5. Prune Fruit Trees
The best time to prune fruit trees is when growth slows down, fruiting has finished and they are beginning to enter dormancy (the time between leaf fall and bud burst). When pruning fruit trees, it’s essential to use freshly sharpened secateurs to avoid creating blunt wounds. For small branches, a pruning saw will slice through dense wood for a clean, disease-free cut. The thicker branches within easy reach, the battery powered 120i Chainsaw makes the job super easy. For taller trees, the 530iP4 Pole Saw is a great choice.
Begin by removing any dead, damaged, dying or diseased branches. Follow on by removing branches that cross each other, then take out any centrally growing branches to allow sunlight to reach the top centre. If you want to encourage upward growth, cut back lateral branches to about 6 buds and leave the leaders in place. If you want to maintain the tree's current height, remove the new growth on each branch by approximately ⅔ of their length.
6. Take Care of Edges
The cooler autumn months are the perfect time to whip your edges into perfection. As grass growth begins to slow, creating crisp and clean straight edges becomes much easier. Begin by mowing the lawn to reduce the height of the grass by around 50%. If you can’t get right up to the edges, take your Grass Trimmer and level the length off so it is equal to the centre lawn.
Next, take your half-moon lawn edger for curved edges or your straight edger for straight edges and begin to re-cut the edges (working from one side to the other.) The aim is to remove as little turf as possible, while sharpening it up. This will typically be just a few millimetres into the lawn. Take your removed edges and place them in your compost bin to reuse.