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Autumn pruning of fruit trees. Pruning scheme for fruit trees in spring: rules and recommendations

The preferred time for pruning is late winter and early spring, before new growth begins. During this period, pruning is carried out in a large number of garden plants, which include fruit trees.

Pruning trees is necessary to maintain the health of plants, to give them strength and beauty. In fruit-bearing crops this procedure contributes to higher yields.

The basic rules for pruning any type of tree are: use clean and sharp tools, cut under the diseased areas of the tree, timely processing of the cut.

There are 3 types of pruning:

1. thinning. This method of pruning is characterized by the removal of an entire branch. Its pruning is done where it branches off from a larger branch or trunk. This method is rarely used, since thinning does not stimulate growth and only reduces the weight of the plant. This method is suitable for decorative purposes so that the plant does not look too massive.
2. Non-selective pruning. Its essence lies in cutting the branch anywhere, which will stimulate the dormant buds to grow top shoots. This method helps to increase the density of the plant.
3. Selective pruning. According to her, pruning should be done to the nearest bud or side branch. The diameter of the remaining branch is equal to half the diameter of the removed shoot. This method reduces the height of the tree.

How to prune fruit trees

For many years my aunt rejoiced at the generous harvest of apples from her apple tree in her summer cottage. But time passed, and the harvest became less and less, until the tree ceased to bear fruit at all. Aunt decided that they were guilty climatic conditions, but the problem was different: it didn't prune the branches of the tree.

By pruning the branches of fruitful trees, you relieve the plant of the extra weight of the fruits and allow sunlight to penetrate into the center of the crown. The sun's rays and air penetrating into the center of the crown provide better circulation and do not allow the plant to get sick.

Trimming trees is distinguished by three types of crown:

1. tiered with a central conductor
2. change-leader
3. bowl-shaped

If the tree has not been pruned before fruit formation, then pruning will have to be done more strongly, with cutting and reducing the size of the branches. This is necessary to increase the yield of the tree and create a crown structure that will not bend or break under the weight of the crop.

Trees need to be pruned once a year. Thus, the plant will not suffer from severe pruning after more extended period time. It is possible to cut as many branches as the tree has grown over the past year.

Important! However, it must be remembered that when pruning old branches formed over the past year, the number of cut branches should not exceed 1/3 of all branches of the plant.

First of all, it is the old branches that should be deleted. If you are dealing with dwarf trees, then you should not get carried away with pruning branches in the same way as with ordinary trees. Trees over small size, than usual, differ in slower growth.

Some varieties of apple, pear and plum trees are distinguished by the formation of fruits on medium-sized branches, so if the crown has become too dense, you can safely cut off old and unproductive branches.

Keep an eye on the growth of horizontal branches, as branches that grow vertically, that is, upwards, give a large increase, but their yield decreases.

If branches, also directed vertically, grow downwards, then their productivity will be low due to lack of sunlight. Therefore, shoots that grow up and down should be cut off, leaving horizontal ones.

For a more complete understanding of the tree pruning process, watch the tutorial video for beginners with step-by-step instructions:

How to prune apple and pear trees

It is necessary to cut the tree according to the tiered type of crown. With age, the main shoot may droop due to the heavy fruit, preventing sunlight from reaching the lower branches. In this case, it is worth cutting the top of the main shoot.

With such a schedule sunlight will penetrate into the center of the crown, and new branches will grow upward, replacing the cut central trunk. Trim side branches as needed to easily reach any part of the plant.

How to prune a plum

Since the plum is predominantly a bushy tree, it is not possible to form a plant with a central stem from it. Another form of trimming is suitable here - cup-shaped.

If you have hybrids from Japan and America at your disposal, then they need to cut off large quantity branches than plum varieties from Europe. The top should be open for free access of sunlight to the lower branches. If the branches bend too much towards the ground, then they should be shortened.

How to prune peach and apricot

Such fruitful trees are characterized by a large growth of branches, so it is worth pruning them in large quantities to increase the yielding quality criteria. To make it convenient to work with these trees in the future, cut off the top of the crown. Do not forget about the branches that grow close to the ground.

After pruning is complete, do not get carried away with excessive feeding, as the tree will quickly grow new branches because of it. Due to the rapid growth of branches in summer, the tree may suffer in winter time of the year.

How to prune cherries

In a newly planted cherry, a crown is created with the main conductor, which, in older plants, is removed, and a modified-leader crown replaces the tiered crown type.

Pruning is done like pruning, but not in such a large amount, otherwise in winter the tree will be damaged by the cold, which will certainly affect the life expectancy of the cherry.

In order for a fruit tree or shrub to give a bountiful harvest, it must not only be watered and fed, but also cut. Why are some plants pruned in the fall and some in the spring?

