Home Orchards can vary significantly to those of  both ornamental trees and commercial orchards. The property owner could want large trees, or small ones to espaliered. Tree health, fruit production, light, water and aesthetics are all important considerations. Many older or neglected trees will often benefit from different pruning methods or reworking.  Regular and correct pruning in combination with a basic spray programme (if required) can ensure many fruitful years for the home orchard.

We have experience in both home orchards and Ryan experience in
commerical orchard opperations within New Zealand. We have over 100 different heritage varieties of apples on our property, multiple other tree types (from tree fodder,farm forestry, nuts to stone fruit) alone along with running a boutique plant nursery.

Sometimes fruit trees may be unproductive, we're able to top owrk or graft existing trees to make trees more productive.

For most fruit trees, pruning is the job that offers greatest benefit for both tree and owner, and it’s the main task that people engage us to undertake. Pruning is typically carried out from the late summer through to early spring in fine weather when the trees are dormant. We can undertake pruning of the evergreen fruits, feijoa and citrus, where required, at this time also.

Stonefruit may be pruned anytime during dry weather, but care must be taken as fungal diseases such as silver leaf are active in autumn and winter and enter the tree via poor pruning operations, as well as via leaf scars.

Post harvest is when pruning stonefruit is often practiced but in small home orchards it you may benefit from more vigourous pruning, two times a summer. Summer pruning can also be undertaken, especially for early summerfuit once harvests are complete. It is a missconception that Stonefruit cannot be pruned in autumn and winter, it can, but care must be taken with weather conditions and sealing of large pruning cuts. We prefer organic methods but can work with your requirements. We bring our own sprays and sterilize tools between trees.

Sometimes it is not possible for us to fix a severely neglected tree. We limit pruning to be no more than 30%- 40% each season which means that you may need to get us back or learn what to do the following season from us. 

We work with orchard ladders and hand tools only. If trees are too large then we may suggest an arborist.