Pruning fruit trees in autumn
A popular question among amateur gardeners is when to prune fruit trees. Experts answer: at any time of the year (with minor clarifications). But in winter it is cold, many do not go to the dacha at all. In spring, the trees bloom, it’s a pity to cut such beauty! In the summer, a crop ripens on them – even more pitiful. But autumn is the best time! The second question is how to properly prune a tree. We explain

Three cutting stages

1. Shorten the barrel (Fig. 1). The optimal height is 2 m, it can be lower. It is so convenient to collect fruits: they will not fall from a height, you will not have to climb stairs for them. But here it is important to cut the trunk correctly – just above the upper skeletal branch, literally 1 – 2 cm. If you leave a stump, it will soon rot, and a hollow will form on the crown, where rainwater will fall. And then the tree will die pretty quickly.

2. Cut out all the shoots growing inside the crown (Fig. 2). They thicken the tree, air and moisture stagnate inside, and as a result, pests settle there and fungi multiply. A tree cut according to the rules should have the shape of a bowl: it is empty inside, all branches are located outside. Gardeners have this expression: “A sparrow should calmly fly through the crown.” Removing excess shoots creates the best conditions for light and air access, and also contributes to the earlier and more abundant formation of fruit wood (1).

3. Trim lateral skeletal branches (Fig. 3). Their length should be about 2,5 m. And they need to be cut to the outer branch, which “looks” outward.

Rejuvenating pruning of fruit trees kills three birds with one stone: the fruits become larger, the yield increases by 20 – 60%, the frost resistance of trees increases, and besides, they are easier to process from diseases and pests. Strong anti-aging pruning should be carried out once every 1-5 years, depending on the condition of the tree (15).

Possible problems after trimming

Rejuvenation of an old tree is a cardinal measure, so problems may arise in the spring.

Tops. These are young fattening shoots that often grow inside the crown or directly on the trunk – the tree is trying to restore the previous crown volume. But we do not need them, so they need to be cut out. And it’s even better to pluck as soon as they appear – this way the tree is less injured. But not all of them – some of them that grow in the right directions must be left and then new branches should be formed from them – in 3 – 5 years they will form a good and strong tree skeleton (3).

Broken branches. The size of the crown and the volume of the roots of any tree are balanced. After a cardinal pruning, this balance is disturbed – a huge number of roots actively pump water and supply nutrients upwards, and there are few shoots and leaves. And all this wealth goes to the formation of a large harvest. For us, this is good! The fruits are large and plentiful. But sometimes the branches do not withstand and break. Therefore, in the summer, under large branches, you will have to put props. The ideal option is horns, peeled from the bark, with a pointed lower end, so that it is convenient to stick them into the ground. In the fork under the branches, you need to put pieces of matting or dry grass so that the branches are not damaged when they are swayed by the wind (4).

And if the trees are very large and heavily thickened, then extend the operation for 2-3 years – this way the tree suffers less (5).

3. Abundance of wounds. After a cardinal pruning, the fruit tree is literally covered with cut wounds. And any wound is an open gate for infection. Therefore, as soon as one tree has been rejuvenated, immediately cover up all the damage, including small cuts from the pruner. And only then proceed to pruning the next tree.

How to cover saw cuts on a tree

For many summer residents, the answer is obvious – garden pitch. But in fact, not every var benefits the tree. Scientists from the Institute of Horticulture of the Ukrainian Academy of Agrarian Sciences decided to conduct an experiment: from 2008 to 2011, they used 17 types of garden putty to treat apple trees and came to disappointing conclusions – 70% of them not only do not treat trees, they cripple them!

For the standard, scientists took an untreated saw cut and compared which vars accelerate the healing of the wound, and which, on the contrary, slow it down. So, according to their data, BlagoSad slices (by 51,1% compared with the untreated standard), Lac Balsam Celaflor (20,7%), Malusan Wunderverschluss Neudorff (3,4%), BC-1 (2,3, 0,2%) and RanNet (XNUMX%). The last three brands, although the percentage of overgrowth is higher, is so insignificant that it is not worth spending money.

And another point that few people know about: garden pitch can be used to putty wounds whose diameter does not exceed 2 cm. It is not suitable for large saw cuts. In this case, you need to use oil paint based on drying oil.

How to care for a tree after pruning

Next year, the trees will need to be well fed and do this twice a season:

  • in April – 0,5 buckets of rotted manure or 1 – 2 kg of chicken manure per 1 sq. m near the trunk circle;
  • in early June – the same fertilizers in the same doses, and instead of organics, you can use mineral fertilizers – ammophoska or ammonium nitrate (according to the instructions).

In addition to nitrogen, pruned trees will need phosphorus in autumn – it enhances flowering, and potassium, which improves fruit quality and increases winter hardiness. Phosphate fertilizers are applied in spring, potash fertilizers in autumn.

And do not forget the main thing: after you make fertilizer, you need to water the trees at the rate of 2 – 3 buckets per 1 sq. m. And the next day, the soil in the trunk circle should be properly loosened.

Popular questions and answers

She told us a few secrets about pruning fruit trees agronomist-breeder Svetlana Mihailova.

What can replace garden pitch?

The well-known Saratov breeder, the author of many varieties of apple and pear trees, Galina Kondratieva has always been an opponent of garden varieties.

 

“You never know what the producers put there,” she said to future fruit growers. – Therefore, it is best to cover up the cuts on the trees with ordinary children’s plasticine. It is made strictly according to GOST, so that, therefore, it is ideal for fruit plants.

What to do with cut branches?

As a rule, fruit trees in our gardens are sick, and spores of pathogenic fungi remain on the branches. Therefore, the best option is to burn them. The ash can then be used as fertilizer.

 

Carrying branches to the nearest ravine or dumping them behind a fence is a bad idea. The spores are carried by the wind and diseases are sure to return to your garden.

When should trees not be pruned?

Trees cannot be pruned in winter if the air temperature is below 5 ° C – this can only be done during thaws. Otherwise, the cuts will not tighten.

 

And, of course, you can not cut the trees during the sap flow – in April. Otherwise, the juice will ooze through the wounds, they will not heal for a long time, and the juice is an ideal environment for the development of pathogens.

Sources of

  1. A team of authors, ed. Andreeva P. Fruit and berry garden and vineyard // Saratov, Saratov book publishing house, 1955 – 472 p.
  2. Lavrik P.I., Rybitsky N.A., Gavrilov I.S. Gardener’s desk book // L.: Lenizdat, 1972 – 568 p.
  3. Reznichenko A.G. Fruit Garden // M.: Nauka Publishing House, 1966 – 224 p.
  4. Kamshilov A. and a group of authors. Gardener’s Handbook // M .: State Publishing House of Agricultural Literature, 1955 – 606 p.
  5. Egorov V.I., Nazaryan E.A. Handbook of gardening. Guide to the collective and home gardening of workers and employees // M.: Profizdat, 1957 – 262 p.

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