help!! stupid landlord trimmed fruit trees in winter..

help! help! help! my most stupid landlord took it upon herself to trim my already trimmed fruit trees (1 year-2 year old bonsai fruit trees) and blueberry bushes in winter! it didn't seem to matter that i had already trimmed them back in late sept. cutting back all the 5 year hardwood myself,yet she did it anyway! took off every single branch, despite the fact that they were all heavy laden with new flower buds!
she did not seal any of the wounds, causing them to take on water and bloat out with rot... now i am praying she hasn't killed them entirely. is there any way to save them from water logged shoots?
why she would do it at the coldest time of the year, and then not seal the wounds, is beyond me , unless she was deliberately trying to kill them. she just left my branches in a pile beneath the trees, ... this was cut, and is obvious at a glance. is there anything i can do to fix these? or is trying to save them gonna be a crapshoot ? any help or suggestions would be appreciated. i am so mad......

 

Winter is the usual time. Last I knew pruning paint was still considered counterproductive. Sounds like the only real problem is having more cut off than you wanted. You will just have to train them back into the structure you wanted to have. And work on getting her to respect your efforts, possessions and desires.

 

i guess i should mention that she cut these 2 inches from the graft, and now this area is water logged for 4 inches deep. will they come back? or should i start again....9 year old blueberry bushes, ever bearing, average 3 lbs a week,...

 

High risk they'll regrow only or mainly from below the graft. Re-start, and deduct the cost from your rent payments.

 

Dormant season (December-April) is when fruit trees are *ideally* pruned. You would be shocked at what Apple trees or Blueberry bushes endured at your typical orchard.

Blueberries are best rejuvenated by some rather disturbing pruning, mainly removing the oldest wood to encourage vigorous new growth.

Sealing wounds with products has been discouraged for quite some time, as no evidence suggesting efficacy in minimizing decay could be produced.

 

i guess i should also mention, our weather here is extremely mild. its been sunny, and the bushes were getting ready to open their flowers... these are some type of alpine cross bush that starts blooming on salt spring in late dec-early jan, the directions that came with, said not to prune after October first.
the weather was almost zero for a week,in nov then went back to plus 5-10c, so all the spring bulbs and flowering trees are starting to green up. its just not that cold here to prune so late in season.
i grew up on a farm, back in ontario and we did all our pruning in nov. never this late in year. but we only grew fruit trees for shade and our own enjoyment.
thank you all for your advice. i think i will just order more bushes, start more fruit trees from seed, and just see what happens with the other trees and bushes, they may be just ornamental, if they come back at all. peace.

 

Seedling fruit trees will be variable and unpredictable, may take years to reach flowering size.

 

tell me about it,lol. this is why i am so upset! i didn't buy these trees at a local nursery, i started them from seed, some were as old as my second child!(18) all were bonsai, and some were speciality trees. grafting branches from other trees to the main. i was hoping this year my apple, with 5 kinds of branches grafted to it, would produce multiple fruits! the cherry was huge at the trunk base. oh, and my nut trees braided together to make one trunk is also in the destroyed pile...only tree in rented garden space that wasnt touched was the oak bonsai.
its a sad day...

 

I feel for you. If someone came bashing into my garden, I would absolutely lose my mind.

 

i am slowly getting over it, lol. the biggest problem here on salt spring island is the local wildlife, the deer population is so high here, you absolutely need a 12 foot fence to protect your garden. i live on a lake, but have water on 3 sides of me, mostly swamp land) and the deer live on my acreage. there were so many twins born this year we now have our own herd. (about 50)
because i am surrounded by trees, mostly of my own doing as i am a bonsai enthusiast, and send many of my trees on loan to shows around north america. i have little or no garden space that receives enough sunshine. i rent a yard from a neighbour down the street who has more sun in their yard, and no drive to use it. yet she hires a gardener to come in and take care of her fruiting trees and grapes. he was the culprit, destroyed my trees, and cost me thousands in future sales and show fees... he has no insurance, and can not afford to replace my trees/bushes or lemon trees.
well, with any luck he will learn from this, and ask before he acts. in exchange, he will be giving me his first born son or spending the entire summer(s) as my flunky in my garden, indoor garden, and my cricket barn! free labour! its going to take him years to pay back all he has destroyed, as i only pay minimum wage to uneducated dim-witts!