384 



JOUENAL OF THE EOYAL HOETICULTUEAL SOCIETY. 



ON PRUNING FRUIT TREES AFTER PLANTING. 

 By J. Lansdell, F.R.H.S. 



The question of the pruning of fruit trees after plantiDg is one in which 

 I have taken great interest for many years. 



After making experiments for several years, and closely observing 

 what others have done, I have come to the conclusion set forth below as 

 to the best time to prune newly planted trees. 



I believe there is no doubt in the minds of gardeners that the best 

 time to plant fruit trees is from the middle of October to the middle 

 of November, because, by planting at that time, new roots may be formed 

 before winter, and the soil gets so well settled down around them that the 

 plants can start into growth in the spring, under almost equal conditions 

 with those which have not been removed. Unfortunately, for various 

 reasons, all planting cannot be done so early in the season. 



If young trees such as our nurserymen are in the habit of sending out 

 are planted at this time, I have no hesitation in saying that the pruning 

 should be done the following spring just as the buds show some signs 

 of moving, which with most trees is about the end of March. I would 

 never prune in the autumn or winter immediately after planting. The 

 reason for deferring the pruning until spring is that one can then see 

 whether the buds to which he is pruning are sound wood buds. Because 

 trees which have been removed, however short a distance they may have 

 travelled, are very liable to have some of the outer buds on the shoots 

 broken or injured, so that they do not start into such active growth as to 

 make good leading shoots for future branches. 



There appears to be another reason, but this I only throw out as a 

 suggestion— that is, that the elaborated sap which is left in the shoots after 

 the leaves have fallen may be gradually working into the buds for some 

 considerable time after ; and even may continue to do so, more or less, 

 according to the temperature, throughout the winter. 



Market gardeners in the Evesham district are continually planting 

 out suckers from the Pershore Plum trees. Sometimes these are left 

 until their stems are as thick as broomhandles, or even thicker, before 

 they are dug up from the plant which produced them. As a rule, these 

 suckers have three or four rather large roots, but not many fibrous ones. 

 They are generally planted out in their permanent places and left un- 

 pruned for a year ; for it is found that, if pruning is done the same season 

 as the planting, a large proportion of them will die ; but if they are left 

 unpruned until a year after planting, it is seldom one dies. Why is this ? 

 I have come to the conclusion that the gradual storing of the sap after 

 the fall of the leaf may account for the difference ; and the cutting away 

 of a large portion of the shoots may destroy the food which would have 

 remained to sustain the plant until root action had commenced. 



