The big apple tree with the worst of the mistletoe pruned out. It looks much better.For one thing, the mistletoe is growing on nearly every branch. So I decided to perform some tree surgery and remove the branches with the worst growth. That thinned out the tree pretty nicely which, I'm hoping, will also reduce the apple crop in the fall. We get so many apples from this tree that they have to be picked up several times each season and composted.
Big balls of mistletoe cling to the cut-out branches. The tree just behind this pile is another, smaller, apple.We have three other apple trees on the property, all smaller than this one. I'm working on pruning them down as well. By the way, here's a photo of the big apple tree from last summer when the limb came down:
Cleaning this up required the chainsaw.
Wowzer, that's a ton of gui!
ReplyDeletewhy not just get the tree cut down completely so as not to have apples to pick up?
ReplyDeleteI remember you blogging about the abundance of apples going to waste and all the work involved in removing them. You could use the break!
ReplyDeletem.
That's a big yard to maintain. How many mètres carrés is your lot.
ReplyDeleteNo wonder you're having neck injuries.
I hope you are taking care of your neck and shoulders while doing this.......European mistletoe is so lovely when one sees it decorating a small shrine on a forest path in Austria, but I can see it's not such a delight in ones own garden. And I saw a lot of it in France, on the road we drove from southern Germany to Paris. A problem, but perhaps you should time yourself and not do too much at once.
ReplyDeleteI think that Apple Tree has seen better days. Perhaps you are considering taking it down in steps...?
ReplyDeleteMary in Oregon
judy, yup.
ReplyDeletemelinda, well, it does give nice shade in the summer... And there are three other apple trees to contend with.
mark, there are apples every year, but every other year seems to have a heavier crop. I'm not sure, but this year may be a lighter year. And with the trimming, it might be lighter still. I'll see in August!
dean, it's about 2200 sq. meters, approximately half an acre.
kristi, I'm being careful! Not trying to do too much at one time. I spread most of my yard jobs over several days. And take plenty of breaks!
mary, it'll get to the point one day when it will make sense to take it down. But I'm not ready for that, yet. :)