecarepruningandplanting.com/branch-collar.htm




Hope I've explained that well enough. Anyway, you need to cleanly cut
away the stubs and half branches. Also take out any dead, dying or
damaged wood. Having done this, clean your secateurs/loppers so that
you do not introduce disease to new cuts. Just as with an apple tree,
the plum should not have any inward-growing branches which will stifle
air movement, or branches that cross each other and cause - or may
cause - chafing, so you will need to cut these out.

Right! Looking at it atm, if I cut out all the cross branches, it might
not leave much else. Is it ok to leave it fairly denuded? Will it grow
to fill in the gaps?


Mmmm... you might need to leave some of the less congested cross-growth
which looks healthy, and take it out another time when you see how the
tree responds to this year's work. The important thing is that there is
no chafing and that the tree is as clean of disease as possible.
Since it's not been pruned for some time, I suppose you could even leave
it until next April-ish and prune it in really good weather.


At the moment, that is heaps for you to do and you don't want to
stress the tree by taking out too much wood at once. What you can do,
however, is look for any fruit (healthy, damaged, suffering Brown Rot
[fungus in rings] or 'mummified') and remove them. In fact, because
of the fungus risk, it would be better to do this job before you start
pruning!

I don't have many apples and some are really nice. A few others look
'scabby' is that what you mean?



Well, 'scabby' has a couple of connotations. It could just be that the
skin appears slightly less than perfect but is perfectly healthy or it
could mean your tree has Apple Scab:
https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?pid=81
Good, it seems I can send link now.



Well, Ophelia, it's nearly dinner time again, so I'm going to have a
rest from the screen now. Sorry I couldn't see your new pics, but
hope I've given you enough information for now.

Yes!!! Thank you once again! As I have mentioned I am saving all your
advice and will continue to work through it.

Oooh, just had a thought! Do you know the varietal name of your
apple? It may tell us whether it's tip or spur bearing ... which has a
bearing on the pruning;~).

Yes, it is a James Grieve. I always remember that because when I
planted it, someone asked me what type of apple it is. When I told him
he asked me why I called my tree, James. g



Great! That helps a lot. It is spur bearing, which is much easier to
prune. Whilst you can't exactly prune willy nilly, you can prune
relatively freely without cutting out fruiting wood each year.
https://www.rhs.org.uk/Plants/74563/...ve-(D)/Details

I must do a bit of gardening tomorrow, but will look in again later on
and discuss the Holly et al *and* will try and find those pics. Have
a lovely evening.

Please don't concern yourself too much nor feel you must respond *only*
to me! I am more than happy to wait until you have to time and I am
sure there is a lot more posts that will take your interest.

You are most kind and I am very grateful

Enjoy your dinner

Ophelia



Right, I think I've covered your questions from last time, but do come
back if there's something you still don't understand. It does take a
while for it all to sink in.

I'm just going to briefly mention your Holly while it's on my mind, then
I shall do some gardening. I need the fresh air.

The pale shoots on the trunk of your holly (or anywhere else they occur)
should be pruned out. They're not really doing any harm, but they
probably have little or no chlorophyll, so are not contributing to the
tree, but are using its resources. As ever, dead, dying and diseased
material should be removed (and tools disinfected). Otherwise, it is
really a case of shaping it, if needed, to a fairly natural, balanced
and pleasing shape. Pruning should take place from mid to late summer
before the wood becomes completely hardened. Earlier pruning can result
in new shoots which make the shape uneven again.

When I come back, I'll try and get your pics again, just in case I've
missed something obvious.

I'm not at all bothered about concentrating on this, Ophelia, so don't
worry. When I need a break or must do a task, I'll use my common sense
and pause a while. I do have a lot of migraine troubles, so I do take
frequent breaks from the screen, which is my only bug bear. I could
talk about gardening all day if my brain didn't hurt and, in truth, it's
so nice to help someone as eager to learn as you and so generous with
feedback. I know when you've understood something, which helps me move
forward. Thank you.
--
Spider.
On high ground in SE London
gardening on heavy clay

"Spider" wrote in message


Cotoneaster.

Gosh thanks! It is just string but I will take it all off immediately
and keep a good eye on my dog!

Just to assure you, I took it off immediately I had stopped posting



Quite a few Cotoneasters have an arching and seemingly horizontal growth,
but C. Horizontalis is distinctive in having a 'herringbone' arrangement
of branches. I was going to add a link here, but Google is agonisingly
slow here just now and won't perform. Do look it up, though, as it's
quite attractive. I only mentioned it in case you (or another reader) had
one, since the pruning time is different.

Yes! I looked it up. Mine is Horizontalis!


I tend to prune out the extension growths on my
Cotoneasters so that the berries are shown off. I usually do this in
autumn, however, and never had any problems. Cotoneasters do not
always respond well to very hard pruning, so only take out larger
branches that you really don't want.

It is rather spreading and the branches are drooping down to ground
level. Noted! A job for next month then?



I would suggest leaving it until November/December, if you can, as it will
be more dormant then and less likely to throw out new soft growth which
would be damaged by frost.

Thank you. It is now marked in my calendar. I am hoping to stay up here
until at least next year if not longer. I am hoping I can get my trees
sorted before I have to go back down.


*Plum Tree:

It gives a silvery metallic appearance to the leaf, not surprisingly!
Sorry, that's not sarcasm, but once again I can't send you a link to an
image, which is very frustrating. I will try again later when Google's
bucked its ideas up. If you do find you have Silver Leaf, you will need
to cut out all infected growth, then burn the prunings and disinfect the
tools used. At last! I've got a link. Hope it works for you:
https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?PID=245

Yes, it did, thank you! My plum tree has rather holey leaves but no silvery
sheen. More by luck than good judgement I suspect


Sorry, I've obviously not explained it very well *and* I can't send you a
link. I'll try and improvise: |/......

