Comments on: Cut the Cordon now! http://www.ashridgetrees.co.uk/blog/cut-the-cordon-now/ Hedging plants, bare root hedge plants, evergreen hedges. Tips tricks, advice and trivia Thu, 02 Feb 2012 22:02:02 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Gary http://www.ashridgetrees.co.uk/blog/cut-the-cordon-now/comment-page-1/#comment-2024 Gary Thu, 01 Sep 2011 16:19:09 +0000 http://blog.ashridgetrees.co.uk/?p=49#comment-2024 Hi Veronica, One of my (apple) cordon trees only had growth in the first and last third of it's length, so it looks quite peculiar! How do I get it to produce leaf/blossom in this area next year please? Hi Veronica,
One of my (apple) cordon trees only had growth in the first and last third of it’s length, so it looks quite peculiar! How do I get it to produce leaf/blossom in this area next year please?

]]> By: Edward http://www.ashridgetrees.co.uk/blog/cut-the-cordon-now/comment-page-1/#comment-1992 Edward Tue, 09 Aug 2011 15:36:13 +0000 http://blog.ashridgetrees.co.uk/?p=49#comment-1992 Hi Veronica, If the buds lower back on the side-shoots off arising form the main trunk of the tree are still alive, then the same method of pruning that should have been used in the first place can be used. This will cause quite a lot of vegetative growth in the first growing season after pruning: cut this re growth back to one bud up from the basal cluster to form the fruiting spur. Have fun! Hi Veronica,
If the buds lower back on the side-shoots off arising form the main trunk of the tree are still alive, then the same method of pruning that should have been used in the first place can be used. This will cause quite a lot of vegetative growth in the first growing season after pruning: cut this re growth back to one bud up from the basal cluster to form the fruiting spur.
Have fun!

]]> By: Veronica http://www.ashridgetrees.co.uk/blog/cut-the-cordon-now/comment-page-1/#comment-1991 Veronica Tue, 09 Aug 2011 13:32:06 +0000 http://blog.ashridgetrees.co.uk/?p=49#comment-1991 Hi, our Braeburn cordon apple tree is now a few years old. It didn't get properly pruned last year, so some side shoots are very long, with the basal leaf cluster appearing 6"-8" along the shoot, instead of near the trunk. How should I prune those shoots? Thanks, Veronica. Hi, our Braeburn cordon apple tree is now a few years old. It didn’t get properly pruned last year, so some side shoots are very long, with the basal leaf cluster appearing 6″-8″ along the shoot, instead of near the trunk. How should I prune those shoots? Thanks, Veronica.

]]> By: julian http://www.ashridgetrees.co.uk/blog/cut-the-cordon-now/comment-page-1/#comment-1316 julian Mon, 27 Sep 2010 21:07:13 +0000 http://blog.ashridgetrees.co.uk/?p=49#comment-1316 Thanks very much for pointing it out. The Summer Pruning of Cordon Fruit Trees diagram is back in its rightful place. Hope it helps. Thanks very much for pointing it out. The Summer Pruning of Cordon Fruit Trees diagram is back in its rightful place.

Hope it helps.

]]> By: Tim http://www.ashridgetrees.co.uk/blog/cut-the-cordon-now/comment-page-1/#comment-1277 Tim Sun, 19 Sep 2010 12:49:53 +0000 http://blog.ashridgetrees.co.uk/?p=49#comment-1277 Thanks, very useful, but the link to the diagram seems to have got broken - at any rate it's not displaying for me. Thanks, very useful, but the link to the diagram seems to have got broken – at any rate it’s not displaying for me.

]]> By: julian http://www.ashridgetrees.co.uk/blog/cut-the-cordon-now/comment-page-1/#comment-508 julian Tue, 22 Sep 2009 12:19:48 +0000 http://blog.ashridgetrees.co.uk/?p=49#comment-508 Hi Donald No problem - just me being thick. I would cut your cordon fruit trees back (in terms of height) in winter. These will always try to regrow from the top and the advantage of winter pruning in this case is that you can see the dormant buds more clearly then and so it is easier to choose which one to cut back to. As an aside, there is no horticultural need for cordoned fruit trees to be kept to the height of the top wire. They are all stout stemmed and can easily be allowed to grow up another 45 - 60 cms above the last support. The only restriction is how high you want to reach. Hope this helps. Hi Donald
No problem – just me being thick. I would cut your cordon fruit trees back (in terms of height) in winter. These will always try to regrow from the top and the advantage of winter pruning in this case is that you can see the dormant buds more clearly then and so it is easier to choose which one to cut back to.

