Pruning apple trees: when and how to do it right, crown formation scheme

Growing garden trees is constant care, care and a lot of attention to seedlings. Without these components, tree he alth and high yields are impossible. Without a doubt, the apple tree is one of the most beloved fruit trees, which provides gardeners with fruits of different colors and tastes. To obtain juicy and he althy fruits, pruning of apple trees is periodically required - an important process that, with the wrong technology, can do a lot of harm.

Why prune young apple trees

Carrying out such garden work is an important part in the process of growing a fruit tree.They are carried out for many reasons that affect the fruiting and he alth of the shoots. Removing the central branches is necessary to form the correct crown of the apple tree. Broken, diseased and damaged branches are removed so that the new shoots develop properly. It is also necessary to remove competitive processes that take strength and nutrition. Thus, the apple tree is preparing for a long winter period.

Pruning apple trees

Before you start work, you need to familiarize yourself with the different ways to eliminate unnecessary branches on the apple tree. With comprehensive care, fruit plantations will delight with a rich yield every year.

Caring for this tree consists of several activities: applying fertilizer mixtures, loosening the soil, weeding and watering, as well as an extremely important procedure for eliminating unnecessary branches.

Methods and degree of pruning of apple trees

It is possible to carry out a shaping, sanitary, rejuvenating and regulating procedure. Shaping is required to create a strong fruit tree skeleton, on which only strong and he althy branches will grow. Sanitary procedures clear plantings from cross and downward growing branches. When rejuvenating, old branches are eliminated, and when regulated, the growth of a fruit tree is restrained, shading is removed.

It also sometimes requires pinching, which is weak, medium and strong. This action is carried out if there has been an active development of green shoots. With a weak pinch, one quarter of the skeletal branches are removed, with an average pinch, one third. This only applies to mature fruit trees that have been growing for more than five years. With heavy pruning, many of the central branches are completely removed for rebirth, and the lower branches are also eliminated.

Required tools

Without the necessary set of tools and materials, it will not be possible to carry out any garden work. You will need the following tools:

1. Hacksaws with teeth of different sizes.
2. Hand pruner - to remove small shoots.
3. Leather gloves - to protect against mechanical damage.
4. Staircase - for tall fruit trees.
5. Electric saw if needed.

You also need to remember that all tools must be clean and sharp enough. It is not recommended to leave uneven incisions, as such wounds will take a long time to heal. Bacteria and harmful insects can also easily get into them. After work, all tools and the surface of the cuts must be processed.

How to properly prune an apple tree

Deletion of branches is carried out according to the standard scheme. For the first run, you need to eliminate all broken, damaged shoots and dry branches. The crown of the apple tree is also thinned out a little - the upper part of the large trunk with other shoots is cut off. The cut is carried out along the influx ring.

This action should be tried so that the apple tree can heal the wound with its bark in a certain way. Otherwise, stumps may remain, which will dry out and rot over time. And in the voids, fungus and harmful insects can easily settle, which contribute to the development of diseases.

And you need to remember that after all the work done, fresh cuts are processed using antiseptics.

Pruning by seasons

In addition to important knowledge and skills, you need to know the specific terms for which all garden work is carried out. Work begins in the spring, around April, and lasts until bud break.

Note! At the beginning of summer, it is better to carry out sanitary removal. Also, autumn is considered a good time, when there are no leaves and fruits.

Spring

If the spring work is carried out correctly, then in the new season the tree will be distinguished by good fruiting. The formation of an apple tree must be carried out as follows:

• remove frozen and broken branches;
• eliminate branches that are affected by diseases;
• remove cross branches that grow inwards;
• rejuvenate old trees;
• adjust the growth of the upper branches - they should be shorter than the middle and lower ones.

If last year the tree did not have a large harvest, then pruning should be done quite strongly.

Summer

Summer pruning of fruit-bearing trees is not recommended, because harmful insects are extremely active during this period. Therefore, only light work is allowed at the very beginning of summer or the end of May, to eliminate competing shoots. To do this, you need to eliminate all the fragile shoots that are located at the very top of the old branches. The processes, which are located somewhat lower, must be left for the future skeleton. Extra details need to be removed.

Sick and cracked branches are also removed. With the right work done, you can achieve a high yield. Pinching is necessary to weaken and stop the growth of shoots that are more than 15 centimeters long. The bending method can have a positive effect on the fruiting process.

