Pruning sea buckthorn: how to do it right and crown formation scheme

Sea buckthorn is a useful berry. In nature, it is difficult to collect because of the thorns. Cultivated varieties almost do not have them, the best approach to fruits. All this, thanks to the pruning of garden sea buckthorn. Plant care begins from the first year in life. Gardeners create amazing transformations. They turn sea buckthorn into shrubs, low-growing trees with horizontal branches. They use shaping, rejuvenating, restorative, sanitary pruning.

Goals and objectives of sea buckthorn pruning

There are several types of pruning, and each has a specific purpose.

Trim:

1. Forming - the crown of a tree or shrub is shaped. This method is responsible for the decorative effect.
2. Sanitary - prevents diseases, frees the crown from unnecessary elements.
3. Rejuvenating - increases yield by replacing old branches with new ones.
4. Restorative - a neglected, damaged crown is brought to perfection.
5. Regulating - gives an influx of air, sun.

The choice of a certain task affects how the escape will be deleted. There are only two options: “on the ring” or shortening the branches in order to transfer to an escape or a kidney.

Problem:

1. Limit the height of the trunk, direct the shoot in the other direction - shorten the crown, cut off the branch above the shoot or bud at an angle.
2. Make a branch grow faster or slower - use the banding method. A strip of bark is cut above the kidney for rapid growth, under it - inhibition.
3. Forcing a young tree to bear fruit is a banding method. Cut the bark 1 cm wide near the base of the stem.
4. Remove old branches - remove shoots "on the ring" in the place where they branch off.
5. Increase the growth of side branches - pinch the top of the head a month before the end of the growing season.

When to prune a tree

Experienced gardeners prune a tree at any time, but there are some restrictions. In the northern regions, it is undesirable to manipulate the tree in the fall, except for sanitization. Slices, cuts do not have time to tighten. The procedure is carried out after leaf fall.

Shaping, rejuvenating procedure is best done in the spring. The plant must be at rest. Regulatory pruning is carried out in the summer. At this time, fruiting, dry, unnecessary branches are clearly visible.

What tools will you need

Prepare two kinds of secateurs. One of them, choose a small size, with sharp ends, to process thin twigs. The second pruner needs a powerful one with long handles - for thick branches.

1. To cut large trunks, you will need a hacksaw.
2. For tall shoots you will need a lopper.
3. Gardening knife.

Treat all tools with copper sulfate.

Schemes and technology

The correct technology depends on which cutting pattern is chosen.

Forming

Throughout life, sea buckthorn forms its crown. Depending on what you want to end up with - a shrub or a tree. It has no effect on fruiting. Here the main choice is decoration.Up to three years, sea buckthorn grows as an unbranched shoot. Then the whorls appear. Pinch the tops of their heads.

Female specimens stretch up to 1.3 meters, male ones - up to 5. The branches of female trees growing up are tied up and pulled down. Horizontally growing shoots, on the contrary, lift up on supports. Thus, the plant is strengthened. Males are given a pyramidal crown. Branches growing inward and rubbing each other are removed after leaf fall or in spring. To limit growth, the crown is cut.

Formative pruning is carried out in the spring. Within 4-5 years, the crown is formed.

1. 1 year. The seedling grows arbitrarily up.
2. 2 year. The stem in spring leans parallel to the ground. Five vertical shoots appear in autumn.
3. 3 year. In the spring, the extreme shoot is turned parallel to the ground. In autumn, 4 branches will have berries. On the opposite shoot, vertical shoots are formed. The fruiting branch is cut along with the berries.
4. For the 4th year, one branch is disconnected again in the opposite direction. The procedure is repeated.

Custom

In the first year of life, a bush is formed from an ungrafted plant. Leave 5 shoots, cut the rest. To do this, they dig out the root system and cut off the shoot “on the ring”, otherwise two will appear from one cut growth. The tops are cut 25 centimeters from the surface of the earth. So that 4-5 buds remain on each branch. The following year, three powerful shoots are chosen, the rest of the shoots are cut down. In the third year, lateral shoots will appear on the branches. Leave those branches that are directed to the outside. Do not get carried away with strong pruning in the upper part, as fruits are tied there. They will bear berries in autumn.

If you have own-rooted sea buckthorn, then they form a bush from a skeletal branch and shoots coming from the root. The height of all shoots is up to 20 centimeters from the ground. After a season, strong shoots are chosen for skeletal branches.

On the trunk

A seedling leaves one strong shoot in the first year of life. Closely growing "neighbors" are removed. A year later, the trunk is pinched 15 centimeters. Up to 5 buds are left in the upper part. The rest are to be removed or blinded.

Formation continues at the 3rd year of life. 5 shoots will appear from the kidneys. Each of them is shortened by equal segments. The bottom of the trunk is cleaned of shoots. Tall varieties should be limited in growth by pinching the crown. In the future, it will be convenient to harvest without resorting to a ladder.

Rejuvenating

Rejuvenating pruning of adult shrubs that have reached 7 years old helps to increase productivity. Old branches that do not bear fruit should be replaced with side shoots. A powerful process is chosen, the main thing is that the direction is on the outside of the bush. In the process of rejuvenation, 1-3 old branches are replaced.

If tops are used, then tie them with twine to the pegs. Every two weeks, increase the slope in the horizontal direction. Rejuvenation is carried out by shoots, when a young tree is planted in an old place. Sea buckthorn is cut off at the root when shoots appear; leave the strongest.

Wellness

Broken, dry twigs are removed. The tree is examined for disease. If there are infected places, they are removed from the tree. Do not leave garbage near the trees, be sure to burn.

Is it possible to prune sea buckthorn branches when picking berries

The branches are cut along with the fruits if they are to be pruned in autumn. Young branches should not be touched. The tree will stop bearing fruit.

Caring for the tree after the procedure

Sea buckthorn, after spring or autumn pruning, does not require special attention. It is necessary to carefully process the sections, feed and mulch the plant. If there is no rain, then irrigate.

Slice Processing

Slices up to 1 cm in diameter are not processed. Saw cuts of large sizes are treated with garden pitch in the spring. In autumn, oil paint is applied.

Fertilizer

The seedling needs organic fertilizer at the time of planting. After the seedling has been planted, the ground is mulched. Organic loose materials are used as mulch. The procedure retains moisture and protects against weeds.

After the soil has received enough nutrition at the time of planting, fertilizer will be needed in the third year of life.

In early spring, ammonium nitrate is sprinkled into the trunk circle and sprinkled with earth. Adult shrubs during the formation of ovaries need phosphorus and potassium. Before flowering make foliar top dressing - potassium humate. Dosage: for 10 liters of water one tablespoon of the drug. After leaf fall, the plants are fed with mineral fertilizers.

Main cropping mistakes

It is not uncommon for beginner gardeners to make a number of mistakes when pruning sea buckthorn:

1. Leave branches on the tree going inwards. The green crown does not receive enough light, the humidity regime is disturbed, the fruits become smaller. These disadvantages provoke the occurrence of infectious diseases.
2. Side shoots are heavily pruned. But in the upper part, generative buds are formed that are responsible for the harvest.
3. Do not process large cuts, cuts. The plant may die. In autumn, a diameter of more than 1 centimeter is smeared with oil paint. In spring time, garden var is used.
4. Leave stumps. Subsequently, they are overgrown with tops that do not bear fruit. Remove the branch under the ring.
5. When harvesting, young shoots are pruned. This threatens to destroy future crops.
6. Use a blunt tool. As a result, the saw tears, the pruner grinds the bark.
7. Ignore clipping. The plant becomes ill from lack of light, produces small fruits.

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