Around 35 people learned handy pruning tips while providing a service to the Tāneatua community recently.

A minus-two degrees frost welcomed residents of Tāneatua and the wider Whakatāne district to the Tāneatua Orchid and Community Garden, situated at the Amokura Reserve, for the annual fruit tree pruning seminar.

Wielding secateurs, pruning saws and loppers, the volunteers received a pruning demonstration from local orchardist Greg Reid of Gregoli Gardens orchard on Stanley Road.

Mr Reid is a Bay of Plenty branch member of the New Zealand Tree Crops Association, which has been a huge supporter of the community initiative. The association paid for the sign outside the orchard. A fellow member donated 10 varieties of plum trees last winter and this year the association is donating a selection of citrus varieties to complement the orchard.

Tāneatua Lions president Andrew Iles presented Mr Reid with a framed certificate of appreciation recognising the time and commitment he has given to the orchard with planting and pruning events over the past three winters.

Mr Reid showed how to open the centre of the tree, remove crossing, weak or damaged branches and restrict the height of the tree to enable easy harvest or accomodate restricted space.

He showed his attentive audience how to always prune to an outward facing bud on strong growth to promote better fruiting yields.

Other lessons learned were how soft wood fruits like grapes, figs and berry canes crop on first year growth, while apple and pear varieties fruit on the third-year wood, and stone fruits, such as plums, peach and nectarine, fruit on second year wood.

With all of that information on hand, many of the attendees then set about pruning over 40 trees in the orchard, a massive task and with the help of Lions members collected all the prunings.

Lions members Brett Magee, John Hall and Brad Show manned a free sausage sizzle and hot coffee or tea for all.

Discussions continued until well after midday on how to control pests and diseases in the home orchard, the control of codling moth in apple and pear varieties and the use of environmentally friendly sprays and insecticides.

Mr Iles said the annual event attracted large numbers of interested locals.

“As long as there is a demand and Mr Reid is available to lead and share his knowledge, Tāneatua Lions will make this an annual winter event,” he said.

A Tāneatua Community Orchard and Gardens Facebook page has been set up, for anyone interested in becoming involved.