Old trees in the garden: how to revive fruit trees
Fruit trees and berry bushes are not eternal. They, like people, age. And over the years, the harvest is less and less. But they can be restored to youth if properly trimmed. And every culture has its own characteristics.

Apple trees and pears

These fruit trees are pruned the same way.

The first step is to shorten the trunk to a height of 2 m, you can even smaller – it is more convenient to collect fruits. It is necessary to saw off just above the upper skeletal branch, literally 1 – 2 cm. If you leave a stump, it will soon rot, a hollow will form on the top of the head, and the tree will die.

Then you need to cut out all the shoots growing inside the crown – they thicken the tree, air and moisture stagnate inside, and as a result, pests settle there and fungal diseases actively multiply.

A tree cut according to the rules should have the shape of a bowl – it is empty inside, all branches are located outside.

The final touch is pruning the lateral skeletal branches. Their length should be approximately 1 – 1,5 m (1). And you need to cut them to the outer branch, which “looks” outward.

Cardinal rejuvenating pruning should be carried out not in one fell swoop, but stretch it for 2-3 years (2).

Cherry

It is very difficult to cut cherries, only a specialist can do it, because there are many nuances in this matter. For example, pruning bush and tree cherries differ significantly. And a little something is wrong – the cherry can die. So it’s better not to risk it.

But what must be done is to cut out all the shoots. It greatly weakens the cherry, and the yield drops sharply. However, not all offspring need to be removed – 2 – 4, which appeared at a distance of 1 – 1.5 m, can be left if you want to have more cherries of this variety in the garden (3).

Cherry

This tree does not like cardinal pruning, so you can’t wait until the cherry turns into a deep old woman – you need to form it annually, in 2 stages:

  • at the end of winter – in early spring, before bud break, all shoots are cut out that grow inside the crown, located at an acute angle to the trunk and skeletal branches, dry and broken;
  • at the end of June, all the shoots of the current year are shortened by 1/5 so that they do not grow more upwards, but throw all their strength into ripening – then the tree will winter better.

Plum

Plum, like cherries, is prone to gum disease, so the trees must be cut not in one fell swoop, but in two stages. At the end of winter – the beginning of spring, all dry, weak shoots and branches that extend from the trunk at an acute angle must be completely removed from the old tree. At the end of July, you can cut off the top, shorten by a third the fast-growing and thickening crown shoots.

Japonica

In this shrub, damaged and thickening shoots are pruned, as well as everything older than 5 years, since the crop is mainly produced by 3-year-old branches. Properly formed bushes should have about 15 branches of various ages.

Many varieties of chaenomeles grow well. But if voids form in the crown, then where there are few branches, they are shortened to the 5th leaf (from the base of the branch). All new shoots are left until next spring, and even then they are cut into 2-3 buds. Such a double pruning will allow you to form a uniform dense crown.

By the way, adult Japanese quince plants tolerate a haircut well and, if desired, they can be given any shape.

Chokeberry Rowan

Aronia bears fruit well until the plant is 8 years old. And then the yield drops sharply. Therefore, everything that is older than this age must be ruthlessly cut out.

If you prune annually, then in the spring you will have to remove no more than 2 – 3 old branches. If the bush is running, it is necessary to make a cardinal pruning – cut off all the shoots indiscriminately, leaving small stumps. Very soon, a lot of new shoots will grow from the roots. Of these, you need to choose 2 – 3 of the strongest, and delete the rest. And in a year or two, the bush will be in perfect physical shape, which means it will please with a harvest.

Honeysuckle

The main problem of this shrub is that it branches very strongly, gives a lot of tops in the crown and shoots from the base of the bush. And the plant itself is very light-loving. And over time, all the branches that are in the shadow of their neighbors simply dry up. Therefore, the main task of cropping is to remove all unnecessary.

First of all, dry branches. Then all the weak ones – they still will not give a good harvest. Further, all that go from the base of the bush. An exception is made only if the bush needs to be rejuvenated. Then a few “earthen” shoots are left as substitutes. All perennial branches must be cut, and last year’s growths should be left.

If you inherited a very old bush, which really does not give any growth, then it is better to cut it off, as they say, at the root. And from a strong young growth to form a new one.

Popular questions and answers

We talked about pruning fruit trees with agronomist-breeder Svetlana Mikhailova.

What time of year can fruit trees be pruned?

Practical in any, but there are nuances. For example, in winter, pruning can be carried out at temperatures above -5 ° C. At lower temperatures, cuts and cuts do not heal. You can not prune during sap flow – this is literally 2 weeks in April.

 

It is most convenient to prune trees in the fall, after leaf fall – at this time all the shoots are clearly visible.

How to prune old fruit trees?

Large branches and the central trunk – with a saw. Manual is better, because in old, neglected trees, the shoots are often located close to each other and intertwined. Yes, a chainsaw is easier and faster, but it can severely injure closely spaced branches. And thin shoots that thicken the crown are more convenient to cut with a sector.

How to cover up cuts and saw cuts after pruning fruit trees?

Large saw cuts, with a diameter of more than 2 cm – with oil paint based on natural drying oil. Slices of twigs – children’s plasticine.

 

Special garden pitches, as shown by one study, in the vast majority do not have the claimed property – to accelerate the healing of the wound. And some even inhibit scarring.

Sources of

  1. Kamshilov A. and a group of authors. Gardener’s Handbook // M .: State Publishing House of Agricultural Literature, 1955 – 606 p.
  2. Kudryavets R.P. Pruning garden plants. Self-instruction manual in diagrams and drawings // M .: Eksmo, 2021 – 192 p.
  3. Emelyanov F.A., Kruglova A.P., Kulikov V.A., Sazhin N.S., Gryazev N.D., Kinkovskaya N.I., Berkut O.D., Molchanov A.I., Khramov P .BUT. Fruit and berry garden and vineyard // Saratov, Saratov book publishing house, 1955 – 472 p.

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