Inspired by the pear and apple scions resting in my fridge, I went out into the yard today with the hand shears, the pruning loppers, and some determination. I decided to have at the quince tree first, since it's about six feet tall, not twenty-five feet tall. I think I did okay, pruning out the dead wood (including a major dead branch Wonderful Husband used the saw on for me), anything growing into the center, the tiny low branches, and a few that crossed or rubbed. And, hey, I found an old "Anjou Pear" tag at the base, so my suspicion that it was originally a pear tree seems to be accurate!
Then I turned to the apple trees.
On the tree nearer the house, I think I'm pleased with what I did of what I could reach. I'll probably try some more pruning tomorrow, with a ladder. That said, I discovered the tree has a lot of lesions that worry me (disease?), and a sort of cup in the crotch that holds water, which even I know might lead to problems down the line.
The farther tree is a bit more tangled, and what to prune out less obvious to my eyes. I'll be looking at that one more tomorrow as well.
I've also decided that I'm going to the Peninsula Fruit Club's meeting Thursday night, and joining. It'll be a good resource, a chance to make more like-minded friends, and... potentially a chance to see if someone would be willing to come and offer the newbie some critique on this whole pruning and grafting thing.
Meanwhile, out of the mouths of babes last night, post-bedtime:
Me: "You can save up all your questions and ask them to me in the morning."
Squiddle: "I can't keep them all stranded in my head for years."
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