You know that unbeatable moment of picking a fresh plum or apple straight from the tree and eating it right then and there? I have to admit that until I had an orchard to tend, I didn’t appreciate the years of waiting, and caring, and waiting some more just for that moment. Sure, apples will bear fruit if left to their own devices. But pruning them — with care and knowledge — means you’re that much more likely to have that delicious moment you’ve been waiting for.
I’ve been pruning my own fruit trees for a handful of seasons, but only recently started pruning others’. The good news for you is that I’ve made enough mistakes on my own trees over the years so I don’t have to make them on yours!
My favourite part of pruning other people’s trees is getting a sense of their character: despite what images in the pruning textbooks suggest, every tree is unique. Of course the basic rules and principles apply, but sometimes it’s as if the trees just don’t care about the rules. I love getting in there to see how each tree has responded to the stimuli over its life, and assessing how I can work with it to produce the most delicious fruit possible.
What originally attracted me to fruit trees was food security: we all need to eat regardless of income or wealth, and fruit trees can produce the energy we need, and delight our tastebuds in the process. A well-tended tree can produce fruit for decades, providing nutrient-rich nutrition its entire life. I’m still concerned about food security, but now it’s the process that really appeals to me.
Drop me a line to see how I can help your trees bear the fruit you love.
Greg’s background
Greg’s formal education training started in engineering, environmental engineering to be specific. The University of Waterloo awarded Greg a degree accordingly in 2005. After some time in the environmental non-profit sector in Alberta, Greg returned to formal post-secondary studies, this time completing a Master of Divinity at the University of Toronto (Emmanuel College).
Greg is neither an arborist nor a horticulturalist, formally. Instead, he just loves to prune fruit trees. (Truth be told, he actually prefers eating the fruit from fruit trees, but everything has its season.) Greg’s other work involves tending to the spiritual needs of various populations.
Delicious Fruit Tree Pruning 
Leave a comment