A professional pruner in the orchards

This week Isaac Nixon started working for me at Charingworth to help with the pruning. He is a professionally qualified tree surgeon with lots of experience pruning in commercial orchards.


That smaller chainsaw in the middle is designed for carving wood. It is good to use for pruning as there is less kick back than from a top handled tree surgeon's saw and this makes it safer to use up ladders around your face. Obviously, this kind of work can only be done by a trained professional.


This tree had tilted over and needed a bit more major shaping to even up the weight distribution. Apple trees can recover from toppling and this tree should respond by increased buttressing around the trunk and more root growth. It will gradually realign its canopy over the next few years.


Chainsaws aren't often associated with the sound of progress, but this case is an exception. In three days we have pruned nine trees, pushing the tally up to nineteen. At this rate we should have finished the 1920s orchard in a fortnight!


For the first time in years we are revealing vistas through this ancient orchard. An exciting time!