Hope you can follow this: the perpendicular line | is the trunk,
the symbol is the collar,
the slash / is your cut and the dotted line ..... is the branch you are
removing. After pruning, you should be left with: |
It may be necessary sometimes to remove a tiny bit of the collar to get a
clean cut, but there should always be enough left to heal over. I hope
this has helped a bit.
Now, thankfully, you can see the link:
http://treecarepruningandplanting.com/branch-collar.htm

Thank you, yes Btw your improvisation worked very well and I have saved
that site for reference


Hope I've explained that well enough. Anyway, you need to cleanly cut
away the stubs and half branches. Also take out any dead, dying or
damaged wood. Having done this, clean your secateurs/loppers so that
you do not introduce disease to new cuts. Just as with an apple tree,
the plum should not have any inward-growing branches which will stifle
air movement, or branches that cross each other and cause - or may
cause - chafing, so you will need to cut these out.

Right! Looking at it atm, if I cut out all the cross branches, it might
not leave much else. Is it ok to leave it fairly denuded? Will it grow
to fill in the gaps?


Mmmm... you might need to leave some of the less congested cross-growth
which looks healthy, and take it out another time when you see how the
tree responds to this year's work. The important thing is that there is
no chafing and that the tree is as clean of disease as possible.
Since it's not been pruned for some time, I suppose you could even leave
it until next April-ish and prune it in really good weather.

I can do that, yes, but if we do get more good weather within the next few
weeks, would be ok to do it then? Would that give it a better start for
next year or would it not make much difference? Perhaps next April I could
take out the rest?


Apples.

I don't have many apples and some are really nice. A few others look
'scabby' is that what you mean?



Well, 'scabby' has a couple of connotations. It could just be that the
skin appears slightly less than perfect but is perfectly healthy or it
could mean your tree has Apple Scab:
https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?pid=81
Good, it seems I can send link now.

Ok, I looked up pics of 'apple canker' and 'apple scab'. Judging by the
pics, mine have something that looks similar (but not excessively so) and no
evidence on the branches. The apples inside are clean and tasty.

Is there any advice you can give me to counteract that?




Oooh, just had a thought! Do you know the varietal name of your
apple? It may tell us whether it's tip or spur bearing ... which has a
bearing on the pruning;~).

Yes, it is a James Grieve. I always remember that because when I
planted it, someone asked me what type of apple it is. When I told him
he asked me why I called my tree, James. g

Great! That helps a lot. It is spur bearing, which is much easier to
prune. Whilst you can't exactly prune willy nilly, you can prune
relatively freely without cutting out fruiting wood each year.
https://www.rhs.org.uk/Plants/74563/...ve-(D)/Details

Please don't concern yourself too much nor feel you must respond *only*
to me! I am more than happy to wait until you have to time and I am
sure there is a lot more posts that will take your interest.

You are most kind and I am very grateful

Right, I think I've covered your questions from last time, but do come
back if there's something you still don't understand. It does take a
while for it all to sink in.

I am rereading your posts (which are all saved) and have also saved all the
websites you have advised, so I have plenty to keep me out of mischief g


I'm just going to briefly mention your Holly while it's on my mind, then I
shall do some gardening. I need the fresh air.

The pale shoots on the trunk of your holly (or anywhere else they occur)
should be pruned out.

Gosh! That is a surprise I thought they were just evidence of extra
feeding g Sheesh I have a lot to learn)

They're not really doing any harm, but they
probably have little or no chlorophyll, so are not contributing to the
tree, but are using its resources. As ever, dead, dying and diseased
material should be removed (and tools disinfected). Otherwise, it is
really a case of shaping it, if needed, to a fairly natural, balanced and
pleasing shape. Pruning should take place from mid to late summer before
the wood becomes completely hardened. Earlier pruning can result in new
shoots which make the shape uneven again.

Thank you! The tree itself spreads and is rather wild which I like. It is
not taking space I would otherwise want to use and looks very pleasing Do
you think I should prune it anyway, for the sake of its health?


When I come back, I'll try and get your pics again, just in case I've
missed something obvious.

Thank you, you are most kind.


I'm not at all bothered about concentrating on this, Ophelia, so don't
worry. When I need a break or must do a task, I'll use my common sense
and pause a while.

I am very pleased to hear that.

I do have a lot of migraine troubles, so I do take
frequent breaks from the screen, which is my only bug bear.

Oh I am so sorry. I am most content to wait until you are able or feel
you want to help. I feel very blessed that you want to

I could talk
about gardening all day if my brain didn't hurt and, in truth, it's so
nice to help someone as eager to learn as you and so generous with
feedback. I know when you've understood something, which helps me move
forward. Thank you.

Oh! I can't begin to tell you what your help means to me

Thank you so much. Be well soon.

Ophelia



--
http://www.helpforheroes.org.uk/shop/

On 31/08/2014 00:05, Ophelia wrote:


"Spider" wrote in message

Cotoneaster.

Gosh thanks! It is just string but I will take it all off immediately
and keep a good eye on my dog!

Just to assure you, I took it off immediately I had stopped posting



Good. I've seen some perfectly good trees wrecked by that kind of
restriction. You may find it worth while to check all your tree and
shrub ties, to make sure they're not biting in. I check mine a couple
of times a year and even nudge my neighbours if I see a biting tree tie.
It's usually well received.



Quite a few Cotoneasters have an arching and seemingly horizontal growth,
but C. Horizontalis is distinctive in having a 'herringbone' arrangement
of branches. I was going to add a link here, but Google is agonisingly
slow here just now and won't perform. Do look it up, though, as it's
quite attractive. I only mentioned it in case you (or another reader)
had
one, since the pruning time is different.

Yes! I looked it up. Mine is Horizontalis!


Right. Just as well I mentioned it then! It's a lovely plant, whether
grown horizontally or vertically and, although deciduous, I love both
the autumn colour and the winter framework. Just make sure that when
you prune it, you are sympathetic to that herringbone framework.
I haven't asked if you have a grasp of formative pruning? It's a posh
name for pruning to (below) the bud you want the next growth to sprout
from. You probably already do it with your roses, but you need to
understand it to shape your trees and shrubs properly.


I tend to prune out the extension growths on my
Cotoneasters so that the berries are shown off. I usually do this in
autumn, however, and never had any problems. Cotoneasters do not
always respond well to very hard pruning, so only take out larger
branches that you really don't want.

It is rather spreading and the branches are drooping down to ground
level. Noted! A job for next month then?



I would suggest leaving it until November/December, if you can, as it
will
be more dormant then and less likely to throw out new soft growth which
would be damaged by frost.

