Pretty soon it will be all over with and on 12th night it is the traditional time to wassail the apple trees. I am involve in one wassail which will 'bless' a tree that is still in a pot and after the fun and merriment we will present the tree to a self growing food bank. I expect there are quite a few allotments that have a few communal trees, that could be helped out to present a decent crop when the time comes. So why not get in touch with your local Mummers/Morris dancers and invite them to wassail your trees, they are always looking for any excuse for a place to perform and imbibe in drink or two and your site members can join in and make a little event out of it. Just google morris teams for your area and get in touch.
A great idea.
Your post puts me in mind of a wonderfully funny encounter I had with some Morris men from the Burton area. They insisted that modern wassailing was slightly flawed. The true tradition, they assured me, did involve drinking copious amounts of cider but the wassailing of the tree only took place after the cider had been through human kidneys. Still makes me smile.
As the briliant late Geoffrey Smith said: https://youtu.be/_O-PABkUYbE?t=10s
Several of my trees did not flower well last year, so singing to them sounds a good idea. What else do wassailers do? Does this deter the nasties?
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Quote from: squeezyjohn on December 16, 2016, 00:48:34
As the briliant late Geoffrey Smith said: https://youtu.be/_O-PABkUYbE?t=10s
I prefer the organic wassailing way ;)
Been looking at wassailing traditions, and pouring cider on the roots. But can find nothing about pouring processed cider onto the tree.
QuoteBut can find nothing about pouring processed cider onto the tree.
It is a necessary process to supply nitrogen (urea) to the tree/s so that they will produce greenery in spring and subsequently flowers & fruit later in the year.
As with all forms of feeding there is an optimum time to apply this hence "Wassailing"
I would have thought in this case that wassailing should have been a month long process. Not sure one application is enough. Or is the ceremony just a timely reminder?
And why only apple trees. Presume my blackcurrants can do with a touch of wassailing as well.
Us Morris men have plenty to spare. Even after everybody has taken the p!ss.