Orchard advice needed

Harry Palmr

I've got a potentially tricky problem to solve with a client's garden (said client is in Dublin, property is in Waterford so it's a long distance relationship for the most part which is tricky). The garden has a small orchard in a square area by a corner of the plot. There is no space to plant further but I have four Malus sylvestris (Crab apples) to find a home for. The existing trees are in somewhat shoddy condition with evidence of canker rot and other damage. My idea is to plant the new stock among the mature trees and then in 2/3 years remove the old ones and let the Crab apples flourish unhindered. I should say I have not passed this thought on to my client as I thought some feedback here would be a good idea. I'll be back on the site in the next week or so.

Has anyone done something like this where a top fruit trees are replaced in situ?

macraignil

Harry Palmr wrote: »

I've got a potentially tricky problem to solve with a client's garden (said client is in Dublin, property is in Waterford so it's a long distance relationship for the most part which is tricky). The garden has a small orchard in a square area by a corner of the plot. There is no space to plant further but I have four Malus sylvestris (Crab apples) to find a home for. The existing trees are in somewhat shoddy condition with evidence of canker rot and other damage. My idea is to plant the new stock among the mature trees and then in 2/3 years remove the old ones and let the Crab apples flourish unhindered. I should say I have not passed this thought on to my client as I thought some feedback here would be a good idea. I'll be back on the site in the next week or so.

Has anyone done something like this where a top fruit trees are replaced in situ?

No direct experience of trying to replant an orchard and not sure what is the idea behind replacing cultivated apples with crab apples which are less edible. I have planted one crab apple in my own garden which was planted just after the house was finished almost five years ago. I had previously planted some eating and cooking varieties a bit further from the house and there was a mature crab apple growing in the garden across the road. The one I have planted has been set back most years by cankers and branches that have been going dead with some disease meaning I have had to prune back the crab apple fairly severely on a few occasions. It is still growing OK and the trunk has got a bit stronger but to be honest it looks fairly ugly and still has not flowered. Crab apple may be tolerant of some diseases but I would say they would be unlikely to be completely immune and planting in the middle of old diseased apple trees is asking for trouble with disease in your newly planted trees.


Could you make an effort at pruning out the diseased parts of the old trees and making a feature of them being old and interesting looking? Even just as a support for climbing roses or Virginia creeper or wisteria they might become an attractive feature with the summer flowers or autumn colour of the climber and the interesting character to the old trees in the winter.


Seems daft to me to kill off old trees to make space for a few crab apple that might not even do well with apple disease already established in that part of the garden. If the old trees are completely past being saved then I'd reckon something not liable to get the same diseases would be a better choice and if you want trees for fruit it would depend on what the people with the garden would like to eat rather than what trees you are trying to get rid of.

recedite

Right now for this year I'd cut back the old trees to about 3 feet from the ground, maybe just leave one side branch if its a healthy branch.
You'd be surprised how apple trees can sometimes rejuvenate, throwing out new healthy branches. But if they die, so be it.

Leave nothing with canker. Burn the branches you have cut after they have dried out for a bit.



Planting new trees in with diseased trees is not advisable.

Harry Palmr

Cheers, they'll have to go somewhere I suppose but I'll have a better idea tomorrow when I'm back on site. Perhaps there's an area I've forgotten about.

recedite

Harry Palmr wrote: »

Cheers, they'll have to go somewhere I suppose...

Put them on the bonfire.

magicbastarder

First question I would ask - does the client want an orchard?

Harry Palmr

magicbastarder wrote: »

First question I would ask - does the client want an orchard?

Already got the existing apple and pear trees, I'll update you all later!

standardg60

magicbastarder wrote: »

First question I would ask - does the client want an orchard?

From what I understand the op simply wants to get rid of some surplus crab apples and foist them on an unsuspecting client who happens to have an orchard.