January 2, 1996 Contact: Jennifer McNulty (408/459-2495)

UC SANTA CRUZ OFFERS PRUNING WORKSHOPS FOR THE HOME ORCHARDIST

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

SANTA CRUZ, CA--If pruning your fruit trees gives you an annual case of the jitters, help is available. Orin Martin, manager of the Alan Chadwick Garden at the University of California, Santa Cruz, is offering two-day workshops for beginning and intermediate home orchardists.

The workshops will cover everything you need to know to prune and care for trees with confidence, from choosing rootstock to pruning and harvesting. With an emphasis on apples and pears, Martin will discuss the different varieties available and different suppliers, and he'll cover ground preparation, planting, training, fertility, and basic fruit tree care throughout the year.

"Following the seasonal cycle of the tree--dormancy, pruning, bloom, fruit set through harvest--participants will leave the workshop with a care calendar for tending their trees," says Martin.

Martin is offering two workshops at a cost of $65 each for Friends of the Farm and Garden, and $75 for nonmembers. The first workshop will be held Friday and Saturday, January 19 and 20. The workshop kicks off Friday from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. with a slide show, lecture, and question-and-answer period in the Horticulture Building at the UCSC Arboretum. On Saturday, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., participants will watch planting, pruning, and training demonstrations and then will have an opportunity to practice on trees in the Chadwick Garden.

The second workshop will be offered Friday and Saturday, February 2 and 3, with the same hours and format.

Enrollment is limited to 15 students per workshop, and advance registration is required. The registration deadline for the first workshop is January 12, and the deadline for the second workshop is January 26.

To register, or for more information, call (408) 459-3240 or (408) 459-3376.

This release is also available on the World Wide Web at UCSC's "Services for Journalists" site (http://www.ucsc.edu/news/journalist.html) or via modem from UC NewsWire (209-244-6971).

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