Autumn

Autumn work in the garden is carried out after the leaves have fallen, and the tree begins to winter.The main range of work is the removal of damaged and old branches. Also, all branches on which there was no fruiting are removed if there were few fruits or they were of poor quality. You should also eliminate the branches due to which shading occurs, and those processes that have sprouted at an acute angle. After all the work, the cut points are treated with a special pitch or oil paint.

The nuances of pruning apple trees of different ages

When pruning a young fruit tree, you should set yourself the task of providing good conditions for the further development of the apple tree. Pruning of old trees is carried out to enhance fruiting, eliminate crown defects and save strength for growth. It is also done to eliminate diseases and insects.

One year old apple tree

During this period, the gardener faces several tasks: periodically cut the central shoots to restrain their growth and the proper development of side branches.And also the lower section of the trunk is formed. The first pruning is done in a year. After cutting the central shoot at the "top", the growth of lateral branches begins to increase. It is necessary to shorten the long skeletal branches by 15 centimeters. Then you need to start forming the correct lower section. All young shoots that grow 40 centimeters from the ground must be removed.

Two year old apple tree

Pruning in the second year is required to form tiers of skeletal branches. If the branches have not yet been cut, then each tier will have at least two large branches, and the distance between them is about 50 centimeters. You will need to shorten the skeletal branches so that they are approximately at the same level. If the gardener wants to form a rounded shape, then the removal of the central shoot will be required. You need to cut above the first branch.

Mature apple tree

To rejuvenate an adult apple tree, it will be necessary to shorten the branches. To begin with, sanitary removal is carried out. After cleansing the apple tree, you need to rejuvenate the fruit tree. Cut off old branches that no longer produce high quality apples. It is also required to remove vertical shoots that do not benefit, but only take strength. Then the crossed branches, root shoots and branches growing down are removed.

The final action consists of shortening the barrel. High growing trees can be shortened up to 3 meters.

Attention! If the tree is more than 8 years old, this procedure is spread over a couple of years.

Features of pruning dwarf apple trees

If you produce a rootstock of a dwarf apple tree, then such a tree will give abundant harvests and begin fruiting much earlier. If you do not prune a dwarf fruit tree, then the total period of its fruiting is often reduced to 3-4 years.

In the first year of life, the crown skeleton is formed, which is facilitated by trunk pruning. The height of the cut directly depends on the variety of the fruit tree, but often the cut is no more than 70 centimeters. It also requires a cut of side shoots so that the tree, as a result, looks like a ball.

Top branches generally need to be shortened to encourage center growth and development as the branches begin to develop more at the top of the fruit tree. However, on dwarf rootstocks, the branches are almost never completely cut out if they are he althy. They need to leave several kidneys. It is also worth remembering the fruiting of the tree - during this period, the whole process should be carefully regulated and some buds should be removed. Otherwise, you can overload the apple tree and allow the branches to break.

Specifics of pruning of the columnar apple tree

The columnar apple tree has an unusual crown shape. As a rule, the width of the tree is about 50 centimeters. Regular pruning is not required, but sometimes such procedures are worth doing. A common problem is damage to the top of a columnar apple tree due to frost or pests. In this case, you need to find a replacement for the central shoot - choose a strong branch. Other vertical shoots will need to be cut along with the crown. To avoid this, the center wraps up for the winter.

In the first year, as a rule, no intervention is required. However, as they grow, young shoots appear that compete with fruit-bearing branches and take nutrients from them. At this time, gardener intervention is required:

• young shoots are pinched at the same distance from the trunk (20 centimeters);
• as it grows, the pinch is 35 centimeters;
• old branches have been gradually removed since the fourth year.

The specifics of pruning such an apple tree is that with periodic pinching, pruning is not required. This process is gentle, the tree is not stressed.

Further care

After pruning, fruit trees need to be watered and fed. During spring pruning, fertilizer mixtures are introduced into the trunk circle, which include nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus.

During the autumn pruning period, complementary foods are introduced that contain potassium and phosphorus, as the tree will need healing and strengthening. Nitrogen mixtures are not added during this period.

When applying fertilizer mixtures, you will need to follow all the instructions and rules. If you add too much fertilizer, then the tree will do more harm than good.

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