To prune or not to prune- that is the question? Or is it?
I took a little road trip.......fetching Elderberry plants, and a Red Baron apple tree......replacing one from yesteryear that had winter killed . The fruit from this variety of apple is crisp and juicy with a touch of red thru out the flesh of the apple. Back in 1983 we planted out first Cortland tree.... our son was 11 1/2 years old and our daughter 5 . During the following season we planted 2 pear trees and 9 other apple trees of a wide variety........oh, the delight these fruit trees were to me......watching them grow. Then when it was their time for producing fruit-it was our reward for the hard work of caring for this small orchard. In the fall of 1989, after having kept up with the every 2 week spraying all thru the summer- we harvested a large crop of blemish free fruit. But and Unfortunately- the principles of "pruning", at that time I just could not embrace. "I" thought it impossible/ or more plainly stated WRONG to pr...