Pruning trees

Minder

Any advice on pruning fruit trees. I have eight or nine mature damson trees in the back garden. They are probably thirty feet high. Should I do anything with them to improve their health and improve the fruit crop. Should I feed them? Cut them back? They have a fine green patina of moss on the trunks - will this damage the trees? Should it be treated?

I also have a large hazel clump. This is quite imposing when in full leaf and I would like to cut it back. Any advice on this? Again I would like to improve the crop - I might stand a chance of getting some nuts before the squirrels nick the lot.

Any advice appreciated.

Minder

anyone?

The Sweeper

Googlie googlie.

"Damsons grow on most soils except pure peat and heavy clay. They are are very tolerant of altitude, soil type, acidity and alkalinity. They will grow as far north as Scotland, but are favoured by the wetter conditions of the western side of the country. Although they like a damp climate, blossom time needs to be dry for good pollination, and they do not like their roots to stand in swampy conditions.

Damson trees cannot stand being shaded and their own lower branches tend to die back when they become deprived of light by growing branches above. Generally they are best left without pruning apart from thinning dead under-timber and cutting back to keep the tree to manageable proportions. However, damson trees are not particularly susceptible to rot nor infection and so large branches can be cut back without harm to the tree."

and go to this link: http://www.lythdamsons.org.uk/infoandadvice.asp# for a downloadable leaflet on caring for your damsons. Lots of info on pruning (upshot: in general just leave them alone) but nothing on moss, though I'd say these guys would respond quickly to an email query, especially if you take a digital picture of what you're looking at in terms of moss and attach it to the mail?

As for the hazel, you could make it into a hedge if you cut and lay it (a complex procedure involving what looks like tree butchery - you break limbs, greenstick fracture style, so half of the branch is still attached to the tree, and wind the broken but still attached limbs around steaks to encourage hedge growth... but I have a feeling that won't work with a tree of your size...)