Thank you. It is now marked in my calendar. I am hoping to stay up here
until at least next year if not longer. I am hoping I can get my trees
sorted before I have to go back down.


*Plum Tree:

It gives a silvery metallic appearance to the leaf, not surprisingly!
Sorry, that's not sarcasm, but once again I can't send you a link to an
image, which is very frustrating. I will try again later when Google's
bucked its ideas up. If you do find you have Silver Leaf, you will need
to cut out all infected growth, then burn the prunings and disinfect the
tools used. At last! I've got a link. Hope it works for you:
https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?PID=245

Yes, it did, thank you! My plum tree has rather holey leaves but no
silvery
sheen. More by luck than good judgement I suspect


:~))! Just as well you're lucky, then. No-one would deliberately harm
a tree they'd planted, but tree care is quite a steep learning curve;
lots to remember. Don't worry about your holey leaves. They're going
to fall very soon anyway. If they look diseased when you then inspect
them, bin them rather than leave them or compost them.


Sorry, I've obviously not explained it very well *and* I can't send you a
link. I'll try and improvise: |/......

Hope you can follow this: the perpendicular line | is the trunk,
the symbol is the collar,
the slash / is your cut and the dotted line ..... is the branch you are
removing. After pruning, you should be left with: |
It may be necessary sometimes to remove a tiny bit of the collar to get a
clean cut, but there should always be enough left to heal over. I hope
this has helped a bit.
Now, thankfully, you can see the link:
http://treecarepruningandplanting.com/branch-collar.htm

Thank you, yes Btw your improvisation worked very well and I have saved
that site for reference


Hope I've explained that well enough. Anyway, you need to cleanly cut
away the stubs and half branches. Also take out any dead, dying or
damaged wood. Having done this, clean your secateurs/loppers so that
you do not introduce disease to new cuts. Just as with an apple tree,
the plum should not have any inward-growing branches which will stifle
air movement, or branches that cross each other and cause - or may
cause - chafing, so you will need to cut these out.

Right! Looking at it atm, if I cut out all the cross branches, it might
not leave much else. Is it ok to leave it fairly denuded? Will it grow
to fill in the gaps?


Mmmm... you might need to leave some of the less congested cross-growth
which looks healthy, and take it out another time when you see how the
tree responds to this year's work. The important thing is that there is
no chafing and that the tree is as clean of disease as possible.
Since it's not been pruned for some time, I suppose you could even leave
it until next April-ish and prune it in really good weather.

I can do that, yes, but if we do get more good weather within the next few
weeks, would be ok to do it then? Would that give it a better start for
next year or would it not make much difference? Perhaps next April I
could
take out the rest?



It would certainly be advisable to remove any of the dodgy stubs and
torn pruning cuts so that they're flush with the collar and can heal
properly. As they are now, the 'die back' those cuts have
caused could continue to die back into and past the collar area and into
the trunk, which is not desirable.
That's your essential work for this year's patch of good weather.
Truly, unless you've got a very long branch that might snap in the
gales, you might just as well wait till next April and that brilliant
weather ;~). Trees tend not to do anything very quickly (not even
jumping out in front of motorists), so a few dormant months really won't
make that much difference.


Apples.

I don't have many apples and some are really nice. A few others look
'scabby' is that what you mean?



Well, 'scabby' has a couple of connotations. It could just be that the
skin appears slightly less than perfect but is perfectly healthy or it
could mean your tree has Apple Scab:
https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?pid=81
Good, it seems I can send link now.

Ok, I looked up pics of 'apple canker' and 'apple scab'. Judging by the
pics, mine have something that looks similar (but not excessively so)
and no
evidence on the branches. The apples inside are clean and tasty.

Is there any advice you can give me to counteract that?



Yes, (in fact, it's probably on that Apple Scab link). You need Bayer's
Garden Systhane Fungus Fighter, the active ingredient of which is
Myclobutanil. There may be other brands on the garden centre shelves,
allowing you to compare prices. You also need to know that Apple Scab
can infect Cotoneaster, among others.




Oooh, just had a thought! Do you know the varietal name of your
apple? It may tell us whether it's tip or spur bearing ... which has a
bearing on the pruning;~).

Yes, it is a James Grieve. I always remember that because when I
planted it, someone asked me what type of apple it is. When I told him
he asked me why I called my tree, James. g

Great! That helps a lot. It is spur bearing, which is much easier to
prune. Whilst you can't exactly prune willy nilly, you can prune
relatively freely without cutting out fruiting wood each year.
https://www.rhs.org.uk/Plants/74563/...ve-(D)/Details


Please don't concern yourself too much nor feel you must respond *only*
to me! I am more than happy to wait until you have to time and I am
sure there is a lot more posts that will take your interest.

You are most kind and I am very grateful

Right, I think I've covered your questions from last time, but do come
back if there's something you still don't understand. It does take a
while for it all to sink in.

I am rereading your posts (which are all saved) and have also saved all the
websites you have advised, so I have plenty to keep me out of mischief g


I'm just going to briefly mention your Holly while it's on my mind,
then I
shall do some gardening. I need the fresh air.

The pale shoots on the trunk of your holly (or anywhere else they occur)
should be pruned out.

Gosh! That is a surprise I thought they were just evidence of extra
feeding g Sheesh I have a lot to learn)


Well, once you've learned, you can cautiously learn to break the rules
sometimes. In this case, if you like the appearance of those shoots and
you feel your holly is thriving, then you could choose to leave them.
Both myself and my father admired them on our hollies. My father even
wondered about propagating from them, but I've never known them 'take'.
They just can't produce enough food to live independantly.


They're not really doing any harm, but they
probably have little or no chlorophyll, so are not contributing to the
tree, but are using its resources. As ever, dead, dying and diseased
material should be removed (and tools disinfected). Otherwise, it is
really a case of shaping it, if needed, to a fairly natural, balanced and
pleasing shape. Pruning should take place from mid to late summer before
the wood becomes completely hardened. Earlier pruning can result in new
shoots which make the shape uneven again.

Thank you! The tree itself spreads and is rather wild which I like. It is
not taking space I would otherwise want to use and looks very
pleasing Do
you think I should prune it anyway, for the sake of its health?


