Content
If the apples in the neighboring garden are larger, and the trees themselves are more beautiful, then the owner needs to learn the basics of correct pruning. apple trees. Garden trees should not grow uncontrollably: every year it is necessary to revise the branches, inspect the shoots and remove all unnecessary. The gardener must understand that an overly thickened crown draws juices from the tree, the plant simply does not have enough strength to form and ripen beautiful and fragrant fruits. Not all summer residents know how to properly prune an apple tree in autumn and spring, according to what scheme to prune apple trees, what tools to use for this.
This article will tell you when to cut apple trees: in autumn or spring, according to which scheme is better to do pruning young apple trees and how to rejuvenate old trees.
Why pruning apple trees in autumn is necessary
Some summer residents believe that pruning fruit trees is not at all necessary. At the same time, the owner expects high yields every year and wants his garden to be healthy and beautiful.
Unfortunately this is not possible. In order for apple trees to bear fruit tirelessly and delight the eye, they must be pruned regularly. Pruning goals are directly related to the age of the fruit tree, so they may differ.
Basically, the branches of the apple tree are cut in order to:
- form a crown of the correct and beautiful shape;
- to strengthen young shoots;
- select fruiting branches and increase their number every season;
- provide the crown with ventilation and access to sunlight;
- get rid of old or damaged branches in order to replace them with new shoots;
- prepare the apple tree for wintering, reducing the load on the root system and the entire plant as a whole.
When is the best time to prune an apple tree: in spring, summer or autumn
Actually, garden apple trees are pruned throughout the year:
- in summer thin the top of the tree to provide all fruits with enough light and protect the branches from fungal infections;
- cut the apple tree in the spring it is necessary in order to rejuvenate the plant, form its crown, cut out frozen or rotten branches;
- while pruning apple trees in the fall branches broken by the wind or too heavy fruits, diseased or dried shoots are removed - the tree is preparing for wintering;
- some gardeners believe that it is possible to prune apple trees in December-January month, you just need to make sure that the spring sap flow does not start.
Timing apple pruning the gardener determines on his own, but it is better to do this when the tree stands without foliage, and the juices in it do not move. To decide when to prune apple trees in the fall, you should look at the tree itself: there should be no leaves on it. The weather is also important: there should be no rain or frost outside.
How to prune an apple tree in the fall
There are many pruning schemes for fruit trees.The branches of the apple tree are pruned according to the same rules that must be followed when processing pear and cherry trees.
Standard fall pruning is as follows:
- Thick dry or broken branches are cut.
- Find branches that grow too close and parallel to each other. A weaker or diseased shoot is selected from them and removed.
- It is necessary to cut branches at an angle directed towards the trunk. Leave only those shoots whose growth is directed outward.
- The wounds obtained as a result of autumn pruning should be disinfected and process a healing agent. This can be garden var, a solution of copper sulfate or oil paint based on drying oil (other dyes are prohibited - they will burn the tree).
- From the cut branches, you need to make a fire and burn them so as not to spread the infection throughout the garden.
How to prune apple trees in the fall: a diagram
There are three main types of apple pruning:
- weak;
- medium;
- strong.
Weak pruning exposed mainly to young trees that have not yet begun to bear fruit. Following this pattern, you need to prune the tips of new branches that have grown during the current year. Such shoots are shortened by about a quarter of the length.
Medium cut it is used for apple trees, the age of which is from 5 to 7 years. At this stage, they need crown formation and an increase in fruiting shoots. Shoots should be shortened by a third of their length.
Strong pruning scheme involves shortening some branches in half. Such drastic measures are necessary in case of strong crown thickening, for example, when the fruits do not have enough sunlight. Heavy pruning is done, usually in summer.
Correct pruning of dry branches
The pruning of dried apple tree branches deserves special attention. In this case, the most important thing is not to cut the shoot too close to the trunk or to the mother branch. If the wound comes into contact with the main branch, it can lead to the loss of the knot - the base of this dried part of the tree. As a result, a hollow is formed, which will later become a home for pests and a breeding ground for infections.
