[AlaninCarlisle]

We had a thread a few weeks ago that basically concluded that my plum tree had exceeded its useful life at 33 years old.

My six apple trees have had a reduced crop for the past few years. They include Golden Delicious, Egremont Russet and Cox's Orange Pippin plus a couple of cookers whose varieties I can't remember at the moment. They are all on rootstock that lets them grow to about 12 feet. I planted them as 2 year-olds when we came here so they are all 35 years old.

Time to replace, or can I expect a few more years of life from them?

[Yorkie]

Have they been pruned at all recently?

Or fed?

What is their situation / location?

[AlaninCarlisle]

Correctly pruned. Fed as per book with wood-ash and occasional well-rotted horse manure (from our own animals so no residues of antibiotics etc). In our back garden with a stand of mature beech about 20 yards to the north of them and a 5ft privet hedge about 2 yards to the east of them. Good open aspect to the south and west of them. Good loamy soil to a depth of about 2 feet

[Yorkie]

See what others think, but I wonder whether they are coming to the end of their usefulness.  I don't know whether smaller rootstocks have shorter lives, but 35 years isn't bad.

[gypsy]

It is animal mixed with a lot of Wood chips which I presume has been used for bedding

[AlaninCarlisle]

It is animal mixed with a lot of Wood chips which I presume has been used for bedding

No, not really. For top-dressing the fruit trees I tended to use mainly manure only. I discovered a long time ago that a dressing of a lot of wood flake bedding with manure  even killed off a clump of rhubarb. Compost that has a lot of wood chips or flakes bedding needs to rot down for quite a few years before I'll use it

[beesrus]

I think Gypsy's post might have been intended for another thread. Just saying like 

[4 Seasons]

Before you take drastic action might I suggest that you place a beehive somewhere close so that you can tell if it is pollination that is the problem.

[solway cropper]

From what I understand the more dwarfing the rootstock the shorter the productive life of the tree. I have an old cooker which must be at least 25 feet tall and is around sixty years old but which is now about finished so it's coming down this winter. On a very dwarfing rootstock you'd not get much more than 30 years.

The good thing about old apple trees is that they burn really well once the wood has dried out. Or if you know anyone who is into wood turning/carving they would appreciate some as it is good to work. A friend of mine makes gorgeous little trinket boxes from fruit woods.

[AlaninCarlisle]

Thanks all. I'm going to leave the trees in-situ to give them a chance next year before decision about taking them out. In the meantime I'm planting some new apple/plum/pear trees at the edge of wife's dog-agility training paddock. Good job we've plenty of spare land as that'll make 3 mini orchards in total!