Help! How to save an apple tree?

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Help! How to save an apple tree?

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Madge

Joined: 15 Jan 2007
Posts: 97
Location: Rugby, Warks

Posted: Sun Mar 01, 09 10:15 am Post subject: Help! How to save an apple tree?
Hi, We have a very old bramble apple tree that fell over a couple of months back. Offers of technical help didn't materialise. Can you advise what we should do to save it? - do we radically prune and upright it? If so, where abouts do we prune it to? And what tools are kindest? No idea what to do. Any advice gratefully received.

tahir

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 45674
Location: Essex

Posted: Sun Mar 01, 09 10:20 am Post subject:
I can't see any point in trying to get it straight again, are some of the roots still intact in the ground?

Went

Joined: 19 Mar 2006
Posts: 6968

Posted: Sun Mar 01, 09 10:54 am Post subject:
How about taking a cutting to graft onto some rootstock?.....otherwise it is very unlikely that you will ever get the tree back into good shape - it will continue to fruit where it is but the effort and time needed to get it anything like it was is frankly probably not worth it......if you can put up with it where it is and with how it looks then so be it.

OP

Joined: 28 Jul 2006
Posts: 4661
Location: Yorkshire

Posted: Sun Mar 01, 09 11:26 am Post subject:
I agree with Ian33568 - and now is a good time to graft a cutting on to a rootstock. Alternatively take some shoots to a specialist nursery in July.

Treacodactyl
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 25795
Location: Jumping on the bandwagon of opportunism

Posted: Sun Mar 01, 09 11:27 am Post subject:

My parents had an apple tree that half fell over, about 30� from the vertical. If fell over after a large amount of rain and we tried to push it back as much as possible but it still leant heavily. IIRC we pruned the side nearest the ground quite heavily and that was about it, it lived and carried on fruiting.

I think it'll depend on how many of the roots are left and, as has been suggested, if you like the apples it would be wise to try and propagate from it and see how the tree goes. You often see trees in woodlands still growing when almost horizontal.

Hairyloon

Joined: 20 Nov 2008
Posts: 15425
Location: Today I are mostly being in Yorkshire.

Posted: Sun Mar 01, 09 12:59 pm Post subject:

You have got nothing to lose by trying to stand it back up. It will either survive or it won't.
I've stood quite a few back up, some live, some don't.
Depends quite a lot on how it has fallen: has it taken a big root-ball with it, or has it snapped half of its roots off?
Either way you will need to significantly reduce the crown, both to bring the root:shoot ratio back in order and if it's blown down once, you obviously need to reduce the sail area.
The trimmings will give you plenty of potential for cuttings.

It's a bit hard to give specific advise by remote, can you post a picture?

gz

Joined: 23 Jan 2009
Posts: 8933
Location: Ayrshire, Scotland

Posted: Sun Mar 01, 09 1:33 pm Post subject:
This one is still growing strong,seems a fair example

tahir

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 45674
Location: Essex

Posted: Sun Mar 01, 09 1:45 pm Post subject:
There's a walnut orchard near Colchester that has a whole load of trees planted in 1936 that fell over in the 87 storms, they all survived with no intervention, looks great, huge great big trees.

gil
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 08 Jun 2005
Posts: 18415

Posted: Sun Mar 01, 09 3:05 pm Post subject:
I have a pear tree blown over to 45 degrees. Fruits as well as it ever did, and is arguably happier than when it was getting blown about and wobbly.

yummersetter

Joined: 26 Jan 2008
Posts: 3241
Location: Somerset

Posted: Sun Mar 01, 09 4:07 pm Post subject:

Is it a classic standard tree, you know, 6 foot of trunk before the branches start? Is it a Bramley variety (large cooker)?

If it is, they're very vigorous and will try hard to live and if not replanted upright, will throw up vertical shoots from a slanting trunk. But some of the very old apple trees were grafted at the top of the trunk, instead of just above ground level so bear in mind that it's possible that those shoots won't be the apple type you're expecting.

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