Consultation

Site visits and consultations are available in the Canterbury area, we can walk through your fruit plantings and discuss varieties, rootstocks, water, shelter, mulches and sprays, pest and diseases, soils, drainage, frost, and any other challenges your site may pose.

Pruning
For most fruit trees, pruning is the job that offers greatest benefit for both tree and owner, and it’s the main task that people engage me to undertake. Pruning is typically carried out from the late summer through to early spring in fine weather when the trees are dormant. I will usually undertake pruning of the evergreen fruits, feijoa and citrus, where required, at this time also. Summer pruning can also be useful to increase light and airflow through the canopy, rob overly vigorous trees of carbohydrates, and to keep espalier trees looking good and fruiting close to the main framework.

Stonefruit may be pruned anytime during dry weather, but care must be taken as fungal diseases such as silver leaf are active in autumn and winter and enter the tree via poor pruning operations, as well as via leaf scars. Post harvest is when pruning stonefruit is often practiced. Summer pruning can also be undertaken, especially for early summerfuit once harvests are complete. Stonefruit can be pruned in autumn and winter, but care must be taken with weather conditions and sealing of large pruning cuts.

Renovation of severely neglected trees ought to be undertaken over a period of two to three years, so as not create a severe imbalance between above and below ground.

Regular pruning can help to counter the tendency for trees which are biennial bearing, i.e. only produce fruit every second year.

I work with orchard ladders and hand tools. Where trees have become overly large making my methods either unsafe or impossible, it may be necessary to engage the services of an arborist. I am happy to recommend arborists who I know and trust to undertake work on fruit trees.

Please note: due to increased demand for pruning services and the limited time window of the pruning season I am now unable to clear sites, remove or move prunings unless in exceptional circumstances. My skill and time is better spent pruning fruit trees rather than picking up sticks and carting them about.

Pruning Demonstrations

During the pruning season I am available for public pruning demontrations.

Please note : I’m fully booked for pruning demonstrations for the 2023 season.

Spraying
I no longer offer spraying services but can advise on basic spray programmes for the home orchard, if they are required, or treatment spray options for specific issues.

Grafting
I offer a grafting service for apples. This is useful if there is a desire to change the variety of a tree or have multiple varieties upon a single tree. Dependent upon availability of suitable scionwood.

Apple Trees

I propagate a small number of heritage variety apple trees each year, on two different rootstocks, M26 for dwarf trees and M793 for large trees, difficult soils, and replant sites that have had apple trees previously. Trees are offered bare rooted in July and August, delivered in Greater Christchurch only. Please enquire for a list of available trees.