Every gardener must know what the pruning of apple trees is. Trees need to be rejuvenated in order to create favorable conditions for their development. Thinning the crown of apple trees, so that inside it does not form stagnation of air, and there was more light for the ripening of the fruit. Also pruning makes the appearance of the tree more attractive and removes it from parasites.
How to properly trim apple trees?
The technology of pruning apple trees depends on the distribution of growing branches, the degree of fertility, the age of the seedling. It is important to know the timing of the procedure, so as not to damage the tree, but to help it to develop fruitfully, to form a beautiful crown, to improve the quality of fruits, to improve, to rid of excess cargo of unproductive branches. This is easy to achieve, observing the rules of pruning apple trees.
When to prune apple trees?
Competent care of plants at a particular time of the year has its own nuances. Timing pruning apple trees:
- Spring - in late March - early April, before buds start to swell and new twigs grow. This time is more acceptable, since the sap flow from the tree has not yet started, and it is in a rest cycle.
- Summer - is done throughout the season.
- Autumn - it is planned from the end of October to November at the time when the foliage was already falling from the trees, but there is not yet expected an excessive decrease in temperature.
- Winter is possible in February. Recommended for southern regions, where significant temperature drops are almost not observed.
Spring pruning of apple trees
The essence of the spring pruning of the garden is reduced to the healing of twigs and bark. Sometimes a plant needs a crown correction to make it more symmetrical - only a qualitatively thinned crown will allow the tree to breathe better and ensure a normal penetration of sun rays to the fruit. Correct pruning of apple in spring:
- Pruning apple trees in the spring begins with the removal of all frozen and withered branches. If this is not done, the seedling will spend energy on revitalizing useless branches, and the frostbitten stems will no longer bear fruit.
- After eliminating all annual shoots, in a normally fruiting tree they only take away nutrients.
- The remaining branches are cut depending on the age of the crop:
- In the first year of life, all the shoots are removed on the seedling, leaving only skeletal sprouts, they are reduced by 2/3 of the length.
- In the second year, 3-5 strongest branches are left on the apple tree. The lower shoots should be longer than the upper ones, so the upper shoots are cut by 1/3 of the length. The central trunk is also slightly pruned, it should exceed the crown by 20-25 cm.
- After the third year, the tree is decorated with a crown. Branches that grow inward, interbreed with fruit-bearing shoots, are eliminated. Formative pruning is carried out every 2 years. In old trees, when rejuvenating pruning is advised to remove no more than 1/3 of the share of branches per year - get rid of old and unfruitful shoots.
The ideal crown should consist of three tiers, the scheme of its formation in the spring:
- The first tier consists of three skeletal processes.
- The second is the four main challenges.
- The third is two skeletal branches.
Summer pruning of apple trees
In the summer season, sanitary pruning of apple trees is performed, aimed at breaking down shoots that prevent penetration of air and sun into the crown of the sun. Basically, this applies to its upper dense zone, in order to improve the penetration of light onto the fruit. Such processing will bring the tree to bear fruit and protect it from parasites. Apple pruning in summer:
- Correction of crown is made. When the trunks are covered with foliage, the places where strong shading is formed are clearly visible - they are thinned out.
- In the warm season, young shoots and excess shoots are destroyed.
- Strongly growing young branches are pinched at the end of June to moderate the growth force and stimulate the formation of fruit buds.
Autumn pruning of apple trees
The purpose of the treatment after fruiting is to prepare the tree for winter hibernation by getting rid of old and depleted branches. The procedure is needed from a sanitary point of view, in order to rejuvenate the plant, leaving the protective links. Apple pruning in autumn:
- Removed large bends, cracked under the weight of the fruit. Still need to get rid of spoiled bruises and rotten branches.
- The crown needs to be weeded out - weak branches are eliminated, only strong and erect remain.
- All bends that grow at the wrong angle, or inside the crown, are completely eliminated.
Winter pruning of apple trees
Occasionally, pruning apple trees in winter is a gentle procedure, while trees are at rest. But it is allowed only in the southern, warmer latitudes, because the bark of the plant in the cold becomes fragile and can be severely damaged, and the branches - to freeze. The absence of foliage allows a good view of the tree and see all the problems. Winter operation involves the removal of branches bruised from the wind, wet snow, dry, thickening branches. To conduct it advise, when the temperature in the street does not drop below -10 ° C, then the trees will easily transfer the procedure.
Features of pruning apple trees
If you plan to prune an apple tree, the proper care of trees involves not only knowing which shoots need to be shortened and which ones to get rid of. It is equally important to understand what tools to use, how to properly wield them, so that the wounds are small, how to process the tree after manipulation, to reduce injuries from the spills. Secateurs and garden scissors shorten or cut out young shoots. Saw - an indispensable tool for processing old copies. All inventory must be clean, sharpened, so that it does not "wipe" the wounds.
How to process slices of apples after trimming?
To the tree soon recovered after pruning, the sections of the cut are coated with special compounds. How to cover the branches after pruning the apple:
- To prevent fungal diseases, all sections are disinfected with copper-containing preparations: a mixture of lime and copper sulfate in a combination of 10: 1 or Abaga-peak (50 ml per 10 l of water supplemented with 20 ml of plant antibiotic Fitolavin).
- Then wounds with a diameter of more than 2 cm to seal the damage are covered with oil paint, varnish-balm or garden wine (wax, rosin and fat in a ratio of 2: 1: 1). As a consequence, the tree sap of plants will not flow from the slices.
After pruning an apple tree, many shoots - what to do?
If a lot of shoots are formed on the apple tree after pruning, it is better to make them prischipku. It is made in the summer, in the middle of August - the fat extracts are removed, breaking them up to the very base. In view of the fact that the shoots are not yet lignified, the tree will easily transfer the manipulation, otherwise in the next year it will be necessary in these areas to trim the apple tree shoots. Throughout the season, experienced summer residents blind the buds on the branches, so that new unnecessary processes are not manifested. Eliminating the future unnecessary branch at the "eyelet" stage, the owner helps the tree not to waste its forces and juices for nothing.