Helping gardeners get the best from their fruit trees at home

Visitors to the Teagasc exhibit at Bloom 2026 will have the opportunity to learn practical and easy-to-apply fruit growing techniques.

Teagasc, Bord Bia and the Department of Agriculture, Food and Marine come together at Bloom to create an inspiring, informative and educational feature in the Food Village. At the event taking place from 28 May – June 1 at Dublin’s Pheonix Park, Research Officer at Teagasc, Oak Park, Dr Alberto Ramos Luz will deliver two engaging sessions.

The first demonstration talk, titled Healthy Apple Trees, Heavy Branches: The Pruning Masterclass, will take place at 11:00am on Monday, June 1. This interactive session is designed for gardeners of all experience levels and will focus on simple pruning principles that can make a major difference to tree health, fruit quality and productivity.

Attendees will learn how to identify fruiting wood, understand the purpose of pruning, and discover what to prune, when to prune and how to prune correctly. The session will provide practical guidance to help people manage apple trees in their own gardens with greater confidence, whether they are maintaining mature trees or shaping young ones.

Later that day, at 12:30pm in the Polytunnel talks, Dr Ramos Luz will deliver a second talk covering additional tips for successful fruit production at home. This session will focus on pollination, fruit set and fruit thinning – essential practices for improving fruit quality and achieving more consistent crops.

Speaking ahead of the event, Dr Alberto Ramos Luz said: “Visitors will learn why pollination is so important for apples and other fruit crops, how to encourage pollinators into the garden, and why thinning fruit can help trees produce larger, healthier and better-quality fruit.

“Both talks aim to make fruit growing more accessible and enjoyable for home gardeners, while sharing practical knowledge grounded in current horticultural research and commercial orchard management practices,” Dr Ramos Luz added.

For more in the Teagasc presence at Bloom 2026, visit here.

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