Mar 2014 Meeting: Pruning and Care of Fruit Trees

Mike Monague of Tippy Top Organic Orchard
demonstrates pruning techniques

Even the most experienced among us can sometimes be a bit unsure of ourselves when it comes to pruning, right?

So we were all ears to hear about proper pruning of fruit trees from Mike Monague of Tippy Top Organic Orchard outside of Dodgeville (near Clyde).

Over the last 22 years, Mike has planted and nurtured each one of his 400 pear and apple trees, which include numerous varieties you won't typically find at your local grocer, such as D'Anjou and Asian pears and the Mutsu apple.

Mike shared many pointers on pruning objectives and techniques (maintaining a leader, balancing the tree, opening up the center), demonstrating where to make the right cuts on branches he had brought in. He stressed the importance of thinning excess fruit to keep the branches from getting too heavy and to enable the remaining fruit to thrive.

He also talked about care of new seedlings, the type of fertilizer he uses and the type of organic foliar spray he uses, and generously answered many questions from club members.

Thanks to Mike for his lively and helpful presentation.