How to cut a plum: the rules for crown formation in summer, spring and autumn so that there is a good harvest

How to correctly cut a plum is of interest to almost every gardener. This tree is quite unpretentious, many varieties reproduce by root shoots. You can always get as much planting material as you need. But then the problems begin: the tree gives abundant annual growth. And this does not mean that a good harvest will be obtained: extra shoots thicken the crown, obscure the fruits. The cream just doesn't ripen. To ensure regular fruiting, the gardener must prune plum trees.

Plum pruning targets

To have a good plum harvest, you need to fulfill the basic conditions:

• to provide ripening fruits with enough sunlight (this cannot be done without thinning the crown);
• let the wood of fruiting sprouts fully mature (weak ones should be cut out for this);
• protect the tree and fruits from pests (for regular inspection it is required to remove extra branches);
• prevent possible diseases (prophylactic spraying of a thickened crown is ineffective);
• ensure the possibility of uniform filling and ripening of fruits (for this it is recommended to thin out the crown, remove weak shoots with fine cream).

After a strong wind, snow or rain, there are many damaged branches in the garden. They should also be cut out.

Sanitary

This type of plum pruning is done by all gardeners. Over the years of the tree's life:

• suffers from bad weather;
• wind breaks branches;
• snow sticks to shoots and damages them;
• harmful insects parasitize in the bark and wood and cause the shoots to dry out;
• winter cold causes the death of fruiting shoots.

In order to preserve the variety and prolong fruiting, sanitary pruning is carried out. Its correct implementation ensures the harvest of he althy fruits.

Sanitary pruning is carried out at any time of the year. But the air temperature should not fall below -5 degrees Celsius.

Thinning

In the course of life, a plum tree produces too many shoots. This is especially true of varieties of folk selection and old species. Not all shoots will begin to bear fruit in the future, and the strength of the tree will be taken away.Many branches cross, rub against each other. As a result, the cortex is damaged, infection penetrates into the wounds. The plant begins to hurt, fruiting stops. Subsequently, the tree may die. The abundance of shoots leads to shading of the crown and ripening fruits.

In addition, it is important to understand: weak branches cannot produce he althy and large berries.

The tree must send nutrition and moisture to ripening fruits. And you have to share with useless branches. And in this case, no nutrition and watering will provide the gardener with a decent harvest of plums. Thinning pruning is done to prevent damage to the tree and ensure consistent fruiting.

Shaping

This type of pruning is done to give the tree an ideal crown shape for easy maintenance and abundant fruiting. It should start from the moment the tree is planted in the garden.A well-formed crown gives the plum a decorative effect. Often forming pruning is combined with thinning and sanitary pruning. This happens in case of unforeseen whims of nature or with unexpectedly large growth.

Shaping pruning is stressful for a tree. It is carried out when the sap flow has not yet begun (in February-March) or has already stopped (October-November).

Rejuvenating

Quite a brutal procedure. It is recommended to do it when the gardener wants to restore the fruiting of a valuable plum variety.

The essence of this operation:

• all old branches are deleted;
• young ones are cut out (crossing, rubbing against each other, shading the crown, growing inside the crown);
• the remaining ones are shortened by 1/3 part.

The tree perceives the situation as critical, life threatening. After such a procedure, the plum either dies or restores fruiting. But one should not expect a miracle: the tree will give an average harvest of 1-2 years, and then the fruiting will stop again.

Required tools and materials

Before the procedure, it is recommended to prepare everything you need. Grower will need:

• sharp secateurs for cutting branches up to 0.7 cm in diameter;
• saw hacksaw with fine pitch;
• lopper for removing uncomfortable branches;
• sharp cutter knife;
• garden ladder for processing tall trees;
• disinfector solution for instrument disinfection (alcohol, vodka, potassium permanganate);
• cut shoot basket;
• cut-resistant gloves;
• garden pitch with a spatula or oil paint with a brush to cover cuts with a diameter of 1 cm or more.

Before carrying out the operation, you should determine what type of trimming will be carried out and study the instructions.

Timing of the procedure

Gardeners are interested in what month is best to prune a plum tree. It depends on the type of pruning, the age of the tree and climatic conditions. Forming is preferably carried out before the start of sap flow or after it ends. The same applies to the anti-aging treatment.

Sanitary pruning is carried out at any time of the year, if necessary. Do not wait until late autumn to cut damaged or shrunken branches. In the summer, it is useful to carry out a little kronirovanie for plums. Thinning pruning will help rid the tree of fattening, useless shoots.

It is important to remember: the older the plum, the sooner it will begin sap flow, which means that pruning needs to start earlier.

