permaculture

[Milogic@aol.com]

Frank, et al

Pruning is a wonderfully complex set of subjects since, as nearly as I can
tell, there are sets of appropriate pruning, thinning , trimming
metholodogies, ways and practices for nearly every species and subsets
thereof.

Some will protest that larger scale management will require less sensitivity
and more uniformity of methodology, etc. Some will say, leave all plants
alone and they will figure it oout for themselves. I say that the plants will
tell me what works for them--if I listen and attend. We, meaning all the
folks who mess with plants for whatever reasons (birds pick up seeds and drop
them impolitely as do many animals), have created mixtures of plants which
have not had years and years within which to work out their relationships
(which are always in flux anyhow). Having made these arrangements, I believe
(for the most part) that we have some obligation to participate in the
working out of relationships--understanding always that we are just one
element in that tiny sample of ecology, albeit with most of the weapons and a
very short life span inducing immense impatience and arrogance.

When I was in Sedona AZ, the bottomland property I bought had an old orchard
with about 100 fruit trees and about five varieties of each fruit--apples,
apricots, pears, quince, prunes and such. While not entirely neglected, it
had been pretty much left alone in recent years except for occasional
fertilizing. 

There was a lot of disease which could be classified as age-related. I pruned
heavily, getting back to solid and younger, stronger branches. I burned the
diseased cuttings. I made yards and yards of compost from materials which
came from elsewhere than the orchard. I cleared the understory of the orchard
to bare earth and put about an inch of rock dust from Montana then mixed in
about three to four inches of compost rich with earthworms. 

In succeeding years, I pruned lightly or not at all if growth appeared sound.
I continued heavy applications of composted materials although I continued to
clear the surface of leaves to resist wintering over too many insects which
the trees did not yet appear strong enough to resist. By the third year, the
orchard came back very strongly. I thinned the fruit carefully and was
rewarded abundantly. Insect populations fell into a comfortable balance with
the trees thereafter. 

I did have to take down about a dozen trees which I replaced with a similar
variety in most cases. I opened up the spacing in certain areas to allow
those trees to spread foliage more abundantly. I felt that our relationaship
improved to a kind of symbiosis, that no particular human "school" of pruning
or fruit tree maintenance dominated my actions. I made a strong initial
intervention and then scaled back to what seemed to be indicated at the time.

Bose and others suggest and imply and state that plants will try hard to
accomodate a human who works with them--that good heart and sincerity of
intent and practice will be matched if not exceeded by plant responses.
Neglect and arrogance have low payout. That orchard taught me a great deal
for which I am immensely grateful and more than appreciative.

I have been working with bamboos for the last four years here in Berkeley. We
have about 60 different bamboos all in containers, most half wine barrels. It
has taken quite a bit of time to understand where and how each is comfortable
on this small urban lot. After another major opening of space in a side yard
which has a slot of sun each day and moving together some which seem like
each other more and apart some which seem to prefer separation, I now have a
pretty good balance. 

Bamboo is subject to mites and a run of mealy bugs and gooey white guys, etc.
To learn how to deal with these infestations with minimal , if any,
allopathic chemical intervention, I have trimmed away lower branches on some
varieties to open them up to air and sunlight while maintaining a degree of
canopy where possible. That plus some strong thinning has also opened up the
lower areas of the plants to air and sunlight. While my supply lasted, I used
a solution of Tincture of Green Soap (Lily)--which is now unavailable--as
well as flushing with water spray to clean off the infested plants. The Safer
line may be the only equivalent on the market today. I am, however, disposed
to believe that ordinary dishwashing soap may be just as effective as it is
probably emulsifying action which may be the essential quality.

With this latest rearrangement of plants among themselves and the thinning,
trimming, spraying, etc., I now have a group of flourishing, quite content
bamboos--some of which have responded with the most intense shooting action I
have seen in a container plant. Some who I thought had given up on me, are
now coming back.

Probably my happiest set of friends here, though, are the yellow gingers
which I love so much, pest as many consider them in Hawaii. On the west wall
of the house which gives them warmth and protection year around, I now have a
dense wall of yellow ginger growing from a six inch access to soil right out
across the pavement of the driveway. Also, I have put yellow ginger near the
two sets of ponds each made from four half wine barrels. Each year, the
number of blossoming plants has strongly multiplied until this fall, we were
blessed with a veritable sea of ginger blossoms strongly scenting our daily
tour of the garden areas. Everywhere I have started a new cutting, they have
jumped up in joy.

I trim and cut back the ginger each year cutting out the culms which have
blossomed previously. The plants roar back ever more vigorously and
delightfully. 

What I can't figure out is a why six now palms have simply volunteered from
no known orgin. Two are up to roof line and the others are working hard to
catch up. I prune them back strongly each year and they reach toward the sky
in response. Beautiful in the breezes they are.

We have a persimmon which I have been pruning vigorously and which has not
fruited for two years as a result although putting out a dense growth of
leaves and developing good networks of sub-branching strong enough to support
fruiting. This year I will trim lightly and expect to be rewarded with a good
set of fruit next year. We also have a prolific fig which plays games with me
as far as pruning goes. It refuses to be pruned too heavily and bounces back
teasingly with more fruit each year. There is also a very old, very sick
apricot which the birds love as a perch. We have been working to control the
diseased parts, pruning away cautiously to maintain as much solid area as
possible without compromising the birds' position in the hierarchy of
relationships operating there. The tree is responding with ever more vigorous
foliage and branching on healthy areas. The birds are having a wonderful
time, too.

All of which is to say, for me at least, that I have pretty much abandoned
any set concepts of pruning, trimming, thinning and try to work out what
works for all of us. I'm the only one who has the sharp edge tools, so I have
to be most careful how I use them and to what end.

Milo Clark
Berkeley CA USA