If it's just how you like it and it's healthy, it doesn't need pruning.
Job saved.


When I come back, I'll try and get your pics again, just in case I've
missed something obvious.

Thank you, you are most kind.


I'm not at all bothered about concentrating on this, Ophelia, so don't
worry. When I need a break or must do a task, I'll use my common sense
and pause a while.

I am very pleased to hear that.

I do have a lot of migraine troubles, so I do take
frequent breaks from the screen, which is my only bug bear.

Oh I am so sorry. I am most content to wait until you are able or feel
you want to help. I feel very blessed that you want to

I could talk
about gardening all day if my brain didn't hurt and, in truth, it's so
nice to help someone as eager to learn as you and so generous with
feedback. I know when you've understood something, which helps me move
forward. Thank you.

Oh! I can't begin to tell you what your help means to me

Thank you so much. Be well soon.

Ophelia



Having dealt with that, I shall have a break and work in the garden for
a couple of hours. Later, I will try those pics again.


Yikes! Most important! Before you remove any significant branches off
anything, you will need to know about 'undercutting'. This is the
technique that stops bark tearing on the underside of the branch as you
finish your cut. I'll cover that next time. Ta ra for now.
--
Spider.
On high ground in SE London
gardening on heavy clay

On 31/08/2014 14:11, Spider wrote:
Yikes! Most important! Before you remove any significant branches off
anything, you will need to know about 'undercutting'. This is the
technique that stops bark tearing on the underside of the branch as you
finish your cut. I'll cover that next time. Ta ra for now.

Just a quick one, you can cut the branch off in 2 sessions, the first
12" or 18" above where you want the final cut so any bark tearing should
occur above the final cut then make the final cut where Spider tells you
it should be.
I do this cutting branches off trees when I have to be up a ladder.
Spider is doing a great job explaining it all to you. It's a pity she
hasn't got it all down as a booklet so you could print it off to keep
for future reference.
David @ a sunny side of Swansea Bay

"Spider" wrote in message
...
On 31/08/2014 00:05, Ophelia wrote:


"Spider" wrote in message

Cotoneaster.

Gosh thanks! It is just string but I will take it all off immediately
and keep a good eye on my dog!

Just to assure you, I took it off immediately I had stopped posting



Good. I've seen some perfectly good trees wrecked by that kind of
restriction. You may find it worth while to check all your tree and shrub
ties, to make sure they're not biting in. I check mine a couple of times
a year and even nudge my neighbours if I see a biting tree tie. It's
usually well received.

The only things I tie up are my climbers. Roses, clematis, honeysuckle and
a broad leaf ivy. I can't remember its name
But I will check!

cotoneaster.

Yes! I looked it up. Mine is Horizontalis!


Right. Just as well I mentioned it then! It's a lovely plant, whether
grown horizontally or vertically and, although deciduous, I love both the
autumn colour and the winter framework. Just make sure that when you
prune it, you are sympathetic to that herringbone framework.
I haven't asked if you have a grasp of formative pruning?

No Not only do I not have a grasp, I've never heard of it. I am hoping
the book (when it arrives) will explain that?


It's a posh
name for pruning to (below) the bud you want the next growth to sprout
from.

Right! I do that with other stuff I have cut back. Heh I know how to do
it, I just don't know the name of it)


You probably already do it with your roses, but you need to
understand it to shape your trees and shrubs properly.

Right! My roses are climbers and I am leaving them to do their thing along
with some other climbers, over an arch recently erected)


I tend to prune out the extension growths on my

Cotoneasters
I would suggest leaving it until November/December, if you can, as it
will
be more dormant then and less likely to throw out new soft growth which
would be damaged by frost.

Thank you. It is now marked in my calendar. I am hoping to stay up here
until at least next year if not longer. I am hoping I can get my trees
sorted before I have to go back down.


*Plum Tree:

It gives a silvery metallic appearance to the leaf, not surprisingly!
Sorry, that's not sarcasm, but once again I can't send you a link to an
image, which is very frustrating. I will try again later when Google's
bucked its ideas up. If you do find you have Silver Leaf, you will need
to cut out all infected growth, then burn the prunings and disinfect the
tools used. At last! I've got a link. Hope it works for you:
https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?PID=245

Yes, it did, thank you! My plum tree has rather holey leaves but no
silvery
sheen. More by luck than good judgement I suspect


:~))! Just as well you're lucky, then. No-one would deliberately harm a
tree they'd planted, but tree care is quite a steep learning curve; lots
to remember. Don't worry about your holey leaves. They're going to fall
very soon anyway. If they look diseased when you then inspect them, bin
them rather than leave them or compost them.

I will!


Sorry, I've obviously not explained it very well *and* I can't send you
a
link. I'll try and improvise: |/......

Hope you can follow this: the perpendicular line | is the trunk,
the symbol is the collar,
the slash / is your cut and the dotted line ..... is the branch you are
removing. After pruning, you should be left with: |
It may be necessary sometimes to remove a tiny bit of the collar to get
a
clean cut, but there should always be enough left to heal over. I hope
this has helped a bit.
Now, thankfully, you can see the link:
http://treecarepruningandplanting.com/branch-collar.htm

Thank you, yes Btw your improvisation worked very well and I have
saved
that site for reference


Hope I've explained that well enough. Anyway, you need to cleanly cut
away the stubs and half branches. Also take out any dead, dying or
damaged wood. Having done this, clean your secateurs/loppers so that
you do not introduce disease to new cuts. Just as with an apple tree,
the plum should not have any inward-growing branches which will stifle
air movement, or branches that cross each other and cause - or may
cause - chafing, so you will need to cut these out.

Right! Looking at it atm, if I cut out all the cross branches, it
might
not leave much else. Is it ok to leave it fairly denuded? Will it
grow
to fill in the gaps?


Mmmm... you might need to leave some of the less congested cross-growth
which looks healthy, and take it out another time when you see how the
tree responds to this year's work. The important thing is that there is
no chafing and that the tree is as clean of disease as possible.
Since it's not been pruned for some time, I suppose you could even leave
it until next April-ish and prune it in really good weather.

