Jerusalem artichokes an easy, quick crop
The leaves will all be long gone – or at least they should be – and everything’s quiet on the growth front in the orchard. No sap is moving and we are well out from blossoming.
When things are so quiet growth-wise, pruning is at its most effective. If you keep a close eye on the moon as well and steer clear of when it’s full (the next full moon is on August 18), you will avoid causing too much sap flow.
I’ve had the experience of pruning a kiwifruit vine on the full moon and wouldn’t do that again in a hurry. Such was the flow of water that erupted from the cut stem – and continued to flow for quite some time – I feared I might flood the place! Apple trees require a yearly prune if they are to produce copious amounts of fruit.
Prune to keep them at a level you can easily reach and they also benefit greatly from being kept open and free from any tangled growth. In terms of how much to cut, reducing the length of the previous season’s growth is usually enough, if done regularly. Simply make a clean cut above a bud that faces outward from the centre of the tree.
There’s no need to use pruning paste on those thin tips, however if you need to remove a larger branch, perhaps one that requires the use of a saw, then pasting the
cut is necessary to prevent entry of disease causing fungi and woolly aphids. You can make your own sweet-smelling, lovelyto-use pruning paste by combining bees’ wax with lavender oil. Remember to always clean your cutting tools between each tree. It’s surprisingly easy to transfer problems from one tree to another through dirty tools.