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Rock Road Library Garden – monthly report
Charlotte’s contact details: www.verdantearth.co.uk This is the third monthly garden report from our garden volunteers. For more information, or to get involved in any way, contact the Friends of Rock Road Library: [email protected]
January 2015 garden session
Our informal group of garden volunteers meets on the last Friday of the month at 2pm, just before the Library opens at 3pm.
This month, we welcomed Charlotte Synge, who is a local ‘orchard expert’.
Apple trees There are twelve apple trees in the garden, planted by Friends and volunteers in 2009. They are growing very well but some have become a bit unruly and apt to poke gardeners in the ear. A couple were leaning at quite an angle too. We knew we needed to train them but didn’t really know where to start. Charlotte said, in general, you train apples for an ‘open centre’ allowing lots of air to circulate.
Training for garden users We decided that for a garden used by all ages, we should train for people and not fruit – although we like the fruit too. We looked for fat buds, which are developing
apples, and there are lots already.
We decided to clear the lowest branches to encourage children to move freely between the trees without risking a ‘poke in the eye’.
Looking for pests and diseases Charlotte checked each tree for health; all but one is growing very healthily. Different types of apple have very different growth habit: Bramleys are ‘very sturdy’ but New Rock Pippin is a ‘straggly’ grower.
Tree on the move? The Wayside apple is looking a bit feeble, hasn’t fruited yet, and has been affected by wooly aphids -‐ at this time of year you can see odd bulges in the branches. We think we will try moving this tree to another spot to see if the soil and climate is better. The wooly aphids, which are also affecting the two crab apple trees just need a good wash with soapy water.
Staking and ties We removed all the existing stakes and ties. Two trees were gently coaxed into a more upright position, the ground gently firmed, and the trunk tied securely with cycle inner tubes to new stakes.
It is best to stake low down to secure the roots and not the top of the tree – trees
Rock Road Library Garden – monthly report
Charlotte’s contact details: www.verdantearth.co.uk This is the third monthly garden report from our garden volunteers. For more information, or to get involved in any way, contact the Friends of Rock Road Library: [email protected]
need to move in the wind to ensure their roots become strong.
These new stakes will be left for another couple of years until the trees are firm in the ground and vertical again.
Choosing where to cut Charlotte used secateurs, tree loppers and a pruning saw to make cuts on the trees. Very long leaders were cut to prevent them growing too tall.
There is a science to choosing above which bud to cut – all about plant hormones, which affect the direction and type of growth in distant parts. You want the cuts to be neat, not too sloped and not too far away from the bud or you get die-‐back.
Lammas growth Charlotte pointed out some Lammas growth on some of the apple trees – this is a late-‐in-‐season ‘lots of growth, close together’. It can be a point of weakness for apples, and can look light grey with more-‐frequent buds, so we aimed to remove some of it.
At the base of trees Now we can get to the base of the trees, we need to think about what to do with the beds. They could do with some bonemeal-‐type food and a mulch of garden compost. We think we might plant at least one mini-‐forest garden with
chives, mint and strawberries. And flowers for pollinators. A nitrogen fixer is useful too.
Boundary hedge The garden contractors have reduced the height of the hedge, which looked a bit drastic to ‘us amateurs’ but apparently will stimulate better and thicker growth.
Front garden As you will see, the rogue walnut trees and overgrown shrubs were also removed. Now we need to think about what to plant instead.
Plum tree The garden contractors have removed some of the (non-‐fruiting)’ plum-‐ish’ tree. The cut surfaces have dark marks so there was some disease present. We will keep the health of this tree under review. Currently, it is handy for bird feeders; we even had a couple of visits from robins while we were there.
Next meet up: Friday 27 February We meet on the last Friday in the month throughout the year. Usually for about an hour. In February, we will cut some neater 1 m tree pits around the apples, join some of them, give them a dressing, and think about what to plant.
All monthly garden sessions will be 1.55 pm outside the library for a 2 pm start. We have a key to get in but, once we are inside, and if you are late, we won’t hear you until the library opens at 3 pm.