Pruning features in spring

Botanists say early spring is the perfect time for shaping pruning and tree rejuvenation.Unnecessary shoots are cut out from the plum, and in return, fruit buds are laid. But the procedure must be completed before the final awakening of the tree, because the drain perceives any interference as stress. The temperature during the operation should not fall below -5 degrees Celsius. In the rain, snow, plum pruning is not recommended.

Autumn pruning

After fruiting, the tree prepares for a difficult period in its life - winter. It is recommended to cut out unripened shoots: they will freeze during cold weather. Too long to be shortened.

At this time, you can carry out shaping and rejuvenating procedures. To do this, choose a calm day, since fungal spores and pathogenic bacteria are often carried by air currents. There should be no rain either: under a layer of garden pitch, a fungus easily settles on wet wood. Then it penetrates the wood and damages the tree.

In the fall, it is useful to make a thinning pruning of a plum tree. Not all the leaves have fallen yet, you can see which shoots are thickening the crown.

Summer Formation

Other pome fruits are not pruned in the summer. The exception is sanitary pruning. But the plum perfectly tolerates the intervention of the gardener. At the end of June or in July, it is useful to do a light booking. At this time, fattening tops are removed, too long shoots are shortened by 1/3 of the length. Such operations increase the illumination of fruit-bearing shoots and provide them with nutrition. In the summer, dried branches that were not noticed in the spring are also cut out: they are perfectly visible during this period.

Popular crown shapes

For beginner gardeners, it is important to determine what will be the crown of their plum tree. And only then begin to form it correctly. It is impossible to correct the mistakes made without reducing the yield.

Bowl-shaped

Plum cut in this way looks unusual. The advantage of a cupped crown: uniform illumination of ripening fruit in the center. How to get the bowl shape:

1. At a height of 50-60 cm, 3-4 strong shoots are selected. They should be at an angle of 60 degrees to the trunk. They are shortened by 1/3 of the length, and the rest are cut out.
2. The crown of the plant (central conductor) is completely cut out.
3. In subsequent years, all shoots growing inside the crown are cut. Skeletal branches shorten.

Advantages of cropping: simplicity and speed of creation. Disadvantage of the cupped crown: heavy snowfalls cause snow to stick to the branches and damage them.

Tiers

The formation of this type of crown occurs within 5 years. The optimal number of tiers is 3, the allowable tree height is 2.5 m. This form makes it easy to carry out thinning and sanitary pruning, spraying and harvesting. Stages of creating a tiered crown:

1. In the first year, the center conductor is cut at a height of 1.5 m from the soil surface. Lateral shoots are cut into a ring at a height of 0.6 m.
2. In the second year, 1 tier of branches is laid. To do this, choose 3-4 strong shoots growing at an angle of 60 or more degrees to the trunk. They are left, if necessary, shortened by 1/3 of the length, and the rest is cut into a ring. The central conductor is shortened over the strongest kidney.
3. For the third year they form the 2nd tier. Its basis is strong shoots, spaced from the branches of the 1st tier by 20-30 cm. The procedure consists in shortening 3-4 selected shoots and cutting the rest into a ring. The central conductor is cut again above the strong bud. Don't forget thinning and sanitary pruning.
4. In subsequent years, they form the 3rd tier. If desired, the gardener can form a crown of 4-5 tiers.

This type of crown is traditional. Tiered plums are most commonly found in orchards.

Pyramidal

With the formation of a pyramidal crown, a novice gardener can easily cope. How it works:

1. The center conductor is left uncut. It is shortened only if the plum grows poorly.
2. The branches forming the crown should fit around the trunk. They form fruit buds. Shoots growing outward are cut out.
3. Too long shoots are shortened by 1/3 of the length.

One should not forget about sanitary and thinning pruning when forming a pyramidal crown.

Shrub

This method of crown formation is used for irreversible damage to the trunk. Sometimes a gardener comes to the site in the spring and sees that the central conductor has been gnawed by mice or hares and cannot be restored.

In this case, you can try to save the variety. How to do it:

1. Saw or trim the trunk below the damage. Cover the saw cut with garden pitch or oil paint.
2. Feed and water the remaining stump.
3. After a while, dormant buds will wake up and sprout.
4. A new crown is formed from these shoots.
5. The strongest are left, the weak are cut out.
6. At the end of the season, the shoots are slightly shortened: this operation stimulates the growth of side shoots.

Further formation of the crown comes down to leaving strong shoots, thinning shrubs and sanitary pruning.

Schemes and crown forms of young trees

Proper pruning of young cream in their first years in the garden will ensure a timely start of fruiting. Such trees are easy to care for, including pruning afterwards.

Pruning seedlings when planting in spring

The purpose of the initial pruning of a seedling is to facilitate its establishment in the garden. When planting a young plum tree in spring, it is recommended:

• cut all shoots to a height of 0.5 m from the soil surface;
• cut the center conductor at a height of 1.5 m.