Shrubs also need pruning. You need to pay attention to:, blackberry,. The main purpose of pruning is to form a crown to allow enough light to pass through. This in turn will lead to active growth of the shrub and an increase in yield. Pests will attack the bush in smaller numbers.

Blackcurrant pruned:

• During the dormant period, that is, while there are no leaves and buds on the tree. Also, the operation can be carried out during the harvest.
• Berries appear not only on mature, but also on young shoots. But on old branches, the harvest is not so plentiful, and the berries are not so juicy. You can identify old branches by color, they are darker.
• On a young bush there should be up to 10 large branches. The rest can be removed.
• When the bush matures, only the oldest shoots are removed, their number will be 1/3 of all.
• The remaining shoots are shortened either to the very base, or to the first bud.
• New branches should be added from the roots, so after pruning, the bushes spud.

Raspberries and blackberries trimmed:

• . This period begins at the end of summer.
• Pruning is sanitary in nature, that is, diseased or dried branches are eliminated.
• The fruits appear on the shoots of the second year.
• After harvesting, they can be cut to the very base, and up to 10 branches are left for the new season.
• Fruiting on the remaining branches will come next year.
• Young branches themselves are weak, so they need a garter. If the region has a cold climate, then the garter is done in the spring, when the shelter is removed.
• If the bush did not give a visible increase, then only the strongest shoots should be left, and the lateral processes should be shortened.

Gooseberries and currants are cut:

• During the dormant period, when there are no leaves and buds on the shrub.
• You can also carry out additional pruning in the summer. This is necessary for the formation of new growth in order to get more yield.
• These shrubs produce berries on old branches, so you need to leave only 5 mature branches no more than 25 cm.

In summer, young branches are pruned, leaving only a few leaves. Thus, the shrub will give all its strength not to the formation of new greenery, but to the ripening of berries.

Bilberry (blueberry) pruned:

• In winter or spring, before the period of active growth. Fruiting occurs on last year's lateral shoots.
• Young shrubs are pruned only lightly or not touched at all.
• Mature shrubs form, leaving in equally adult branches, medium and new growth.
• After sanitary pruning pruned young shoots to 2 buds, which fruited last year. If the bush is too thick, then 1/3 of all old branches are cut off at the root.
• After pruning, the bush must be mulched and sulfate fertilizers are applied.

Young and mature plants. In most cases, pruning is carried out in the spring to rejuvenate the tree and stimulate the growth of new shoots that will bear fruit in the future.

More information can be found in the video.

The best time for tree pruning- late winter and early spring before new growth begins - this is a favorable period for pruning most garden plants including fruit trees, berries and decorative bushes roses. Here are some tips to help you prune your trees the right way.

Successful pruning helps keep plants healthy, strong and beautiful. fruit crops increases productivity and improves crop quality. Whatever you cut, use only sharp, clean tools. Do not cut damp plants, cut below visible signs of disease, and treat the cut site as quickly as possible.

PRUNING FRUIT TREES

A few years ago, our neighbors planted fruit trees. At first, they rejoiced at the large, juicy fruits that appeared on young trees every autumn. But as the trees aged, the fruits became smaller, they were no longer so beautiful and tasty. The neighbors decided that the weather and unsuitable varieties were to blame. In fact, the problem was that they never pruned their trees.

Pruning keeps the trees in good condition and greatly increases the yield. By cutting some of the branches of a mature, fruitful tree, you reduce the number of fruits produced on it and provide better illumination inside the crown. The remaining fruits grow better (and the yield from this tree in terms of kg will also be larger), have a more attractive appearance. The increase in air circulation and the sun's rays penetrating the crown prevent the development of diseases.

Pruning is done in the spring, before the movement of juice in the plant begins, while the tree is still sleeping, but the wood is not frozen.

In young trees, with the help of light pruning, they usually form a crown of one of three types - longline with a central conductor (leader), modified - leader and cup-shaped.

When the tree begins to bear fruit, you will need to do more pruning, cut and shorten the branches. This measure will increase the yield of the tree and create a crown structure that can withstand a larger crop. Here are some pruning tips.

Do a pruning every year. Removing a few branches every year is less painful for your tree than heavy pruning every 2-3 years. As a rule, you can cut a number of branches from the crown, approximately equal to last year's growth, (but not more than 1/3 of all branches of the tree), you may find it necessary to remove new branches, but, first of all, try to cut out the old ones.

Do not heavily prune dwarf trees. Bonsai trees grow more slowly than normal trees, so their yearly pruning doesn't have to be as heavy.

Cut branches correctly. Cut the branch obliquely above the bud located with outer side branches. Pruning at an angle allows water to drain quickly from the cut, and pruning over an externally located bud promotes the formation of a shoot that does not thicken the crown.

