IRISH GARDENING 



VOLUME V. 



No. 54 



A MONTHLY JOURNAL DEVOTED TO THE 



ADVANCEMENT OF HORTICULTURE AND 



ARBORICULTURE IN IRELAND 



AUGUST 

 igio 



The Summer Pruning of Fruit Trees 



,UMMER pruning is 

 a subject of very 

 special interest to 

 fruit growers. 

 There appears to 

 be muchdiflFerence 

 of opinion among" 

 gardeners as to 

 the time of prun- 

 ing, the exact 

 method of prun- 

 ing, and even 

 whether it is advisable to summer prune at all. 

 If we approach the consideration of this ques- 

 tion in an enquiring spirit we must first ask 

 ourselves why do we prune ? What special 

 advantage do we seek to gain in pruning back 

 the laterals of fruit trees in the summer 

 months ? 



Advocates of such procedure contend that 

 the removal of the younger lengths of leafy 

 shoots in the first place, by interfering with 

 ''the regular flow of sap," arrests the normal 

 growth of the young branches, and in the 

 second place, as the direct result of this, the 

 centres of vital activity are shifted to the lower 

 or remaining portions of the pruned branches. 

 The ultimate aim of the pruner is to induce the 

 pruned branch to forthwith set to work and 

 store up the surplus food in the tissues of the 

 wood ill the immediate vicinity of the buds, 

 and to so influence their development as to 

 bring about the conversion of most of them 

 into flower buds. Furthermore, it is claimed 

 that longer time is given to the work of ripen- 

 ing the wood, so that when the leaves fall 

 later in the year the branches will be firm 



in texture and hardy in constitution, and so 

 be able to successfully withstand the most 

 adverse weather during their season of rest. 



Now, if these results can be secured by 

 summer pruning, then summer pruning is a 

 good thing, and those who practice it will gain 

 by an increased yield of fruit. But unless the 

 operation is done intelligently and with precise 

 knowledge of the peculiarities of the difl^erent 

 varieties dealt with, mistakes ending in many 

 cases in disaster are sure to be made. What 

 are the risks? If a tree is pruned in the full 

 flush of growth, buds which under normal con- 

 ditions would remain dormant start into growth 

 to supply new leafy shoots to replace those 

 removed. The balance of activity between root 

 and shoot must be maintained always, and if, 

 therefore, the pruning is done too early (that is 

 while the root is still forceably sending up more 

 water than the leaves can dispose of by trans- 

 piration) some at least of the normally dormant 

 buds will burst, as before stated, into leafy 

 shoots and entirely thwart the aim of the in- 

 judicious pruner. If, however, the pruning is 

 done as the summer wanes and the intake of 

 water is lessened by the lessening activity of 

 the roots, then the aim of the gardener may be 

 realised because of the then relatively slugg-ish 

 flow of " sap " from the roots. 



Now, when we consider the many possible 

 varying conditions that influence the arrival ol' 

 just the exact period of the year when it is safe 

 to summer prune any particular tree, it is not 

 surprising that fruit growers who know and 

 recognise these factors refuse to regulate the 

 pruning by any precise date in the calendar. 

 They know, for example, that diff"erent varieties 