I can do that, yes, but if we do get more good weather within the next
few
weeks, would be ok to do it then? Would that give it a better start for
next year or would it not make much difference? Perhaps next April I
could
take out the rest?



It would certainly be advisable to remove any of the dodgy stubs and torn
pruning cuts so that they're flush with the collar and can heal properly.
As they are now, the 'die back' those cuts have
caused could continue to die back into and past the collar area and into
the trunk, which is not desirable.

Oh! Noted!!!


That's your essential work for this year's patch of good weather. Truly,
unless you've got a very long branch that might snap in the gales, you
might just as well wait till next April and that brilliant weather ;~).
Trees tend not to do anything very quickly (not even jumping out in front
of motorists), so a few dormant months really won't make that much
difference.

eg especially not jumping on front of motorists ))

Very well I will wait until April )



Apples.

I don't have many apples and some are really nice. A few others look
'scabby' is that what you mean?



Well, 'scabby' has a couple of connotations. It could just be that the
skin appears slightly less than perfect but is perfectly healthy or it
could mean your tree has Apple Scab:
https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?pid=81
Good, it seems I can send link now.

Ok, I looked up pics of 'apple canker' and 'apple scab'. Judging by the
pics, mine have something that looks similar (but not excessively so)
and no
evidence on the branches. The apples inside are clean and tasty.

Is there any advice you can give me to counteract that?



Yes, (in fact, it's probably on that Apple Scab link). You need Bayer's
Garden Systhane Fungus Fighter, the active ingredient of which is
Myclobutanil. There may be other brands on the garden centre shelves,
allowing you to compare prices. You also need to know that Apple Scab can
infect Cotoneaster, among others

Noted thank you! Can I get that any any garden centre?


Oooh, just had a thought! Do you know the varietal name of your
apple? It may tell us whether it's tip or spur bearing ... which has a
bearing on the pruning;~).

Yes, it is a James Grieve. I always remember that because when I
planted it, someone asked me what type of apple it is. When I told him
he asked me why I called my tree, James. g

Great! That helps a lot. It is spur bearing, which is much easier to
prune. Whilst you can't exactly prune willy nilly, you can prune
relatively freely without cutting out fruiting wood each year.
https://www.rhs.org.uk/Plants/74563/...ve-(D)/Details


Please don't concern yourself too much nor feel you must respond *only*
to me! I am more than happy to wait until you have to time and I am
sure there is a lot more posts that will take your interest.

You are most kind and I am very grateful

Right, I think I've covered your questions from last time, but do come
back if there's something you still don't understand. It does take a
while for it all to sink in.

I am rereading your posts (which are all saved) and have also saved all
the
websites you have advised, so I have plenty to keep me out of mischief
g


I'm just going to briefly mention your Holly while it's on my mind,
then I
shall do some gardening. I need the fresh air.

The pale shoots on the trunk of your holly (or anywhere else they occur)
should be pruned out.

Gosh! That is a surprise I thought they were just evidence of extra
feeding g Sheesh I have a lot to learn)


Well, once you've learned, you can cautiously learn to break the rules
sometimes. In this case, if you like the appearance of those shoots and
you feel your holly is thriving, then you could choose to leave them. Both
myself and my father admired them on our hollies. My father even wondered
about propagating from them, but I've never known them 'take'. They just
can't produce enough food to live independantly.

Right, thank you I do like them))



They're not really doing any harm, but they
probably have little or no chlorophyll, so are not contributing to the
tree, but are using its resources. As ever, dead, dying and diseased
material should be removed (and tools disinfected). Otherwise, it is
really a case of shaping it, if needed, to a fairly natural, balanced
and
pleasing shape. Pruning should take place from mid to late summer
before
the wood becomes completely hardened. Earlier pruning can result in new
shoots which make the shape uneven again.

Thank you! The tree itself spreads and is rather wild which I like. It
is
not taking space I would otherwise want to use and looks very
pleasing Do
you think I should prune it anyway, for the sake of its health?


If it's just how you like it and it's healthy, it doesn't need pruning.
Job saved.

Excellent))



When I come back, I'll try and get your pics again, just in case I've
missed something obvious.

Thank you, you are most kind.


I'm not at all bothered about concentrating on this, Ophelia, so don't
worry. When I need a break or must do a task, I'll use my common sense
and pause a while.

I am very pleased to hear that.

I do have a lot of migraine troubles, so I do take
frequent breaks from the screen, which is my only bug bear.

Oh I am so sorry. I am most content to wait until you are able or feel
you want to help. I feel very blessed that you want to

I could talk
about gardening all day if my brain didn't hurt and, in truth, it's so
nice to help someone as eager to learn as you and so generous with
feedback. I know when you've understood something, which helps me move
forward. Thank you.

Oh! I can't begin to tell you what your help means to me

Thank you so much. Be well soon.

Ophelia



Having dealt with that, I shall have a break and work in the garden for a
couple of hours. Later, I will try those pics again.

Thank you


Yikes! Most important! Before you remove any significant branches off
anything, you will need to know about 'undercutting'. This is the
technique that stops bark tearing on the underside of the branch as you
finish your cut. I'll cover that next time. Ta ra for now.

Oh heck! You don't feel like a holiday in Scotland by any chance ???? ;-)

I hope you are feeling better now. I will await your next foray into my err
busy garden))

Lucky O




--
http://www.helpforheroes.org.uk/shop/

"David Hill" wrote in message
...
On 31/08/2014 14:11, Spider wrote:
Yikes! Most important! Before you remove any significant branches off
anything, you will need to know about 'undercutting'. This is the
technique that stops bark tearing on the underside of the branch as you
finish your cut. I'll cover that next time. Ta ra for now.

Just a quick one, you can cut the branch off in 2 sessions, the first 12"
or 18" above where you want the final cut so any bark tearing should occur
above the final cut then make the final cut where Spider tells you it
should be.
I do this cutting branches off trees when I have to be up a ladder.
Spider is doing a great job explaining it all to you. It's a pity she
hasn't got it all down as a booklet so you could print it off to keep for
future reference.

