Pruning an old apple tree
Many gardeners never prune their trees. What for? In nature, they grow on their own. That’s right, but if you look at a wild apple tree, you will find that the fruits on it are small and sour and, as a rule, everything is scab

The same thing happens with varietal trees: if unnecessary branches are not removed in time, the plants will start to hurt, the fruits will shrink and their taste will become worse. So we pick up a saw, pruner – and into the garden! March is the best time to bring apple trees into proper shape.

Как правильно обрезать старую яблоню

Pruning an old apple tree should be carried out in 3 stages.

1. Shorten the barrel. Apple trees and pears “on free grazing” grow up to 6 – 8 m. This is a lot, it is inconvenient to harvest from such a height, the fruits fall to the ground and deteriorate. As a result, most of the crop goes to waste. Therefore, the trunk must be cut at a height of 2 m. It must be cut just above a large branch (Fig. A). You should not leave a large “stump”: over time, it will dry out, a hollow will form in its place, moisture will get there and the tree will rot in the bud.

2. Вырезать загущающие ветви. В первую очередь крупные сучья, которые растут внутрь (1). Они сильно затеняют крону, там застаивается воздух, а такие условия идеальны для размножения патогенов. В конечном итоге дерево должно приобрести форму чаши (рис. Б).

Но учтите, толстые сучья на деревьях ни в коем случае нельзя пилить в один прием – они в большинстве случаев обламываются под собственным весом, кора задирается, и рана потом долго не заживает. Поэтому пилить такие ветки надо в 3 приема:

  • at a distance of 50 – 75 cm from the base, file the branch from the bottom to about half of its diameter;
  • retreat higher along the branch 15 – 20 cm and file it again to half the thickness, but from above – under the weight of its own weight, the branch will break off along the line of cuts;
  • the remaining branch must be cut off into a ring.

3. Обрезать боковые скелетные ветви. The maximum length of large branches should not exceed 2,5 m. They are cut in the same way as the trunk – just above the branch. The branch is chosen one that looks outside the crown, and not inside (Fig. B).

После такой кардинальной обрезки на дереве начнут активно расти вертикальные побеги, так называемые волчки. Большинство из них надо будет удалить, причем делать это лучше сразу, как только они появляются: их можно просто прищипнуть пальцами, не дожидаясь, пока они одревеснеют. Часть волчков, если они растут в нужных местах, можно оставить, чтобы сформировать из них скелетные или плодовые ветви (2).

In addition, it is necessary to cut and small branches:

  • Расположенные одна над другой. Идеальный вариант, если в одном ярусе все ветки направлены в разные стороны. В другом – тоже в разные, но со смещением относительно нижнего яруса. Понятно, что плодовые деревья не растут с геометрической точностью, но при обрезке нужно оставлять ветви, максимально приближенные к рисунку.
  • Growing at an acute angle to the trunk or shoot (3). Over time, increasing their own mass, they will break off. And this is another wound on the tree. This can happen to any tree, but most often this problem occurs in Cinnamon, Borovinka, Kitayka Golden apple trees. The angle of the branch must be greater than 45° – this is a guarantee of strength.
  • Скрещенные между собой. При порывах ветра они задевают друг друга и травмируются, а любая рана – открытые ворота для инфекции.

Rules for caring for an old apple tree after pruning

Омолаживающая обрезка в конечном итоге идет яблоне на пользу. Но первое время у нее будет стресс. Поэтому важно о ней позаботиться.

Cover up the wounds. The standard option is garden pitch. But there are studies by scientists that have shown that most vars not only do not help wounds heal, they slow down this process. Practice has shown that it is better to paint over large saw cuts with oil paint on natural drying oil. And small sections, up to 2 cm in diameter, are best covered with plasticine.

feed. После обрезки дерево начнет активно наращивать побеги, поэтому в течение сезона его нужно будет хорошо удобрять.

  • in April – any nitrogen fertilizer (ammonium nitrate or urea): half of what is recommended in the instructions;
  • in May – superphosphate according to the instructions;
  • в июне – вторую половину от рекомендованного в инструкции любого из вышеупомянутых азотных удобрений;
  • in September – potassium sulfate according to the instructions.

In all cases, fertilizers simply need to be evenly scattered over the soil surface along the diameter of the crown. And then water well (2 – 3 buckets per 1 sq. M).

Popular questions and answers

We addressed typical questions about pruning old apple trees agronomist-breeder Svetlana Mikhailova.

When is the best time to prune an old apple tree?

Pruning of apple trees can be carried out at almost any time of the year, except for April, when active sap flow begins in the trees. And there are restrictions on pruning in winter – it can only be done at air temperatures above -5 ° C. The rest of the time, you can cut apple trees, but it is most convenient to do this in March or autumn, when the leaves fall – at this time the crown is clearly visible.

Можно ли обрезать старую яблоню кардинально?

Rejuvenating pruning beam stretch for 2 – 3 years. In the first year, shorten the central trunk, in the second, cut out a few extra skeletal branches, in the third, shorten the remaining skeletal branches and cut out all excess shoots. If you cut a tree in one fell swoop, a huge number of tops will appear on it, for which the plant will spend a lot of energy to the detriment of the harvest.

When to do the next pruning of an apple tree after rejuvenation?

Apple trees need to be pruned annually – this is the only way you can maintain the correct crown of the tree, and this is the basis for the health of the tree and its abundant fruiting.

Sources of

  1. Dubrova P.F., Egorov V.I., Kamshilov N.A., Koroleva N.I. et al. Gardener’s Handbook, ed. Second // State publishing house of agricultural literature, Moscow, 1955 – 606 p.
  2. Fruit and berry garden and vineyard (under the editorship of P. Andreev) // Saratov book publishing house, Saratov, 1955 – 472 p.
  3. Reznichenko A.G. Fruit Garden // Nauka Publishing House, Moscow, 1966 – 224 p.

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