If you own a flowering Cherry Tree or a stone fruit tree like a Plum or Damson did you know that now is the best time to give them their annual prune? They all belong to a family of trees species called Prunus and they're all pruned in July and August to reduce the chance of them being infected by a fungal disease called Silver Leaf. At horticulture college we were taught the ridiculous rhyme 'Never prune a Prunus before Junus' to help us remember! Generally if you can avoid pruning this group of trees it's safest to do so but sometimes it's unavoidable if for example if they've grow too large. Last August I went to prune a pair of rather large Damsons for a customer and took my video camera with me. I've edited the footage into a short film showing some of the pruning work I do and the thinking behind it. Here's a link to the film which is hosted on YouTube:
- toptwig