Thanks, David, I have saved all her posts so will have something useful to
read in the depth of winter ... that and the new book she advised)



--
http://www.helpforheroes.org.uk/shop/

On 31/08/2014 18:26, David Hill wrote:
On 31/08/2014 14:11, Spider wrote:
Yikes! Most important! Before you remove any significant branches off
anything, you will need to know about 'undercutting'. This is the
technique that stops bark tearing on the underside of the branch as you
finish your cut. I'll cover that next time. Ta ra for now.

Just a quick one, you can cut the branch off in 2 sessions, the first
12" or 18" above where you want the final cut so any bark tearing should
occur above the final cut then make the final cut where Spider tells you
it should be.
I do this cutting branches off trees when I have to be up a ladder.
Spider is doing a great job explaining it all to you. It's a pity she
hasn't got it all down as a booklet so you could print it off to keep
for future reference.
David @ a sunny side of Swansea Bay



Thanks, David, for the compliment! I was about to - finally - get
around to the multi-cutting just before I got into serious undercutting,
but I'm grateful for your input. I managed to mow and edge a lawn this
pm while the sun was shining, so time well spent.
--
Spider.
On high ground in SE London
gardening on heavy clay

On 31/08/2014 19:05, Ophelia wrote:


"Spider" wrote in message
...
On 31/08/2014 00:05, Ophelia wrote:


"Spider" wrote in message

Cotoneaster.

Gosh thanks! It is just string but I will take it all off immediately
and keep a good eye on my dog!

Just to assure you, I took it off immediately I had stopped posting



Good. I've seen some perfectly good trees wrecked by that kind of
restriction. You may find it worth while to check all your tree and
shrub ties, to make sure they're not biting in. I check mine a couple
of times a year and even nudge my neighbours if I see a biting tree
tie. It's usually well received.

The only things I tie up are my climbers. Roses, clematis, honeysuckle
and a broad leaf ivy. I can't remember its name



Could the ivy be Hedera colchica, or a cultivar of same?
Incidentally, it's quite possible to strangle roses with ties unless
you're checking/pruning them regularly. They can grow quite quickly,
especially when you're absent for a while ...



But I will check!

cotoneaster.

Yes! I looked it up. Mine is Horizontalis!


Right. Just as well I mentioned it then! It's a lovely plant, whether
grown horizontally or vertically and, although deciduous, I love both
the autumn colour and the winter framework. Just make sure that when
you prune it, you are sympathetic to that herringbone framework.
I haven't asked if you have a grasp of formative pruning?

No Not only do I not have a grasp, I've never heard of it. I am
hoping the book (when it arrives) will explain that?


It's a posh
name for pruning to (below) the bud you want the next growth to sprout
from.

Right! I do that with other stuff I have cut back. Heh I know how to
do it, I just don't know the name of it)



Great! That makes proceedings much easier.


You probably already do it with your roses, but you need to
understand it to shape your trees and shrubs properly.

Right! My roses are climbers and I am leaving them to do their thing
along with some other climbers, over an arch recently erected)



If recently erected, and the roses et al, recently pruned to their
situation, then all is probably well there. Some future pruning will be
inevitable, though. You will have The Book by then ... and URG, just in
case :~).


I tend to prune out the extension growths on my

Cotoneasters
I would suggest leaving it until November/December, if you can, as it
will
be more dormant then and less likely to throw out new soft growth which
would be damaged by frost.

Thank you. It is now marked in my calendar. I am hoping to stay up
here
until at least next year if not longer. I am hoping I can get my trees
sorted before I have to go back down.


*Plum Tree:

It gives a silvery metallic appearance to the leaf, not surprisingly!
Sorry, that's not sarcasm, but once again I can't send you a link to an
image, which is very frustrating. I will try again later when Google's
bucked its ideas up. If you do find you have Silver Leaf, you will
need
to cut out all infected growth, then burn the prunings and disinfect
the
tools used. At last! I've got a link. Hope it works for you:
https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?PID=245

Yes, it did, thank you! My plum tree has rather holey leaves but no
silvery
sheen. More by luck than good judgement I suspect


:~))! Just as well you're lucky, then. No-one would deliberately
harm a tree they'd planted, but tree care is quite a steep learning
curve; lots to remember. Don't worry about your holey leaves.
They're going to fall very soon anyway. If they look diseased when
you then inspect them, bin them rather than leave them or compost them.

I will!


Sorry, I've obviously not explained it very well *and* I can't send
you a
link. I'll try and improvise: |/......

Hope you can follow this: the perpendicular line | is the trunk,
the symbol is the collar,
the slash / is your cut and the dotted line ..... is the branch you are
removing. After pruning, you should be left with: |
It may be necessary sometimes to remove a tiny bit of the collar to
get a
clean cut, but there should always be enough left to heal over. I hope
this has helped a bit.
Now, thankfully, you can see the link:
http://treecarepruningandplanting.com/branch-collar.htm

Thank you, yes Btw your improvisation worked very well and I have
saved
that site for reference


Hope I've explained that well enough. Anyway, you need to cleanly
cut
away the stubs and half branches. Also take out any dead, dying or
damaged wood. Having done this, clean your secateurs/loppers so that
you do not introduce disease to new cuts. Just as with an apple
tree,
the plum should not have any inward-growing branches which will
stifle
air movement, or branches that cross each other and cause - or may
cause - chafing, so you will need to cut these out.

Right! Looking at it atm, if I cut out all the cross branches, it
might
not leave much else. Is it ok to leave it fairly denuded? Will it
grow
to fill in the gaps?


Mmmm... you might need to leave some of the less congested cross-growth
which looks healthy, and take it out another time when you see how the
tree responds to this year's work. The important thing is that
there is
no chafing and that the tree is as clean of disease as possible.
Since it's not been pruned for some time, I suppose you could even
leave
it until next April-ish and prune it in really good weather.

I can do that, yes, but if we do get more good weather within the
next few
weeks, would be ok to do it then? Would that give it a better start
for
next year or would it not make much difference? Perhaps next April I
could
take out the rest?



It would certainly be advisable to remove any of the dodgy stubs and
torn pruning cuts so that they're flush with the collar and can heal
properly. As they are now, the 'die back' those cuts have
caused could continue to die back into and past the collar area and
into the trunk, which is not desirable.

Oh! Noted!!!