As an aside, there is no horticultural need for cordoned fruit trees to be kept to the height of the top wire. They are all stout stemmed and can easily be allowed to grow up another 45 – 60 cms above the last support. The only restriction is how high you want to reach.

Hope this helps.

]]> By: Donald http://www.ashridgetrees.co.uk/blog/cut-the-cordon-now/comment-page-1/#comment-507 Donald Tue, 22 Sep 2009 12:11:41 +0000 http://blog.ashridgetrees.co.uk/?p=49#comment-507 re: Pruning cordon apple trees Hallo and thank you for your very useful reply. However I would still like to know what to do about the leading shoots on some of my cordon apple trees that appear to be reaching for the sky. Should I prune these back now or in the winter. It will mean taking quite a lot off to get them down to my top wire of about 5ft 6ins? Thanks for your help. Regards Donald re: Pruning cordon apple trees
Hallo and thank you for your very useful reply. However I would still like to know what to do about the leading shoots on some of my cordon apple trees that appear to be reaching for the sky. Should I prune these back now or in the winter. It will mean taking quite a lot off to get them down to my top wire of about 5ft 6ins? Thanks for your help.
Regards
Donald

]]> By: julian http://www.ashridgetrees.co.uk/blog/cut-the-cordon-now/comment-page-1/#comment-506 julian Mon, 21 Sep 2009 16:18:44 +0000 http://blog.ashridgetrees.co.uk/?p=49#comment-506 Thanks for your enquiry When cordon fruit trees are growing away well (and it sounds like at least some are) then you can summer prune in the year after planting. If some are taking longer to eastablish then skip summer pruning. All cordon fruit trees should be winter pruned however (therefore an established cordon is pruned twice a year). Summer pruning involves reducing side branches and sub-branches to 5 leaves and it is best done in August/September. The number of leaves is not critical, the principal reason for summer pruning of cordons being to reduce the amount of sap that is returned to the roots, thereby reducing their growing vigour. Winter pruning is best done in January and involves shortening by a further 2 leaves (nodes in winter) leaving 3. Hope this helps Thanks for your enquiry

When cordon fruit trees are growing away well (and it sounds like at least some are) then you can summer prune in the year after planting. If some are taking longer to eastablish then skip summer pruning.

All cordon fruit trees should be winter pruned however (therefore an established cordon is pruned twice a year).

Summer pruning involves reducing side branches and sub-branches to 5 leaves and it is best done in August/September. The number of leaves is not critical, the principal reason for summer pruning of cordons being to reduce the amount of sap that is returned to the roots, thereby reducing their growing vigour.

Winter pruning is best done in January and involves shortening by a further 2 leaves (nodes in winter) leaving 3.

Hope this helps

]]> By: Donald http://www.ashridgetrees.co.uk/blog/cut-the-cordon-now/comment-page-1/#comment-502 Donald Fri, 18 Sep 2009 17:48:48 +0000 http://blog.ashridgetrees.co.uk/?p=49#comment-502 Hi - my question is about cordon fruit trees. I purchased eight cordon apple trees, two cordon pear trees and a bush plum tree from Ashridge Trees a year ago and all are doing really well. I read to prune cordons in July/August in first year and this I did. Several trees are now producing strong fresh growth from pruned points. Should these be re pruned and if so when? I have not pruned the leading growth which on three of the cordon fruit trees has been quite considerable in the year. In some cases the trees are up to seven feet or would be even more if stood up straight. When should I prune these back to my top wire height of about 5ft 6in? Will be most grateful for help. Regards Donald Hi – my question is about cordon fruit trees.
I purchased eight cordon apple trees, two cordon pear trees and a bush plum tree from Ashridge Trees a year ago and all are doing really well. I read to prune cordons in July/August in first year and this I did. Several trees are now producing strong fresh growth from pruned points. Should these be re pruned and if so when? I have not pruned the leading growth which on three of the cordon fruit trees has been quite considerable in the year. In some cases the trees are up to seven feet or would be even more if stood up straight. When should I prune these back to my top wire height of about 5ft 6in?

Will be most grateful for help.
Regards
Donald

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