TRAINING TREES

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 352, 12 May 1928, Page 26

TRAINING TREES

PRUNING OUR HOPES Thousands of trees are planted every year by amateur gardeners, in the hope that at a later period sufficient fruit 'will be forthcoming to supply the household requirements. But alas! the hopes and good intentions of many planters are frustrated, as numbers of trees die and a goodly portion do not mature properly, owing to incorrect treatment or neglect. It is only natural that if trees are expected to give their best, grow vigorously and produce crops, regular and systematic pruning must be resorted to. INFANT TRAINING OR PRUNING Most growers are well advised to buy second or third-year-old trees that are already trained by the nurserymen. For the benefit of th<*e who prefer to train their own or whose pocket cannot provide larger trees, we will start from the beginning. The first pruning is termed “heading back," which consists of simply cutting the stems of one-year-old trees back to 16 or 18 inches from the ground. They should then produce three to five sturdy growths through the summer. These may be operated upon the following winter, cutting back eight to 10 inches from their bases to attain strong growth and *Dfomote good shape. Always cut to~ an outside bud to encourage the growth outwards, thus keeping the centre of the tree free. THE OBJECT OF PRUNING The object of all this work is to aim at a good shape as a foundation on which to build the tree to stand the test and hardships of later life. To neglect this work is to encourage weak growth and the production of small fruits which weaken the tree until it reverts to a useless and ragged condition. The advantages of pruning are many. It introduces new wood growth upon which the fruit spurs are formed and removes all dead wood and straggling growths, thus permitting the sunlight to penetrate to the inner parts of the tree. FRUITING TYPES Pruning conserves the energy of the tree and directs the sap into channels where it is made most use of. Briefly, a balance is maintained between leaf and fruit growth, so that no part of the tree is taxed at the expense of the other. For the first, second and third years after growth, trees receive severe pruning, compared with that after they commence to bear. Different trees have different habits of growth, and produce their fruits on several types of wood. The apricot, plum, nectarine and peach produce their fruits from auxiliary buds. The two first-named also fruit on the spurs formed on two-year-old wood. Apples and pears represent what is known as the terminal bud or spur-bearing types. The second and third years* pruning also helps to make the foundation of the tree by forming up the permanent main branches, on which the laterals and fruit spurs are produced. It is advisable to keep all the main branches well, and as far as possible, uniformly spaced, so as to give to the tree an open vase-shaped centre. Anything from nine to 12 main branches are sufficient, and after these have been secured, the pruning chiefly consists of cutting back and thinning out useless growth. STRAWBERRIES PLANT END OF MAY AND JUNE The following remarks are offered for the guidance of amateurs who take an interest in the culture of this delicious and popular fruit: Young plants should be procured in August or September, and planted out on a piece of well and deeply-culti-vated loamy soil, enriched with rotten manure, in rows about two feet apart each way. If this is done properly, and the young plants well watered in dry weather, a full crop of fruit may be had the first season after planting, and the second season the plants will be in the best bearing state. If fruit of remarkable size and beauty be desired, the trusses should be well thinned out as soon as the fruit is set, leaving only the finest and most prominent-looking berries. It is also desirable to place some clean straw around the plants when the fruit is ripening, to keep it clean and free from grit. The plants should be kept clear of all useless runners. The vigour of the plants and the quality of the fruit will be much improved by copious applications of manure water, which must be discontinued at the first appearance of colour in the fruit, any liquid after that time being highly injurious to its flavour and also ripening qualities. Strawberries cannot be had too fresh; they should always be eaten within as short a time as possible after being gathered. There are many small gardens now used for growing cabbages and other coarse vegetables that might be more advantageously utilised in cultivating strawberries; the fruit could then be had fresh, and altogether in good condition as regards maturity and flavour, instead of buying it at a shop in a stale, bruised, and almost tasteless state, hardly fit for consumption. USUAL FAULTS IN CULTIVATION (1) Insufficient preparation of the land. As strawberries should not be dug after they are planted, the soil should be well worked, manured, and cleaned previously. (2) The runners are rarely kept pinched off, but are allowed to make a mat of plants covering the surface of the soil.

(3) The beds are generally kept too long; three years is long enough for any bed to stand, and many kinds are better treated upon a two-years’ system.- A certain number, however small, should be planted yearly, and a corresponding number destroyed. This is a very simple system when once adopted, and the result in improved fruit will well repay the trouble. TWO HARDY CLIMBERS A rapid-growing- and good climber is Dolichos, a lovely evergreen vine which, in early summer, is a mass of sweetly-scented small flowers of pink and white. A wire-haired fence, verandah or porch can be improved with the aid of Dolichos. Frosts nip the vine a little, but it shoots up quickly again. Plants may be set out almost any time, except in winter. Keep fairly moist until -well established. Of all flowering creepers there is nothing more showy than the bougainvillea. It is a rapid grower, excellent for covering porches and verandahs, and is in bloom for nearly three-parts of the year. There is, however, such a thing as growing the bougainvillea injudiciously. Its -violent colours may be the downfall of the careless gardener. Grown against a glaring red brick wall it can look quite horrible because of the colour contrast: but for such a purpose there are two varieties that can be used with success.