That's your essential work for this year's patch of good weather.
Truly, unless you've got a very long branch that might snap in the
gales, you might just as well wait till next April and that brilliant
weather ;~). Trees tend not to do anything very quickly (not even
jumping out in front of motorists), so a few dormant months really
won't make that much difference.

eg especially not jumping on front of motorists ))

Very well I will wait until April )



Apples.

I don't have many apples and some are really nice. A few others look
'scabby' is that what you mean?



Well, 'scabby' has a couple of connotations. It could just be that the
skin appears slightly less than perfect but is perfectly healthy or it
could mean your tree has Apple Scab:
https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?pid=81
Good, it seems I can send link now.

Ok, I looked up pics of 'apple canker' and 'apple scab'. Judging by the
pics, mine have something that looks similar (but not excessively so)
and no
evidence on the branches. The apples inside are clean and tasty.

Is there any advice you can give me to counteract that?



Yes, (in fact, it's probably on that Apple Scab link). You need
Bayer's Garden Systhane Fungus Fighter, the active ingredient of which
is Myclobutanil. There may be other brands on the garden centre
shelves, allowing you to compare prices. You also need to know that
Apple Scab can infect Cotoneaster, among others

Noted thank you! Can I get that any any garden centre?


You ought to be able to. Try your local gc first. Sometimes it's worth
checking Wilkinsons or the 'pound' shops first.



Oooh, just had a thought! Do you know the varietal name of your
apple? It may tell us whether it's tip or spur bearing ... which
has a
bearing on the pruning;~).

Yes, it is a James Grieve. I always remember that because when I
planted it, someone asked me what type of apple it is. When I told
him
he asked me why I called my tree, James. g

Great! That helps a lot. It is spur bearing, which is much easier to
prune. Whilst you can't exactly prune willy nilly, you can prune
relatively freely without cutting out fruiting wood each year.
https://www.rhs.org.uk/Plants/74563/...ve-(D)/Details



Please don't concern yourself too much nor feel you must respond
*only*
to me! I am more than happy to wait until you have to time and I am
sure there is a lot more posts that will take your interest.

You are most kind and I am very grateful

Right, I think I've covered your questions from last time, but do come
back if there's something you still don't understand. It does take a
while for it all to sink in.

I am rereading your posts (which are all saved) and have also saved
all the
websites you have advised, so I have plenty to keep me out of
mischief g


I'm just going to briefly mention your Holly while it's on my mind,
then I
shall do some gardening. I need the fresh air.

The pale shoots on the trunk of your holly (or anywhere else they
occur)
should be pruned out.

Gosh! That is a surprise I thought they were just evidence of extra
feeding g Sheesh I have a lot to learn)


Well, once you've learned, you can cautiously learn to break the rules
sometimes. In this case, if you like the appearance of those shoots
and you feel your holly is thriving, then you could choose to leave
them. Both myself and my father admired them on our hollies. My
father even wondered about propagating from them, but I've never known
them 'take'. They just can't produce enough food to live independantly.

Right, thank you I do like them))



They're not really doing any harm, but they
probably have little or no chlorophyll, so are not contributing to the
tree, but are using its resources. As ever, dead, dying and diseased
material should be removed (and tools disinfected). Otherwise, it is
really a case of shaping it, if needed, to a fairly natural,
balanced and
pleasing shape. Pruning should take place from mid to late summer
before
the wood becomes completely hardened. Earlier pruning can result in
new
shoots which make the shape uneven again.

Thank you! The tree itself spreads and is rather wild which I like.
It is
not taking space I would otherwise want to use and looks very
pleasing Do
you think I should prune it anyway, for the sake of its health?


If it's just how you like it and it's healthy, it doesn't need
pruning. Job saved.

Excellent))



When I come back, I'll try and get your pics again, just in case I've
missed something obvious.

Thank you, you are most kind.


I'm not at all bothered about concentrating on this, Ophelia, so don't
worry. When I need a break or must do a task, I'll use my common sense
and pause a while.

I am very pleased to hear that.

I do have a lot of migraine troubles, so I do take
frequent breaks from the screen, which is my only bug bear.

Oh I am so sorry. I am most content to wait until you are able or
feel
you want to help. I feel very blessed that you want to

I could talk
about gardening all day if my brain didn't hurt and, in truth, it's so
nice to help someone as eager to learn as you and so generous with
feedback. I know when you've understood something, which helps me move
forward. Thank you.

Oh! I can't begin to tell you what your help means to me

Thank you so much. Be well soon.

Ophelia



Having dealt with that, I shall have a break and work in the garden
for a couple of hours. Later, I will try those pics again.

Thank you


Yikes! Most important! Before you remove any significant branches
off anything, you will need to know about 'undercutting'. This is the
technique that stops bark tearing on the underside of the branch as
you finish your cut. I'll cover that next time. Ta ra for now.

Oh heck! You don't feel like a holiday in Scotland by any chance ???? ;-)



Dinna panic, lassie, as they say up't there! :~)))
It's all very straight forward. I will try and find a link tomorrow to
make it easier, but it's really basic common sense, truly. You will
have no trouble grasping it. You don't even have to be expert; even
just understanding it helps keep you from making mistakes.



I hope you are feeling better now. I will await your next foray into my
err busy garden))

Lucky O



Thank you, I am feeling a little better. I wake up most morning with
head pain and sometimes neuralgia/neuropathy, so I have to be used to
coping with it. Many people have worse things to worry about, so most
days I just try and get on with it. I'm just a creaky gate .. maybe I
should get a prescription for WD40!:~).

I am looking forward to my next foray into your garden. Quite an
adventure and remarkably good for my brain. Thank you.
--
Spider.
On high ground in SE London
gardening on heavy clay

"Spider" wrote in message
...
On 31/08/2014 19:05, Ophelia wrote:


"Spider" wrote in message
...
On 31/08/2014 00:05, Ophelia wrote:


"Spider" wrote in message

Cotoneaster.

Gosh thanks! It is just string but I will take it all off
immediately
and keep a good eye on my dog!

Just to assure you, I took it off immediately I had stopped posting



Good. I've seen some perfectly good trees wrecked by that kind of
restriction. You may find it worth while to check all your tree and
shrub ties, to make sure they're not biting in. I check mine a couple
of times a year and even nudge my neighbours if I see a biting tree
tie. It's usually well received.

