Fwd: Revitalizing Older Apple Trees
Phil Forsyth
From: Mike Biltonen from Radical Pomology! <knowyo...@substack.com>
Date: Tue, Jan 28, 2025 at 8:07 AM
Subject: Revitalizing Older Apple Trees
To: <ph...@phillyorchards.org>
Pruning, as I have stated prior, is not a casual exercise. But neither is it one where we need stress and equivocate about the “right cut.” It is an exercise, a practice, an art AND a science that requires the orchardist to be one with the trees and their surroundings. In essence, to be one with nature. If we are to believe the newly founded science of plant communication, then plants do have a method of “getting the word out.” For all the talk of neural networks, semiochemicals¹, vibrational frequencies, and Ents - don’t expect that you’re simply going to sit down and have a casual conversation with a tree. But! you can commune with nature, with your trees, and better understand, through a different line of thought, what the tree really needs and desires. As trees get older they need different connections, a different level of interaction with the orchardist, just like any organism - and vice versa. So please don’t let the practical aspects of revitalizing older trees get in the way of starting the day out with a good cup of tea (or cider) and your favorite tree before you get to work. Revitalizing Older Apple Trees Through Pruning Revitalizing old apple trees and orchards differs from pruning a newly planted or even mature producing orchard. First, and this is really important, you have make sure the trees are alive. While many trees that have been long neglected and unproductive can be revived, there’s no point in trying to revive a dead tree. If the tree is still alive (or a good portion of it at least), then you should make a careful assessment of its overall health. The trunk, bark, scaffolds should all be alive². This will help you determine what approach to take and decide how aggressive you want to be. More than likely you’ll want to conduct the revitalization process over a few years rather than doing it all at once so you don’t shock the tree. If not too far gone, you will want to assess the quality of fruit buds, if any, and decide whether to prune for a crop or not. But mostly we’re discussing bringing neglected and abandoned trees back to life. Cropping, or growing apples, comes down the path.
Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4 and beyond The reality is sometimes trees are just too far gone to try and revive. At best apple trees can survive 200 years, but that’s at the outside and only when thriving in ideal natural conditions. The usual expected lifespan for an apple tree is 80-125 years depending on location and growing climate, conditions, etc. Its important to know when its time to throw in the towel. But more often than not, most trees that have been neglected can be revived and give you many years of production and happiness. The importance of not rushing the process is critical though, as rushing or overdoing the process may require more years to rebalance the situation than the three year process I’ve described here. That said, you may have some trees that haven’t been neglected for long, and in that case you can probably condense the three year process into a two year process. Whatever happens, be one with the tree and be patient before you start cutting lest you find Treebeard looking over your shoulder. Om! Please refer to previous articles on the Art & Science of Pruning for more on my philosophy of pruning. WORKSHOP ANNOUNCEMENT Pruning Workshops - 4 days, 2 locations, all in the Finger Lakes.
Registration Information: Cost is FREE, but you must pre-register (space is limited) and I am asking for a minimum suggested contribution of $20 per person to cover nominal costs. You will need to bring your own tools as we’ll only have a limited number of pruning tools available to loan out. And we will talk about sharpening and caring for your pruning tools. I will send further details to everyone that has pre-registered by Feb 24. To register please email <click →> me your name, contact info, and the dates you’re registering for. Since this is a free event it is expected that everyone who registers will show up or cancel with reasonable notice so we can notify others that may be on the wait list. You can make your contribution when you arrive or (better yet) send ahead of time to Know Your Roots LLC, 6031 Brook Road, Trumansburg, NY 14886. We accept cash, checks, and Venmo. 1 Semiochemicals are chemical substances that organisms release to communicate with each other. They can be used to monitor and control pests, and can also play a role in plant growth and development. 2 A simple scrath to the bark will reveal green tissue if the tree is alive. If there is no green tissue, then try in other parts. In older neglected trees there is likely a lot of dead or declining tissue, just as there is likely green tissue to be found and usually, but not always, in the portions that are at the outer periphery of the canopy 3 strong vertical shoots growing off the upper part of scaffold branches. 4 less than 6” terminal extension. You're currently a free subscriber to Radical Pomology!. For the full experience, upgrade your subscription.
© 2025 Mike Biltonen
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