How to prune a columnar apple tree: terms, diagrams and photos

Every person, especially in the summer, loves to eat delicious apples that were grown on their own land. But in addition to a simple desire, you also have to work hard to get your own apples. Most of the effort is spent on growing apple trees.

Here we will try to deal with all the nuances of caring for such a species as a columnar apple tree. What needs to be done so as not to harm the tree, but to help ensure its full growth.

Do I need to prune columnar apple trees?

When properly planted, a columnar apple tree grows approximately 40 cm during the first year during the growing season. At the same time, you should not strive for the tree to actively grow upwards, as this will not have any effect on fruiting.

When the apical bud is damaged or frozen, young trees develop several strong shoots, which are located slightly below the top. In this case, you should choose the strongest shoot – it will be the main one, and the rest must be shortened.

For productivity, it is important to take timely measures that are aimed at protecting trees from a variety of pests, weeds, diseases and rodents. There are certain varieties of the columnar apple tree that are resistant to certain types of diseases. In this case, preventive measures are taken at the beginning of the growing season. If cancerous wounds have formed on the tree trunk, then they must be cleaned and then treated with a mixture of mullein and clay in a 1: 1 ratio.

All of the above actions regarding planting and growing columnar apple trees will help the gardener achieve a large annual harvest and extend the fruiting period of the tree.

The structure of the trunk of a columnar apple tree is characterized by the fouling of the entire tree with ringlets, which prevents the formation of a large number of side shoots. Experienced gardeners say that pruning is not always necessary to maintain the shape of the correct crown. After all, the apical bud on a tree cannot be damaged or broken under any circumstances. A tree is able to maintain a relatively regular shape of its crown throughout its life, and a person does not have to perform certain intentional actions in order to maintain the appropriate appearance of the columns. As a result, pruning of columnar apple trees, as a way to maintain the crown of a tree, is not very effective in this case.

Therefore, the question of the need for pruning, each gardener determines for himself. It all depends on individual preferences. If you want to get a strict and classic columnar shape, then the crown of the tree must be cut after a certain period of time. In this case, only small and young shoots that are less than a year old should be cut. It is also necessary to leave a pair of buds at the base of the shoot. As a result, you can get a beautiful crown, and not harm the fruits. But if this is not important and you are satisfied with the slightly “disheveled” appearance of the tree crown, in this case, pruning can be completely omitted. In this case, your apple tree will look more natural and natural.

But at the same time, one should definitely remember about the peculiarity of columnar apple trees – budding occurs throughout the tree (even on the trunk) and therefore the presence of a large number of lateral branches will select a lot of nutrients that could be used to form fruits.

It is this aspect that to a certain extent outweighs the scales in favor of pruning.

Pruning a columnar apple tree is necessary under certain conditions:

• fruiting improvement. In this case, when the yield is reduced due to the fact that the life of the tree is coming to an end, you can carry out the so-called “rejuvenating” pruning. To do this, in the spring (March, April), pruning of trees with one trunk at a level of 70 cm is carried out. This will stimulate the growth of new shoots. Then, you need to choose the strongest trunk, and cut the rest this year. In the case when the tree is formed using several trunks, the approach to pruning should be individual;
• as a way to increase the yield, pruning can be used under adverse conditions that adversely affect this indicator (for example, during a drought) and to improve tree nutrition.

But why do some experienced gardeners insist that pruning of this type of tree is necessary? This statement is based on the advantages that cropping brings with its simplicity:

• allows you to form a beautiful and regular shape of the tree crown;
• prevents branches from tangling together if they are tightly planted;
• allows you to strengthen the young branches on the apple tree;
• allows the fruits of the tree to receive much more sunlight than in the absence of pruning;
• with pruning, you can strengthen and rejuvenate old branches, as well as replace them with younger ones.

Based on the foregoing, we can conclude that pruning is more useful and beneficial than its absence. So it’s better to spend a couple of hours pruning trees and get a juicier crop, as well as increase its volume.

Features and trimming scheme

If you still decide that pruning is necessary, you should follow certain rules in order to prevent a decrease in yield and not cause irreparable harm to the tree as a whole.

The main rule that must be followed is that the more cut off, the more active the growth of the remaining side shoots will be. Therefore, you can cut off more than half of the branch at a time, while leaving only a couple of buds on it. This will lead to the fact that by the fruiting season, the young shoots will become the most powerful. But it should be remembered that in no case should you cut or damage the apical kidney.

You also need to remember that the closer the branch is to the vertical, the stronger it grows in relation to the underlying deviated branches. Removing them will prevent the formation of unnecessary branches. For this reason, do not trim the center conductor at the column. In order for you to succeed, and the result is pleasing to the eye, you must adhere to the correct scheme.

Scheme for the formation of columnar apple trees:

• 1st year or year of planting – the main trunk of the apple tree and all its side branches are cut;
• 2nd year – all lateral shoots are pinned to a length of about 30 cm. At the same time, the upper shoot remains unchanged – it will serve as a continuation of the trunk in the future;
• 3rd year – it is necessary to pinch the upper shoot at a level of approximately 20-25 cm, and the pinning of side shoots is carried out at a level of up to 40 cm;
• 4th year – this year, the branches of the 3rd year are thinned out in spring, and the thinnest and smallest crowns growing inside and leading to shading each other are removed;
• 5th year – tree growth is limited at a height of about 3 m. In June, green shoots should be pinched and thickening branches removed;
• 6th year and beyond – every spring, it is necessary to remove the growing and thickening shoots that remain from the previous year.

This procedure at different times of the year (spring, early summer or in preparation for winter) requires certain work.

To achieve the best result, you must follow the following rules:

• only young annual shoots are subjected to the procedure;
• it is imperative to leave a pair of buds at the base of each pruned branch;
• intensively growing shoots can be limited in the middle of summer with a special clothespin. This will help distribute nutrients in the tree itself, and not let them go on growth shoots and leaves. Such actions can significantly improve the quality of the crown, as well as the entire tree as a whole;
• one year after the first pruning, the side branches should be cut into two buds. This is repeated the next year as well. In the third year, in summer, the horizontal branch that has not been pruned will bear fruit, and the vertical one will bear two young shoots. Such a fruit link will bear fruit for five years, and then it is removed and the lower part of the tree is exposed;
• the apical or crown shoot must be tied to a support, but fruit links should be formed from the rest.

Rules for pruning the apical shoot:

• in the first year after planting the tree, it is necessary to cut the side branches into two buds. This must be done before the sap flow period, which will allow a pair of annual and strong shoots to grow;
• in the second year, one of the new shoots is cut into two buds;
• in the third year, the branch that bore fruit last year must be cut off, and with the rest of the shoots, repeat the procedure of the second year.

Video “Pruning a columnar apple tree”

The rules for pruning a columnar apple tree can be found on the video.

Proper care and pruning of columnar apple trees will not only help you get a large and annual harvest, but also give your garden a neat and well-groomed look that will please the eye.