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A well-formed crown of an apple tree gives a rich harvest. When laying a garden, the owner of the site learns how to properly prune apple trees. An unmistakable procedure, especially at the beginning of the growth of the seedling and in working with fruit branches, guarantees the successful development of the tree and the annual abundant fruiting. When there is still no sap flow after the winter cold, you need to start pruning apple trees in early spring. The deadlines are short, the gardener must be in time before the heat.
Main point of care
Pruning is sometimes referred to as the main care item for fruit trees. It starts from the moment the seedling is planted and changes according to the stages of tree growth. Proper pruning of apple trees in spring contributes to:
- Creation of a crown that provides the fruits with the desired degree of illumination and at the same time convenient for harvesting;
- Strengthening branches and their impeccable development;
- Reduced thickening, which reduces the risk of damage by fungal diseases and pests;
- Increasing the number of fruit-bearing branches;
- Timely disposal of damaged branches, natural incubators of pathogens and pests.
How to properly prune an apple tree in spring is discussed in the article.
How to choose tools
Unfortunately, amateur gardeners believe that a tree can be approached with a conventional construction saw. But before the date when they start pruning apple trees, you need to purchase:
- Garden saws, which have a special bend and narrowing towards the end of the blade;
- Loppers with rods of different lengths for removing hard-to-reach branches;
- garden knives;
- Secateurs.
The cutting blade must be sharp, clean and free of rust. When pruning, the stump remains even, not soaked. For beginners, before pruning an apple tree in the spring, it is advisable to practice working with newly acquired tools.
Cut point processing
When an apple tree is pruned in the spring, you need to know how to cover up the wounds. Slices are processed so that juice does not flow:
- Garden mastic or pitch;
- A solution of lime and copper sulfate in a ratio of 10: 1;
- Oil paint;
- Plasticine.
Places of saw cuts on old trees are processed immediately after the operation, and on young ones – after 24 hours.
Recently, there have been many supporters of the theory that trees recover better if the cuts are not covered with anything. Each gardener decides what to do with a particular tree.
How to decide on a date
When asked if apple trees are pruned in spring, experienced gardeners answer in the affirmative. At this time, fruit trees tolerate the destruction of the bark the least painlessly and, with the onset of sap flow, quickly recover from stress. It is necessary not to miss the time when apple trees should be cut. Which month to choose, from the end of January to the beginning of April, the weather of the area tells. In frosts below -8 0C procedures can cause irreparable damage to trees. Trees become very brittle and branches easily break under the weight of the tool, the wounds are uneven.
The timing of pruning apple trees in the spring is limited to the beginning of sap flow. A lot of juice can ooze through wounds at the site of large saw cuts. Trees weaken, fall ill, easily succumb to pests, fruiting decreases. In particularly difficult cases, plants may die. The best time for pruning apple trees is when temperatures are near freezing and the plants are still dormant.
Which season is better
Many amateur gardeners know that trees are advised to prune in the fall. Such procedures are done only for sanitization, removal of dry branches. It is necessary to invest in terms after leaf fall, but long before frost. Deciding when it is better to prune apple trees – in autumn or spring, they determine whether the wounds on the tree can heal before the onset of frost. If, before the cold weather, the plants manage to cope with stress and overgrow the cuts of a large area on the wood, pruning is possible. Another point in favor of choosing the timing of spring pruning of apple trees is the ability to timely remove branches that died during the winter due to freezing or broken during bad weather. Apple trees will not waste energy on restoring damaged wood, but will direct them to buds and flowers. Neat cuts under the influence of the sun and moisture heal quickly after proper pruning of the apple tree.
Formation of an annual seedling
Young trees planted in autumn are pruned in spring. Forming the crown must begin from the first year. With the right structure, the tree does not need any supports, since a harmonious relationship is created between the location of the branches and the number of fruits. Its yield depends on how to properly prune an apple tree seedling in the first spring. The most popular crown is sparse, in several tiers.
- The central stem is cut off, forming a trunk at a height of 1 m. Future skeletal branches are formed from the buds during the season;
- If the seedling has already formed branches, they are shortened to 30-40 cm, or 3-5 buds;
- Pruning of apple seedlings in spring is carried out according to the scheme generally accepted for all varieties;
- Branches growing at an angle of less than 45 degrees to the central trunk are removed. Branches located at an acute angle often break off the trunk during a strong storm, causing damage to the entire tree. Such branches also collapse under the weight of a bountiful harvest;
- The larger the shoot angle, the stronger and more productive the future adult branches. When pruning apple tree seedlings in spring, it is important to leave branches formed at an almost right angle to the conductor.
Working with a two year old seedling
When deciding how to prune 2-year-old apple trees in spring, the same rules are taken into account as for the initial formation of a seedling. From all the branches that have developed, choose those that meet the requirements for creating a strong and productive tree structure. For the future crown, 3 to 5 strong branches are left, guided by the scheme for beginners when pruning apple trees in spring.
- The key to a strong and well-bearing crown is skeletal branches extending from the conductor at an angle of 60 to 80-90 degrees;
- Starting to form a tiered crown, the lower branches are cut less, and the upper branches are created shorter by 25-30 cm;
- It is important to consider for beginners in pruning apple trees in spring that the conductor is located 20-30 cm above all branches, or 4-5 buds;
- In the event of a bifurcation of the top of the central trunk, which grows with a fork, one, usually weaker branch, is removed. It is possible, with the help of stretch marks, to transfer the extra branch of the fork into the category of a skeletal second or third tier.
