Making do with an old orchard

Whether buying a lifestyle property or simply a home and garden with a few fruit trees, taking correct care of existing trees is the key to enjoying the fruits of your labour, as Janice Gillgren explains:

A paddock full of fruit trees may seem like a good thing when buying a property, but once shifted in, many owners have looked at a newly acquired, often neglected orchard, and wondered, “what next and what are they good for?”

The first thing a new owner of an old orchard needs to know is that mature trees can be very good fruit bearers for a long time. But the question is: “how can I know if they are worth keeping?”

A neglected orchard can be a distressing sight, but good quality fruit trees are well worth restoring to vigour. In fact, they may not need too much care to bring back into top productivity.

Asking an expert is advisable, but even before doing so, wait a season so you can try the fruit and observe the trees.

Whether or not you ask a specialist’s help, taking the time to make the following assessments will help you decide the tree’s value.

How to assess fruit trees:

Are the trunks strong? Holes in the trunk or branches, especially if there’s evidence of chewing, generally indicate insect damage.
Holes give entrance to diseases, and can weaken branches. Overly severe pruning in the past may have also damaged the tree.
If more than a third of a neglected tree needs to be cut out to rid it of dead or diseased branches, it might not be worth keeping.

Don’t be too concerned about the shape of the tree or its past style of pruning. As long as the framework is strong enough to hold the weight of a crop, the shape doesn’t matter.

Most diseases of the leaves or fruit are treatable.  If you cannot identify the cause of damage, take clear photos or pieces of affected foliage or fruit to show a professional who can recognise it and give advice. 

If you decide the tree itself is not worth keeping but the fruit was of good quality, you may be able to graft some of the smaller branches onto new trees. Or it might be possible to grow a new tree from the seeds of the fruit. Alternatively, you could offer seeds or small branches to a heritage tree nursery.

Rescuing a neglected tree:

Trees get their food from the soil, which means the nutrients in soil need replacing when used up. 

It’s also important to weed around trees carefully where grass or weeds have taken over. 

For neglected trees, use a specific fertiliser for fruit trees – watering it in thoroughly – as well as plenty of compost to improve the soil quality; then mulch to protect it from the birds and elements.

Expect to do this for several years in order to restore healthy, bountiful soil which in turn will benefit your trees and their fruit.

Mature trees will have had time for roots to become deep-seated, so infrequent, deep watering in dry weather should suffice.

Shelter is important for trees of all ages. Branches heavy with fruit are vulnerable to strong winds, but if the trunk is also rocked, this will affect overall tree health.

Pruning and spraying are outside the scope of this article, but will need close attention according to the type of trees on the property. 

An established and productive orchard may well be the best acquisition on your new property. Restore it and you will be well pleased with the long term outcome.

Contributed by Janice Gillgren