In this paradise it hums and buzzes

Created: 08/20/2022, 18:00

By: Gerda Gebel

Angi and Manfred Kellner are happy on their meadow orchard.

© Peter Gebel

For Manfred Kellner, paradise is not in distant countries, but on his meadow orchard in Kreiling near Forstern.

Here the retired fireman and his wife Angi have created an Eldorado for themselves and countless insects and animals.

Kreiling

– Almost 20 years ago there was still a corn field where all kinds of fruit trees are now, which Manfred Kellner and his father Georg could buy.

Creating a small orchard here was the father's idea, and "on May 1, 2003 we planted the first pear tree," remembers Manfred Kellner.

There are now 110 fruit trees growing on the two hectares – apples, pears, plums, quinces, walnuts.

A good 80 different apple varieties can be found, including mainly old varieties that are more than 100 years old.

By the way: everything from the region is now also available in our regular Erding newsletter.

The committed hobby gardener is concerned that many of these varieties are disappearing, "because the supermarket apples all have the same parents, and they are mainly bred for beauty".

The preservation of biodiversity is important to the Kellners, and so perennial beds, dead wood corners and hedges alternate to create a recreation area for all kinds of insects, birds and other animals.

Angi Kellner is responsible for the perennial beds: "Wollziest, evening primroses, thistles, red coneflowers, scabious grow here," the 56-year-old lists.

"When I buy new plants, I always look to see where the insects are flying to." And so it hums in the perennial bed, where bees, wasps and butterflies feast on the most diverse flowers.

The hardy houseleek grows on the small stone wall for the enclosure, beetles and wild bees find shelter between the stones.

The perennials love barren soil and are left to their own devices because "you mustn't spoil them, they have to learn to root deeply".

Angi Kellner only removes the dry undergrowth in the spring to allow the insects to spend the winter in the stems.

The areas with large deadwood trunks, which appear rustic at first glance, were laid out with expertise and care, insect hotels were also installed, but all kinds of holes were drilled into the trunks to encourage the insects to stop by.

Impressive deadwood trunks and various insect houses invite insects and wild bees to stop by.

© Peter Gebel

Small stacks of special bricks for wild bees, next to them clay tubes filled with straw, large and small stones, and sandy surfaces create a beautiful ambience.

The latest achievement is a huge trunk of an oak tree, which was transported by wheel loader from the compost yard in Kronacker.

With its intricate root system, it can provide a living space for countless insects.

Climbing roses climb up the old tree trunks and in the wildly growing hedges.

Hazelnut, elderberry, raspberry and blackberry bushes grow along the way, they serve as a nesting place for many songbirds, and the berries are also popular with birds.

For almost every plant, Kellner has a story ready, such as that of the rowan berries, which used to be dried to protect U-boat crews from scurvy.

The 62-year-old gets nostalgic at the sight of his avenue of deciduous trees with large beeches, lime trees and oaks, "they were still thin stalks when I planted them with my father years ago".

Under the trees, he has loosely piled up branches and prunings to form a Benjes hedge, which offers wild animals a hiding place.

Kellner, who was fascinated by lizards even as a child, is particularly happy about the now rare sand lizards, but grass snakes, blindworms and weasels have also settled here.

Perches await birds of prey on the floors above, and bird houses invite you to nest.

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For Kellner and his wife, the meadow orchard is a hobby that also teaches you a lot, as they both report.

They don't let themselves be pushed, enjoy "the art of idleness" on the comfortable wooden benches and constantly make new plans.

There is a lot of work in the spring when mowing is done and the tree trimming is pending.

Here Kellner has developed into an expert.

The trained tree warden browses through specialist literature and is networked with experts such as district consultant Michael Klinger, Heinz Riener from the Erdinger allotment gardeners' association and Sepp Höschl from Finsing.

It is important to him that new knowledge is passed on to tree owners and associations, because "it's a tragedy how some fruit trees are pruned," says Kellner (see box).

The advantages of the Oeschberg pruning are manifold, as Baumwart Manfred Kellner knows.

© Peter Gebel

The experienced hobby gardener would like to pass on his knowledge of preserving biodiversity because "I have a message to convey".

He regularly guides school classes from Forstern, Pastetten, Walpertskirchen and Erding through the grounds.

During the tasting, he explains the difference between apples from the supermarket and unsprayed old varieties, shows bee houses and hedges and hopes that the children will remember something.

Kellner also works to persuade people during lectures on the variety of varieties or in conversations with neighbors when he appeals to their responsibility to contribute to the preservation of biodiversity.

"These can be small steps, that would be very easy," he assures and advises the cultivation of insect-friendly plants, deadwood areas and wild corners for animals.

It is also important to use autochthonous seeds that come from your own region and are therefore better tolerated by the climate.

He recommends finding out from informed people, because the waiters have also made rookie mistakes.

"Some varieties we would no longer plant today, for example a plum, which tastes wonderful, but the fruit can hardly be removed from the stone," admits Angi Kellner with a laugh.

She processes the fruit with her mother-in-law into cakes, apple strudel or jam, and there's juice as well.

She and her husband love the slower pace of life and with their spacious meadow they also got through the Corona period relaxed.

"We don't go on vacation and can spend a lot of time here together," explains Manfred Kellner with satisfaction.

Contact: If you have any questions about meadow orchards and fruit trees, you can contact Manfred Kellner on Tel. (01 57) 83 50 54 01 or by email at kellma@web.de.

Gerda & Peter Gebel

Oeschberg pruning for fruit trees

The Oeschberg cut was developed

by Hans Spreng at the Oeschberg School of Fruit and Horticulture in Switzerland.

The aim of this pruning is to

, to increase the yield and improve the quality of the fruit.

In the case of the Oeschberg crown, three or four main branches ideally rise steeply, plus a central branch, from which the fruit-bearing branches lead more horizontally outwards.

Advantages: The crown is stabilized by the leading branches, the fruit hangs mainly on the lower branches, which makes harvesting easier, and more sun comes into the middle of the crown,

.