Tops on an apple tree: when to cut, remove, timing and recommendations on what to do

Almost all trees have hidden buds, which are a reserve used for immediate plant regeneration. It is from these hidden buds that the formation of tops on the apple tree begins.

Tops on an apple tree - what is it?

The appearance of top shoots can be observed in the following cases:

with significant mechanical damage to the surface of the bark of young trees;
after improper pruning of adult apple trees for rejuvenation;
due to the addition of a large amount of fertilizer, which contains nitrogen.

It is very easy to determine that tops have begun to appear on plants, since it is difficult to confuse them with something. Their feature can be considered that they grow only in a vertical position.

Large leaves are formed on them, which are 5-10 cm apart from each other. Spinning tops differ from ordinary shoots in their growth rate. In a few months they grow up to two meters. Experienced gardeners advise removing such shoots, since fruits rarely form on them. They also consume a lot of strength from trees, which negatively affects the ripening of fruits.

Reasons for appearance

Some gardeners don't know what can cause top shoots to appear on trees. There are several main reasons that contribute to their occurrence:

Damage to the crown due to strong gusts of wind, frequent snowfalls or other natural disasters. With serious damage to apple trees, tops begin to grow to replace the dead branches and restore the normal state of the plant.
The development of black cancer and the appearance of dark spots. Pathology leads to drying of leaves and death of branches. Top stems grow back to form an intact crown.
Deep planting of an apple tree. Often, because of the deep planting of plants, tops appear in the lower part of the trees. To remove them, you will have to remove the top layer of soil to get to the base of the shoots and cut them off.

Do spinning tops bear fruit?

Many are interested in whether apples are formed on top shoots. Branches that grow upright rarely produce fruit. Therefore, most spinning tops do not form fruits.Their main goal is to restore the normal state of apple trees after damage or disease.

Fruits rarely appear on such branches due to their increased growth. Most of the nutrients are spent on the development of the shoot, and therefore nothing is left for the formation of fruits. To make the stems bear fruit, you will have to bend down the shoot for horizontal growth or cut it regularly.

Pruning dates

Many gardeners don't know when is the best time to prune spiny stems to get rid of them. In spring or autumn, this is rarely done, since tops practically do not appear at this time of the year. Most often they begin to form in the first half of summer. By mid-July, young spinning tops can grow up to one and a half meters.

It is impossible to determine the exact timing of pruning, as the shoots appear at different times. It is recommended to cut the tops when their length increases to 20-25 cm. At this size, they are still in a fragile state, and therefore, after cutting, the plants do not leave wounds.

Not everyone manages to get rid of top shoots in time. In this case, you will have to remove them with garden shears. To get rid of the stems in time, you need to regularly inspect the trees and remove the newly appeared fatty shoots.

How to cut tops on an apple tree?

Gardeners cut shoots with special tools. Therefore, it is necessary to prepare all the necessary equipment in advance. To perform trimming you will need:

Hacksaw. Used to cut old branches that cannot be manually removed.
Secateurs. Used to remove mature branches about a meter long.
Resins and building paints. With their help, cuts are processed to protect against moisture.

All top stems are removed under the base so that they cannot grow back in the future.When using a secateurs, its cutting part is applied to the trunk. Then its blades are gently squeezed to cut off the shoot. After that, all cut points are treated with antiseptic agents for disinfection and coated with resins or paints.

When is pruning unnecessary?

It is not necessary to remove tops from apple trees, as they do not always harm plants. There are several cases in which they are left on apple trees:

For rejuvenation. Sometimes top shoots are left on old trees to rejuvenate them a little. To do this, all the left branches are bent in a horizontal position and tied to the supports. Then they are shortened by half so that the fruits form on the tops. Most often, fat shoots are left for rejuvenation if they grow near broken branches.
For the formation of additional branches with fruits. Sometimes tops are left to increase the yield of apple trees by forming new branches with fruits. To do this, all left top shoots are cut to two buds, after which a fruit twig is formed on them.

Prevention of spinning tops

To prevent the appearance of tops on apple trees, you will have to do prevention. It is no secret that diseases and damage to plants contribute to the occurrence of fatty shoots. Therefore, when growing apples, care must be taken that they are protected from gusts of wind and insects.

Also, for the prevention of tops, it is recommended to regularly inspect apple trees and remove young top stems on them.

Conclusion

People who have been growing apple trees for many years often encounter spinning tops. Therefore, before planting apple trees, you need to familiarize yourself with the features of pruning fat branches and the prevention of their occurrence.