Working with fruit trees

I hadn't set aside enough time to prune the trees this season.  I finally took some time in April to examine the branches, though.  Leaves had already started to appear on the branches, so I decided to wait until next year to prune them.  It needs to be done at the end of March, no later than the first week of April. 

However, we learned in WMMGA that we can widen the crotch angles and improve the structure (or scaffold) of the trees.  The time to do this is in April, and  it takes about 5-6 weeks to accomplish.  So, I purchased some Gorilla Glue, gathered some rocks from the back yard, and made some weights to use on the trees.  Only 2 of the 6 fruit trees seemed to need some help:  the plum tree and one of the pear trees.

 

 



I noticed that there is a lot of damage on the plum tree.  The base of the trunk has been gnawed at by either mice or voles, and the trunk and lower branches have cracked, rubbed bark.  I don't know if it's been caused by deer or the sun, but I will make sure to wrap my baby trees in November to protect them from winter injury and pests.