Where to start with recovering an abandoned orchard?

I've recently taken over some an abandoned garden project, part of which is a good sized orchard of perhaps two dozen+ fruit trees. Mostly apples of different types, a couple of pears which aren't doing well. A couple of plums which have the same issues as another thread below (great advice there).

Most of the apples have produced some fruit, both eaters and cookers, but a few of the apple trees have not produced anything.

The pear tree produced a few sad looking shrivelled things but nothing else.

The plum trees produced a lot of really tasty fruit but there were signs of some sort of stress in the tree (that weird clear sappy stuff).

I know a bit about pruning apple trees, but that's about it. But I'm not sure about anything else. Should I be clearing the weeds/natural grasses from around the base of the trees? What about feeding? Or any other care?

I have access to all sorts of tools but don't really have access to cash to spend on intensive efforts to help the orchard as the garden needs all sorts of other help. I'm in a planning phase now and can ask for funding but I need to sort that out in the next few weeks for possible cash injection some time in the coming months.

Any advice you can spare would be welcomed.

 

Pictures are required really if you want specific advice.
Not from me though as I just tend to neglect my apple trees these days.

 

Even in a well-established orchard, it helps to keep an area around the base of the trees clear of competing weeds and grass. Not least so bugs have less cover, and any feed you can give them in spring will benefit the trees, not the weeds. If you can mow round the trees to pick up fallen leaves, that will help with any pest or disease issues that might re-infect the trees next year. (Thinking specifically of pear leaf blister mite, there). If aphids were a problem this year, a spray of washing-up liquid mixed with vegetable oil and diluted with water sorts out the overwintering eggs. If fungal diseases were a problem, your best bet is Bordeaux mixture just before the leaves emerge next spring. A handful of Growmore around the root area of the trees in spring would give them a boost. (Generally, the roots spread as far as the tree is high).

 

Also my apples and plums didn't fruit, they had blossom but had a late frost. As @Loofah sad there's years where you won't get any. I watch a lot of videos on YouTube, they're very good.

 

Here's one of the plum trees. It produced wonderfully tasting fruit but some of them were shrivelled. I'm guessing I'm supposed to rake the base to remove fallen fruit and weeds. And I'm also guessing the small trees are suckers that I should remove about now?

 

Here's a sad pear tree. Just a few shrivelled fruit this year and it just looks not very happy. I'm guessing I do some basic pruning in the winter? (apple trees in the background seem to be doing quite well, but I'll be doing basic pruning in the winter).

 

Plums re-absorb moisture from the fruit during drought conditions, to rehydrate the tree. If you can pull off the suckers, rather than cutting them, it will help (a bit) to stop them re-growing. Takes out the low buds just waiting to sprout

 

Ahhh poor pear! I'd take all the wispy stuff off the trunk, and most of the very spindly twigs from the crown. Keep the three main branches but shorten them to a uniform length, (cut by about half for the highest). Clear round the trunk and give it a generous , balanced feed in spring.

 

That's really helpful. Thanks for the great tips. Looks like some effort needs to go into clearing around the base of all of the trees and then a reminder to feed in spring. Cheers.

 

I would clear all the plums that are on the ground, they could have grubs in them and then start the cycle all over again, also put traps up in may to stop the adult moths.