The only things I tie up are my climbers. Roses, clematis, honeysuckle
and a broad leaf ivy. I can't remember its name



Could the ivy be Hedera colchica, or a cultivar of same?

I don't know but I will take a photo for you. It has a large leaf, not at
all like the smaller leaved ones I have in other places.


Incidentally, it's quite possible to strangle roses with ties unless
you're checking/pruning them regularly. They can grow quite quickly,
especially when you're absent for a while ...

Oh dear! These have not been pruned for a very long time. To be honest I
think it has strangled itself. The bulk of it I have tied to a trellis
under a window. When I came back I never pruned it, I just tied them in
and have trained it across to go up and over the arch.


Right. Just as well I mentioned it then! It's a lovely plant, whether
grown horizontally or vertically and, although deciduous, I love both
the autumn colour and the winter framework. Just make sure that when
you prune it, you are sympathetic to that herringbone framework.
I haven't asked if you have a grasp of formative pruning?

No Not only do I not have a grasp, I've never heard of it. I am
hoping the book (when it arrives) will explain that?


It's a posh
name for pruning to (below) the bud you want the next growth to sprout
from.

Right! I do that with other stuff I have cut back. Heh I know how to
do it, I just don't know the name of it)



Great! That makes proceedings much easier.

Phew I got something right!!!!! g


You probably already do it with your roses, but you need to
understand it to shape your trees and shrubs properly.

Right! My roses are climbers and I am leaving them to do their thing
along with some other climbers, over an arch recently erected)


If recently erected, and the roses et al, recently pruned to their
situation, then all is probably well there. Some future pruning will be
inevitable, though. You will have The Book by then ... and URG, just in
case :~).

Oh Yes, thank goodness. You are a godsend) Will this book cover such
things as the climbing roses too? I haven't pruned them at all since I have
been back. They were all over the place but I just tied them into the
rest so I would have something to train over the arch. I have to say there
is quite a thicket. They have honeysuckle growing through them too. Hmm I
don't remember planting that At least now I will be coming up fairly
regularly so it won't be left to its own devices for several years again and
the work I do now with pay off for the future. Taming this garden is a full
time job g


Yes, (in fact, it's probably on that Apple Scab link). You need
Bayer's Garden Systhane Fungus Fighter, the active ingredient of which
is Myclobutanil. There may be other brands on the garden centre
shelves, allowing you to compare prices. You also need to know that
Apple Scab can infect Cotoneaster, among others

Noted thank you! Can I get that any any garden centre?


You ought to be able to. Try your local gc first. Sometimes it's worth
checking Wilkinsons or the 'pound' shops first.

Thanks, will do) Incidentally, I have seen 'growmore' in the pound
shops. Will that be the same stuff I see in garden centres?


Yikes! Most important! Before you remove any significant branches
off anything, you will need to know about 'undercutting'. This is the
technique that stops bark tearing on the underside of the branch as
you finish your cut. I'll cover that next time. Ta ra for now.

Oh heck! You don't feel like a holiday in Scotland by any chance ????
;-)

Dinna panic, lassie, as they say up't there! :~)))

lol they do indeed)


It's all very straight forward. I will try and find a link tomorrow to
make it easier, but it's really basic common sense, truly. You will have
no trouble grasping it. You don't even have to be expert; even just
understanding it helps keep you from making mistakes.

) You are most kind))


I hope you are feeling better now. I will await your next foray into my
err busy garden))

Lucky O



Thank you, I am feeling a little better. I wake up most morning with head
pain and sometimes neuralgia/neuropathy, so I have to be used to coping
with it. Many people have worse things to worry about, so most days I
just try and get on with it. I'm just a creaky gate .. maybe I should get
a prescription for WD40!:~).

WD40 eh? LOL. Weell, whitever floats yur wee boat, hen )))) I used to
get migraine when I was much younger. So I have a bit of an idea what you
are suffering but certainly not the neuralgia/neuropathy



I am looking forward to my next foray into your garden. Quite an
adventure and remarkably good for my brain. Thank you.

Noooo thank YOU!!! You are welcome into my garden any old time you fancy
) In fact I welcome you with open arms !!!

Ophelia


--
http://www.helpforheroes.org.uk/shop/

"Ophelia" wrote in message
...


"David Hill" wrote in message
...
On 31/08/2014 14:11, Spider wrote:
Yikes! Most important! Before you remove any significant branches off
anything, you will need to know about 'undercutting'. This is the
technique that stops bark tearing on the underside of the branch as you
finish your cut. I'll cover that next time. Ta ra for now.

Just a quick one, you can cut the branch off in 2 sessions, the first 12"
or 18" above where you want the final cut so any bark tearing should
occur above the final cut then make the final cut where Spider tells you
it should be.
I do this cutting branches off trees when I have to be up a ladder.
Spider is doing a great job explaining it all to you. It's a pity she
hasn't got it all down as a booklet so you could print it off to keep for
future reference.

Thanks, David, I have saved all her posts so will have something useful to
read in the depth of winter ... that and the new book she advised)

I should have said, your post has gone into the file too))

--
http://www.helpforheroes.org.uk/shop/

"Ophelia" wrote in message
...


The only things I tie up are my climbers. Roses, clematis, honeysuckle
and a broad leaf ivy. I can't remember its name



Could the ivy be Hedera colchica, or a cultivar of same?

I don't know but I will take a photo for you. It has a large leaf, not at
all like the smaller leaved ones I have in other places.

Here is a pic of my ivy.

http://tinypic.com/m/i6xuvq/3


--
http://www.helpforheroes.org.uk/shop/

On 2014-09-01 11:43:44 +0000, Ophelia said:

"Ophelia" wrote in message
...


The only things I tie up are my climbers. Roses, clematis, honeysuckle
and a broad leaf ivy. I can't remember its name



Could the ivy be Hedera colchica, or a cultivar of same?

I don't know but I will take a photo for you. It has a large leaf, not
at all like the smaller leaved ones I have in other places.

Here is a pic of my ivy.

http://tinypic.com/m/i6xuvq/3

Paddy's Pride? We have it on a wall of the house and it's a large leaf variety.
--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.com
South Devon