In order to prevent the death of the apple tree, it is necessary to cut out a dry branch, not reaching the place where the first bud is located. The cut is then trimmed using a fine-toothed saw. The slope of the cut should be directed towards the branch to be cut.
After the procedure, it is recommended to cover the cut with garden varnish, in this case the paint may not be enough.
How to prune young apple trees
Saplings of apple trees, like other fruit trees, have a weak bark system. Therefore, the gardener's task is to reduce the load on the roots, and this can be done by shortening the shoots.
The branches of the seedlings are pruned immediately after planting. If the apple tree is planted in a temporary place, it is better to cut its shoots in half - to perform strong pruning. Next year, such a tree should be transplanted to a permanent place, its root system will be ready for such stress.
When a seedling is planted immediately in a permanent place, its shoots are pruned more delicately. In this process, it is important to preserve as much foliage as possible and strengthen the roots of the tree.
So, the first pruning of seedlings is performed as follows:
- Competitive branches that are parallel to each other or intersect at some point are cut into a ring. At the same time, the weakest process is selected and filed, trying not to leave a hemp. A ring is a thickening or bulging that can be seen at the base of the shoots.If you cut right around the ring, the apple tree will heal the wound faster and the new shoots will be stronger.
- Shorten the main branches by cutting them by a third of their length.
- If the crown of the apple tree resembles a pyramid, it is necessary to cut the shoots to the outer bud. This means that the shoots should be directed outward, and not towards the trunk of the tree.
- An overly spreading crown is regulated by pruning on the inner bud. In this case, the length of the central shoot should not exceed 15 cm.
- The lowermost shoots should be weighted down to level them and give them the correct position. For this, small loads are suspended.
- You should not once again resort to pruning apple trees, this is still too traumatic a procedure. Young and weak branches can be tied to stronger ones, thereby giving them the right direction. Stronger branches can be bent down by pressing them to the ground and leveling them.
The crown of a young tree is formed according to the following rules:
- the center conductor should be located either vertically or with a slight deviation to the side;
- this offshoot should not have competitors - parallel or nearby growing branches;
- the length of the main branches and their number should be uniform.
The first pruning of the seedling is very important, because at this time the shape of the crown is formed.
How to prune young, non-fertile trees
Until the apple tree bears fruit, it is necessary to have time to form its crown so that the branches do not intersect and are evenly distributed relative to the trunk. The growing tree should be able to support the weight of about 100-150 kg of apples.
If you prune the shoots regularly and little by little, fruiting will come sooner and more abundant. Rare but drastic pruning is harmful to plants.
The nuances of processing 2-5-year-old apple trees are as follows:
- if the fruit branches are shifted to the crown, they must be shortened and thinned out, otherwise fractures will appear;
- if the crown is too thick, there is no point in shortening the shoots - they need to be drastically removed;
- when the tree has grown to 3-6 meters, it is necessary to leave its growth - to pin the central conductor;
- if the apple tree does not bear fruit for a long time, it should not be touched - pruning can be done later.
How to prune fruiting apple trees
To avoid having to cut out thick old branches, you should prune apple trees regularly. Wounds from cutting out large shoots will be large, harder to heal and often cause tree disease.
The main task of the gardener at the stage of active fruiting is to thin out the crown and block the strongly growing lateral shoots.
How to properly prune an old apple tree
Aged trees are not able to withstand strong pruning, therefore, their crown must be formed gradually, stretching this process over several seasons.
In doing so, do the following:
- every season, one or two powerful, but diseased or non-fertile branches are cut;
- choose a central conductor or a strong lateral shoot, which is not touched and a new crown is formed around it;
- sharp and broken forks are removed;
- diseased and damaged branches are cut into a ring;
- tops (growth on the trunk and side shoots) are also removed on the ring;
- remove the old bark that has separated from the trunk.
Conclusion
If now it became clear when can you cut apple trees in the fall, then questions still remain with the frequency of this event. Ideally, pruning of trees is done as needed, and the gardener should have enough experience to do this.Beginners are advised to process the garden every season, choosing low pruning and gentle schemes.
How to properly prune garden apple trees is described in this video:
