Arborist Mike Nadu demonstrates how Torrington volunteers can revive a neglected orchard

Arborist Mike Nadu led a hands-on demonstration on pruning and orchard care at a conservation commission workshop held at the Five Points Art Center site in Torrington, where a university-planted orchard dating to about 2012–13 has received little follow-up maintenance. The workshop, organized by the conservation district in partnership with the City of Torrington planning department, aimed to restore fruit production and make harvested fruit available to residents or local charities.

Nate Nardy Cyrus, assistant city planner and staff person to the conservation commission, said the trees were originally planted in partnership with students and the conservation commission but largely left without sustained care; the commission’s goals include education, on-the-ground stewardship and edible landscaping that benefits people with limited access to fresh food. "The students wanted to make an orchard ... available for folks to pick for free in the city," Nardy Cyrus said, adding that the commission hopes to bring the orchard back into production.

At the start of his presentation, Mike framed tree care as stewardship and described the workshop as both philosophical and practical. He emphasized that every pruning cut is a wound and showed the audience how to make cuts that preserve the branch bark collar, a swelling where a branch meets the trunk that helps trees compartmentalize disease. He cited changes in professional practice after the work of Dr. Alex Shigo, saying that "flush cutting" and painting cuts with asphalt-based products are now known to harm trees because they remove the protective collar and kill cambial tissue.

Mike walked participants through species-specific advice: apples are pruned toward open scaffolds with strong lateral branches for fruiting; pears often need more top work and benefit from weighting to encourage lateral fruiting; and peaches and other stone fruits should be pruned tightly to the trunk and sometimes supported with props because of heavy fruit loads. He recommended a conservative rule of thumb for his approach — removing about one-third of wood a year when needed — and described two main pruning windows: dormant-season pruning and targeted summer pruning (which is useful to limit vigorous sucker growth but carries risk of bark scald if an exposed surface receives sudden sun).

The session moved to a peach tree demonstration where Mike showed a two-cut technique (an initial undercut to prevent tearing, followed by a finish cut at the branch bark collar), described how to select downward-facing branches for ease of harvest and sunlight, and offered low-cost bracing options such as wooden splints or stainless-steel bolts to protect crotches and heavy limbs. He warned against ropes that can girdle trunks and recommended bolts and through-bracing that is installed with care so cambium damage is minimized.

On pest and sanitation practices, Mike advised removing "mummies" (old fruit that can harbor pathogens and insects) and recommended either high‑temperature composting (about 138°F for three days) or disposal if composting space is unavailable. For organic pest control he described a multi-step protocol including a clay-based spray product called "Surround" applied after petals drop (so pollinators are not excluded), Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) for caterpillars, and brewed compost tea with beneficial microbes.

On fertility and planting technique, Mike recommended a soil test (for example, a UMass soil test) before applying amendments, cautioned that boron is important for fruit development but also toxic if overapplied, and said many of the site’s trees appeared to have been planted bare-root, so root spreading and attention to planting depth are important to avoid trunks that settle too deep and to reduce the likelihood of reversion from rootstock.

The workshop included multiple audience exchanges; attendees used hand lenses to inspect branch collars and asked about timing, tools and the best way to manage vertical shoots and crotch angles. Mike repeatedly advised staging heavier structural pruning over multiple years rather than removing large amounts of wood at once.

The conservation commission and City of Torrington planning staff said the demonstration is part of ongoing outreach to help residents and neighborhood stewards care for fruit trees, with the twin goals of maintaining orchard health and increasing community access to fresh fruit. Participants were encouraged to follow up with the commission for further volunteer opportunities and future workshops.