How to Prune Old Fruit Trees with Bob Lever

Old fruit trees may be hollow but they can still produce fantastic fruit and they provide invaluable habitat to wildlife, sometimes for very unique and specific species.
In this radio show learn how to prune old apple trees and how to care for them with UK-based orchard educator Bob Lever.

"If you want to make a veteran tree for the future, you need to choose a nice vigorous variety that you know is capable of being long lived and put it on a nice vigorous rootstock. That is how we will get the veteran trees for the next hundred years." -Bob Lever

"While I can't transplant an old tree to my park right now, what I can do is do something for people in a hundred years time." -Susan Poizner

Additional resources:

• For lots more detail about how to prune old apple trees, including a short video version of this podcast, visit this page
• The full video version is released as of May 2025 - it's worth every minute!
• Check out our recommended book for this month: Deerproofing Your Yard And Garden by Rhonda Massingham Hart

ABOUT
Orchard People, formerly known as the Urban Forestry Radio Show from germination in January 2016 until December 2023, has grown over the years, thanks to the collective knowledge and collaboration of the monthly guest experts, organizations, and community from around the world.

The host of the Orchard People radio show and podcast is Susan Poizner of the fruit tree care education website www.orchardpeople.com.  

HOW TO TUNE IN TO OUR PODCAST

The show airs on the last Tuesday of every month on RealityRadio101 at 1:00 PM ET! 
While it’s no longer live, you can still watch or listen anytime—and catch the recorded podcast anytime afterward.

Video Podcast: Watch the recorded episode anytime on our YouTube Podcast Playlist.

Audio Podcast: Download the podcast and listen on your favorite app after it airs.

NEWSLETTER

Do you want to learn to grow fruit trees successfully, organically and beyond?
Sign up for OrchardPeople.com's FREE monthly newsletter at https://orchardpeople.com/sign-up/

BOOKS

Susan is the author of four books on fruit tree care.
Learn more here: https://learn.orchardpeople.com/books

COURSES

Susan is also the creator of five-star rated premium online fruit tree care education at: https://learn.orchardpeople.com

ARTICLES
For more information on this topic, click on the links below: 

How to Prune Fruit Trees:

https://orchardpeople.com/how-to-prune-and-train-fruit-trees/

Fruit Tree Pests and Diseases:

https://orchardpeople.com/protecting-fruit-trees-from-pests-and-diseases/

How to Feed Fruit Trees:

https://orchardpeople.com/how-to-feed-fruit-trees/

The Best Fruit Trees to Grow:

https://orchardpeople.com/best-fruit-trees-to-grow/

How to Graft Fruit Trees:

https://orchardpeople.com/how-to-graft-fruit-trees/

These show notes may contain affiliate links to products. We may receive a small commission for purchases made through these links at no cost to you. Thanks for your support!
 

• (00:00) - Introduction to Bob Lever and Veteran Fruit Trees
• (00:21) - Bob's Journey into Orchard Care
• (01:52) - The Importance of Veteran Trees
• (04:28) - Why is Pruning Important and Techniques for Older Trees
• (07:22) - Listener Questions and Expert Advice
• (13:06) - Restoring and Maintaining Veteran Trees
• (20:35) - Effective Pruning Techniques for Older Trees
• (21:13) - Understanding Tree Structure and Pruning Tips
• (23:27) - Strategies for Pruning
• (26:43) - Dealing with Water Sprouts and Grafting
• (31:38) - Pruning Large Branches and Avoiding Dieback
• (38:01) - Final Thoughts on Pruning and Tree Longevity
• (40:05) - Podcast Conclusion and Listener Engagement