Do you have some old fruit trees to which you would like to give a new lease of life? We can help in restoring old fruit trees! If you have a problem with fruit trees, send us an e-mail with photos of the tree and we will get back to you with suggestions on feasibility and prices.
- We rejuvenate neglected trees
- restore and prune old trees
- identify existing varietes
- recommend pollinators
- optimize fruit production
After decades of work in this area, we at RealEnglishFruit have seen that the British Isles have a huge heritage of old orchards, once productive but now abandoned after repeated changes in ownership.
Our mission is to help the new owners of old orchards to give their ancient trees a renewed lease of life, principally by restructuring them and ensuring that their environment is suitable for keeping them healthy. By reviving neglected trees, we can bring old orchards back into production and ensure the survival of this precious genetic heritage. Traditional English apples privilege taste over yield. They offer a fascinating blend of flavours and fragrance, differently to today’s commercial varieties that are relentlessly crisp, sweet and juicy, but often bland.
Restoring old fruit trees brings many rewards. Healthy, traditional trees add value to a property. They provides wonderful fruit and offer a unique environmental resource. They offers sustenance for a huge number of insects, birds and animals, adding to the genetic and monetary value of the property. They optimises the setting and help preserve a unique facet of the British heritage.
Further information on how we can help restore old fruit trees
Just send Dan Neuteboom an email (enquiries@realenglishfruit.co.uk) or use our web contact form, with a description of your problem and preferably with a few photos. We will respond with an initial overview and an estimate for our services, which can be provided remotely or in person. Payments by bank transfer or cheque. See our Consulting page for further information.
November 2024 – garden orchard update
We feel that it is important to underline that climate change is a fundamental consideration for us all. For people involved with fruit trees, climate change is affecting methods of care and maintenance of fruit trees. Read more about how gardening and fruit growing can contribute to improving the situation.
Fruit trees are progressively losing their leaves, and therefore preparing for dormancy. They will be relying on the reserves that they built up during the past growing season, when the foliage was able to perform photosynthesis. This energy-building process has now come to a full stop. It will not start again until new foliage has developed in spring.
The tasks to be performed in the garden orchard are as follows:
- Replace broken stakes
- Replace broken ties and tree guards
- Check for canker
- Apply grease bands
- Apply winter wash. This application is important for destroying the winter eggs of aphids and controlling fungal infections. However, recent government provisions have rendered the substances that were previously used illegal. The replacements available are unfortunately less effective, particularly as regards the control of fungal infections.
- Remove weeds and grass around the trunks of the trees
- Remove and store the bird netting, which was used to protect the crop
- Take a photo of the tree canopy. This is particularly important for determining light availability in the tree, its health status and fertility, the presence of fungal infections such as canker, root rot, phytophtora, mineral deficiencies and drainage problems
- Assess the trees’ nutritional needs
- Take a soil sample
- Clear away irrigation equipment for winter storage
- Protect outside taps against frost
- Every week, check the fruit currently stored, by removing rotten fruits
- Check baiting points for rats and mice
- Place fruit that is no longer worth storing onto a bird table or in a position accessible to birds visiting the garden
- Retrieve any pheromone traps and wasp-catching jars for storage
- Thoroughly remove all fallen apple and pear leaves affected by scab fungus
- Prepare for winter pruning by sharpening secateurs and pruning saws
Click here to read more fruit tree care tips for November.
If you need personalized help with your trees, send us an email to enquiries@realenglishfruit.co.uk
How to prune fig trees
We are receiving a lot of requests from readers asking how to prune fig trees. On this website we provide information on how to trim a fig tree, and there is also a video on how to grow fig trees successfully.
Growing quality fruit trees