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Each owner of a summer cottage dreams that garden trees give a rich, generous harvest, and the fruits please with bright color, aroma and size. To achieve all this on your personal plot, do not forget about pruning. And if you haven’t done it yourself until today and don’t know where to start, carefully read this article. She will help you get everything right.
Features of pruning seedlings
Pruning of apple tree seedlings is carried out in two ways: climatic (thinning branches) and shortening. In the process of shortening, it is necessary to remove part of the fruitful, perennial or annual branch. Thanks to this type of pruning, it is possible to cause thickening of the shoots of apple-tree seedlings, to help eliminate fruit overload on the tree, and to slow down the aging process. Shortening will promote the awakening of young buds, change the direction of growth and increase branching.
Thinning is the annular removal of shoots at their base. First of all, get rid of deformed, frozen, dried up and thickening crown branches.
These two types of pruning are carried out at the same time, regardless of the growth of the seedling and its fruiting. Pruning is an important and serious agrotechnical method. It must be carried out at a certain time, the most optimal is when the seedling is in a dormant period. Therefore, keep in mind that pruning is carried out at different times in each climatic region. So, if you live in a warm southern region, spend it in the autumn-winter period, and it is advisable for residents of the middle lane to do this procedure at the end of the winter season.
Seedling pruning scheme
If you are pruning in the winter, pay attention to the temperature. It should not be lower than -10 degrees Celsius. Even better if you wait for the thaw period. If you cut the seedlings during severe frosts, the tissue will begin to freeze on the sections, which can subsequently lead to the development of diseases. Yes, and wood with significant frosts becomes very fragile.
In the summer, the so-called green pruning is carried out, it includes pinching young shoots. As a rule, such pruning is not very common and is considered auxiliary.
Before proceeding with the pruning process, pay attention to the age of the fruit tree and the characteristics of its varieties. It is also necessary to take into account the size of the crown, the nature and type of wood. So, vigorous trees need to be pruned weakly and not as often as, for example, dwarf ones. If this is neglected and pruned heavily, this will contribute to the strong and rapid growth of new shoots. And in the end result, the crown of the tree will thicken greatly.
In the first year after planting the seedling, it is necessary to carry out the first pruning. If it is planted with unbranched annuals, they must be crowned – make a cut of annuals. Its height will depend on the growth of the rootstock. On average, it is about 90 centimeters. Varieties on medium-sized and seedling rootstocks are cut higher than dwarf and semi-dwarf ones. As soon as the shoots grow up, it is advisable to remove the leaves (sniffing) in the shamba area. In the event that the seedlings are planted as two-year-olds, it will be necessary to shorten the skeletal branches to the outer buds. As a result, we will achieve the expansion of the fruit tree. The order of pruning shoots is as follows: the upper ones are cut off by 2/3 or 3/4, and the lower ones by 1/3 or even less.
If you cut seedlings that are not properly formed (have a one-sided crown), the branches must be shortened to lateral buds, which will be directed exactly in the direction where there are no skeletal branches.
Pay attention to the angle at which the skeletal branches deviate from the trunk. If the angle of departure is very sharp, the growth of the skeletal branch will significantly outpace the rate of formation of fruit wood, which can lead to loss of yield. Such skeletal branches can also contribute to low photosynthesis by adversely affecting crown light. They are very weakly attached to the trunk and in the event of a heavy harvest, they can break off from the weight of the fruit. It follows from this that sharp corners in the formation of young fruit trees must be increased to at least 50 degrees. At the same time, they use spacers made of wood or use braces.
And a year after planting, skeletal branches can be cut off, transferring to the outside.
Consider the ratio of the growth of the lateral processes and the conductor. Everything will depend on the type of crown. If it is spreading, then the conductor itself should be 10 or 15 centimeters higher than the side branches, and if it is pyramidal, then by all 25 centimeters. In the event that the central conductor is missing or weakened, it can be replaced with a process that will be located below.
Methods for forming the crown of seedlings
There are quite a few options for crown formation in trees. And if you know at least a few, you will be able to independently and most importantly correctly form the correct crown for your trees. Consider the most simple forms. One of the best and lightest is whorled longline. For its formation, it is better when the tree has a short trunk, and branching begins at a height of 60 centimeters. If the shoots are located above the specified height, then in the future, when it becomes tall, it will be difficult to harvest from it.
An annual apple tree planted in your garden needs proper stem formation. Therefore, a year later, in the spring, it is necessary to trim the top of the spike. They do this on the basis of the rules, namely, at a height of 60 centimeters, 4 kidneys are counted, and the next two are plucked out, 2 kidneys located above are left in reserve. In the future, to obtain a vertical shape, the strongest and strongest upper shoot that has appeared will be tied to the thorn. This will create a new top. Do not forget about the second, weaker sprout. It needs to be cut out. Also, the spike will not be needed, it is removed the next year.
It is better if the crown has a beginning in the form of several closely spaced branches, they will form a whorl. The distance between such branches should be no more than 15 centimeters. And for this we left the lower kidneys at the very beginning. After pruning, new shoots will appear from them, which will form branches of the first order in the future.
The scheme of the formation of the crown of an apple tree
Depending on the number of branches in the whorl, the development of the tip will depend.
If only one branch is placed below, and there are no others, this is not very good and it is better to refuse to buy such a seedling. And vice versa, if there are more than 4 of them, then oppression and weak growth of the top of the trunk will occur.
All extra branches for 3-4 years must be completely removed. In this case, it is desirable that the angle of departure of the whorl is from 90 to 40 degrees. If this is not observed, and it will be blunt (more than 90 degrees), the branches will sag and grow poorly. In the event that the angle is less than 40 degrees, such branches will break from the weight of the fruit.
It is not enough to plant an apple tree and wait for a good harvest. It will take effort to make it bear fruit. And it is advisable to start with circumcision and crown formation. Procedures must be carried out while the apple tree is young and its branches are thin. If this is not done in time, you will often be surprised at the small harvest. With proper pruning, your garden trees will be beautiful, hardy and productive.
Video “Crown formation at an apple tree seedling”
This video will show you how to properly form the crown of an apple seedling.