Apple Trees
March Hiker Activity – Helping the Habitat Apple Trees Instructions:
· Step ladder · Pruner – adult use only · Pruning instructions and activities (1) · Bucket · Twig Diagram (10) · Tape measures (5) Please contact the Habitat Committee if box needs to be replenished. Also, feel free to offer suggestions for improving this activity. Pruning an Apple Tree 1) Ask the hikers to hold their arms out wide and pretend they are tree branches blowing in the winter wind. Then ask them to pull their sleeves up a bit and briskly rubs their bare arms together. This is what happens when crossed tree branches blow in the wind. Explain that after a lot of rubbing the branches chafe (get hurt) and this could make the tree sick (sort of like a cut that gets infected). When two branches are touching it is best for the health of the tree to remove one. 2) Ask the hikers which branches are better able to support fruit – those that stretch out to the side or those that reach straight up. They can give their answer by holding their arms either straight out or up. Answer: Branches that form a narrow “V” angle to the trunk (i.e. ones that point sharply up) are not as strong as those that make a wider angle (i.e. ones that point out). When pruning, favor the wider-angled limbs and remove those with a narrow “V” attachment. 3) Ask the hikers to imagine how uncomfortable it would be at school to share their desk and all their supplies with another student (i.e. double the number of students, same number of resources). It is also hard for apples to grow if the branches are crowded. Good air circulation lessens the risk of a fungal infection. Diagram source: greenviewfertilizer.com Parts of a Deciduous Winter Twig Terminal bud: The bud located at the tip of the stem. Axillary bud: A bud located on the side of the stem. Also called a lateral bud. Girdle scar: Scars left by the previous year's terminal bud. These form a series of tiny rings around the stem. The distance between girdle scars indicates the amount of growth that deciduous stems make during one year. The number of girdle scars down a stem indicates the number of years of growth. In the sample above, there are two girdle scars. This means that the stem is two years old. Leaf scar: When leaves fall from the stem, they leave a scar. Source: http://www.westone.wa.gov.au |
Click HERE for Printable Activity Info
|