A hint in the spring pruning procedure for beginners is to leave a strong branch coming out at a sharp angle. Then it is also tied to a peg driven into the ground not far from the seedling, and pulled back so that it grows more horizontally.
Formation of a young tree
If the garden is young, then the owner, during the period when apple trees can be cut in spring, will have more time for 3-5-year-old seedlings. A rounded crown is already formed at this stage of development. Pruning will be minimal, including damaged parts, but very significant for apple trees that are starting to bear fruit.
- They carefully monitor the central trunk and remove the competing branch, preventing bifurcation;
- When studying how to prune a 3-year-old apple tree in the spring, they take into account that now is the time to shorten the conductor to the level of the branches of the second tier;
- With the rapid growth of protruding side branches, they are pruned to maintain the shape of the crown;
- When pruning branches of the following orders, be sure to leave bouquet, mixed and fruit branches, ringlets, rings and spurs. They will bear the first fruits.
Formation of a fruitful tree
When pruning apple trees in the spring, it is better to shorten the main branches so that the tree does not grow so rapidly, and more nutrients go to the creation of fruits. In addition, the ends of the branches will not interfere with the collection of apples. If the crown is harmoniously formed, the gardener has a little work to do at the time of spring pruning of apple trees.
- It is necessary to inspect the crown and remove the branches that thicken it, do not allow the sun’s rays to penetrate to the central trunk and the fruits that are tied inside the crown;
- Removing thickening branches promotes free aeration of the tree, which to some extent protects the plant from diseases and pests.
Be sure to take into account how to properly cut tops on an apple tree in spring. Vertical growths that appear over the previous season weaken the apple tree and thicken the crown. They have many large leaves that interfere with the sun’s access to the fruits. Thus, the shoots spoil the crop. All tops are removed.
How to recognize fruits
When pruning adult apple trees in the spring according to the scheme, you need to learn to recognize those that will have flowers and fruits. Tops go vertically, they are removed. Frozen branches are visible by small, not swollen buds, they are also cut off. Remove completely the branches that grow inside the crown and thicken it. The scheme for pruning an apple tree in spring for beginners provides for the preservation of small fruit branches:
- Ringlets grow no more than 5 cm. They are distinguished by circular scars, and there is a large kidney on the spear;
- Spears – processes perpendicular to the branch, up to 15 cm long. They are recognized by several pointed buds located in a close group;
- Studying the spring pruning of apple trees in detail, you need to remember about fruit twigs – thin, curved or straight one-year shoots up to 30-50 cm long. Later, fruits are formed on them;
- Old fruit branches with all types of fruit-bearing shoots are pruned if they are more than 10 years old. Over the years, replacement shoots should already have been formed.
Rejuvenation of an old tree
If there is a tree in the garden that is more than 30 years old, you need to think about how to prune the old apple tree in the spring. Anti-aging pruning will improve and continue the fruiting of the tree, as well as rid the entire garden of old branches that may be infected. But before the operation, you need to carefully examine the tree. You can rejuvenate it if the trunk is undamaged and there are strong skeletal branches.
- It is better to start radical pruning in the fall, cutting off dry and damaged branches;
- An approximate diagram will tell you how to properly prune apple trees in the spring so as not to destroy the tree with a large amount of cuts. First, cut the branches growing inward;
- The top of the trunk is also removed at a height of 3-3,5 m to open the crown;
- The next spring, rejuvenation is continued, removing powerful skeletal branches that interfere with the growth of other fruit-bearing ones;
- The rules for pruning apple trees in spring for beginners emphasize that no more than a third of the branches of the tree are removed each year.
Working with trees on a trellis
A tree formed parallel to the surface of a wall, fence or simply on a wire trellis ripens well, it is easy to harvest fruits from it.
- Forming an apple tree in one plane, strong shoots are directed in both directions from the conductor at a right or obtuse angle;
- The conductor is shortened 50 cm above the branches;
- The following year, pruning the apple tree in spring, the scheme is repeated: strong lateral shoots are fixed horizontally, the competitor that has developed after pruning the top is removed, as are weak shoots. The conductor is shortened in the same way;
- Young apical shoots from the lateral fortified branches of apple trees on a trellis should be lifted up with stretch marks in the summer. Otherwise, they will lag behind in development compared to the central trunk;
- Forming the third tier of a trellis apple tree, pruning in the spring does not change: developed branches are attached, weak and vertical ones are removed. The conductor is either cut off if a fourth line is formed, or tilted at a right angle, creating an upper horizontal;
- The height of trellis apple trees is from 1,8 m on low-growing rootstocks and up to 2,5 m on vigorous ones;
- According to the rules for pruning apple trees in the spring, tops are cut “on the ring”, which appear after the conductor is transferred to the horizontal;
- When creating a trellis, make sure that the bottom branches are longer than those at the top.
The formation of the crown, although a complex process, but the gardener needs to master these wisdoms. Beautiful apple trees and a rich harvest will be the result of labor.
