Alan Buckingham, author of Allotment Month By Month, advises in his book that gardeners should inspect their apple and pear trees for signs of canker and remove any infected wood immediately.

I’m following his recommendations on our own apple trees, because each year I observe many trees seriously damaged by black rot canker disease. Where do we start cutting? Begin by imagining the ...

If left to their own devices, most apple trees grow into large, globe-shaped trees, with the best fruit forming on the tree’s outer perimeter, high above convenient apple-picking height.