As a result, the root system of a young tree will be able to conduct nutrients and moisture to the remaining shoots. Over the summer, the plant will create strong underground and ground parts.

How to form in the first year

After a year of life, a tree in the garden needs a second pruning. To do this, the central conductor is cut off above the largest kidney. At the same time, too long shoots are shortened by 1/3, thickening and twisted ones are cut out. The purpose of the event: to make the crown convenient for further work with the tree.

Pruning a 2 year old plum

For the second and subsequent years, pruning is carried out according to the algorithm:

• cutting the center conductor is carried out above the largest kidney (the length of the center conductor should not exceed 2.5 m);
• center conductor must be straight;
• cut too long branches;
• cut inward growing shoots;
• remove twigs rubbing against each other;
• cut fattening tops.

It is important to remember about regular sanitary pruning of the tree.

Technology for pruning fruit-bearing plums

Sometimes a summer resident acquires a plot with existing plum trees. They are quite young and fruitful. But pruning has not been carried out for a long time. What to do in such cases:

1. Look at the tree. It may be possible to establish what shape the crown was originally. In this case, it is enough to carry out sanitary and thinning pruning.
2. If the tree is severely damaged and neglected, then you can try to form a crown again. Suppose it is impossible to restore the tiered shape of the crown, but it turns out to create a cup-shaped one on the basis of the old one. At the same time, pruning is carried out in several stages: it is important to bring minimal stress to the plant.
3. If a tree in the garden has a well-formed crown and regular pruning, then it is enough to do sanitary and thinning pruning.
4. Rejuvenating pruning is recommended to restore fruiting to plums older than 15 years.

Plum is a tree with active formation of shoots. Leaving the crown unattended means losing a significant part of the crop.

Rejuvenate old trees

If a tree is younger than 15 years old, but does not bear fruit, then rejuvenating pruning will not correct the situation. To increase productivity, plums older than 15 years are rejuvenated. The operation is not performed if the plant has damaged skeletal branches and a central conductor.

How to operate:

• cut the center conductor up to 2.5 m;
• cut the oldest skeletal branches;
• remove weak competitor shoots;
• cut tops and fattening shoots;
• cut branches that are too long.

The crown of the tree should be shaped like a young (6-7 year old) plum. Usually, the plant responds to such an event with increased fruiting. To increase the effectiveness of the event, water and feed the plant after pruning.

Unusual methods

One of the most popular non-standard plum pruning methods is winter work. The perfect month for this is February. The air temperature often passes through 0, the daylight hours have increased, and the plant has not yet awakened. At such a time, it is useful to carry out sanitary and thinning pruning. They are the least traumatic for the tree.

In this case, it is important to follow the rules: cut out excess shoots on the ring, clean the burrs and process the cuts with garden pitch or oil paint.

How to form columnar varieties

Columnar plums - early-growing plants, low. Even a novice gardener can easily cope with pruning the crown. When performing the procedure, it is recommended to adhere to the principles:

• side branches should be shortened to 20 cm;
• Center conductor is trimmed in case of stunting (trimming is done to redirect and create a new one);
• cut out rival shoots (remains the strongest).

In short, the grower must maintain the plum's characteristic pyramidal crown shape.

How to prune a yellow plum

The main difference between the yellow-fruited plum is the special color of the fruit. There are no other botanical differences. Therefore, gardeners can choose any method they like for pruning.

Should lower branches be cut off

When forming the first tier, all the lower branches are cut into a ring at a distance of 50-60 cm from the ground. Branches that are damaged and growing parallel to the ground should also be removed.

How to remove spinning tops

In the process of growth and development, plums form tops. Sleeping buds spawn them.

Distinctive features of top shoots:

• grow from dormant trunk buds, sometimes skeletal branches;
• grow vertically upwards;
• have large leaves;
• looks stronger than fruiting shoots;
• never bear fruit (fruiting buds are not laid).

Tops can be used to form a crown in case of severe damage to a tree that threatens death. In all other cases, they need to be cut. The operation is carried out throughout the year, including summer. Young tops are broken out by hand, grown ones are cut into a ring. In this case, it is important not to leave a stump: in the future, a hollow will form in this place.

Caring for a pruned tree

Proper pruning requires a set of tree care measures.

After the operation follows:

• clean up the burrs formed during trimming;
• slices more than 1 cm smear with a thin layer of heated garden pitch or paint over with oil paint;
• water and feed the tree with seasonally appropriate fertilizers;
• mulch the trunk circle (for spring pruning).

When carrying out activities in early spring, you should choose the time before the plant awakens. Autumn work must be completed 2-3 weeks before the establishment of stable negative temperatures.

Recommended