Cut out old shoots. In some varieties of apple, pear and plum trees, fruits are formed not on the largest branches, but on small branches extending from them. With a large thickening of the crown, cut out the oldest and least productive branches.

Keep and support the growth of branches in a horizontal direction. Upward branches give a strong increase, but their yield is lower than that of horizontal ones. Directed downward and hanging branches - the least productive, and the fruits on them are obtained less light. Support branch growth in a horizontal direction by cutting straight up or down shoots.

Pruning apple and pear

Pruning your young apple and pear trees so that the tree retains the central trunk (guide, main shoot) and branches away from it at a steep angle.

As the tree ages, the guide may bend under the weight of the fruit and shade the branches below. If this happens to your tree, cut out the top of the main shoot. With this pruning, the illumination inside the crown will improve, and several new branches will begin to grow upwards to replace the removed leader shoot. If necessary, prune the upper parts of the lateral branches annually so that any part of the tree can be reached.

Plum

Plum trees have a bushy shape, so it is almost impossible to form a leader shoot tree from them. Do not try to remake nature, form a bowl-shaped crown in plum trees.

Japanese-American hybrids have stronger growth than European plums and should be pruned harder. As the tree ages, trim branches that are too close together and remove a small portion of the old branches each year. Keep the top of the crown open to create good conditions illumination for the lower branches. Cut branches that are too long and hanging to the ground.

peach, apricot pruning

These fruit trees are distinguished by such strong growth that in order to obtain an annual harvest of fruits good quality they need to produce a strong crown pruning. To obtain low trees that are easy to work with, it is recommended to cut the top of the crown. Also remove branches that grow close to the ground. Do not over-fertilize stone fruit fruit crops after pruning, otherwise they rapid growth replace pruned branches. With excessive growth during the summer, these trees are more likely to be damaged in winter. Some gardeners prefer to prune peaches at the time of flowering to prevent cancer, which is mainly spread in cold weather.

Making cherry pruning

Young cherry trees form a tiered crown with a central conductor. Then, as the plants age, the leader shoot is cut out and a modified leader crown is obtained. Pruning cherries is done in the same way as peaches, but not as much. Excessive pruning of cherries can cause frost damage to the trees and shorten the life span of the cherry tree.

THREE TYPES OF CUTTING

1. Thinning.

Remove the entire branch by cutting it where it branches off a larger branch or trunk. Used infrequently as thinning does not encourage regrowth and reduces plant weight without affecting plant size. After thinning, the bush does not look so massive.

2. Non-selective cropping

Cut the branch at any point. Such pruning stimulates the growth of top shoots from dormant buds under the pruning site. Non-selective pruning makes the plants thicker and bushier, but does not reduce the size of the bush.
3. Selective (selective) cropping.
Cut the branch to a bud or to a side branch. Usually the diameter of the remaining lateral branch should be half the diameter of the removed shoot. Twigs with a diameter of 3 mm or less are cut into buds. This method of pruning allows you to reduce the height of the bush while maintaining its natural shape. Some shrubs tolerate strong selective pruning, others do not.

How to trim correctly berry bushes.

BERRY SHRUBS - HOW TO CUT

Annual pruning of berry bushes allows you to keep the plants in a productive, healthy state and in good shape. Removing a few old branches allows young, productive shoots to grow and creates Better conditions to penetrate inside the bush of light (and this, in turn, due to improved photosynthesis leads to more sweet fruits) and air (reduces humidity, prevents the development of fungal diseases). Do not regret those flower buds that you remove along with the shoots: the berries grown on the bush will be larger and tastier!

Grapevine - how to prune correctly

Pruning grapes should be done while the plants are at rest. If your area has cold winters, wait until the buds begin to swell in late winter or early spring; so, you can make sure that the shoots that you leave on the bush are alive. (Juice may drip from the vine, but this does not harm the plant.)

The vine is usually formed according to the pruning system into four lashes, leaving a trunk from which 4 horizontal annual shoots (vines) extend: 2 in each direction along a wire stretched at 2 levels. An annual shoot is a vine that has grown over the past growing season, and only annual shoots produce fruitful twigs. Annual shoots are smooth, reddish-brown and easily distinguished from older shoots with dark, scaly bark.

To ensure this year's harvest, select 4 vines branching near the trunk and extending in opposite directions: 2 - at the level of the upper trellis and 2 - at the level of the lower one. Most fruits are formed on an annual pencil-thick vine, where the distance between nights is 15 cm.

Tie a ribbon around each vine you choose.

Then form rejuvenation shoots.

The buds on them will give shoots, the best of which you will select for fruit vines for the next year and they will provide you with a grape harvest.

To form rejuvenation shoots, pick up 4 branches extending close to the trunk. 2 - at the top trellis, 2 - at the bottom.
In this case, the age of the branches does not play a role, since each has buds at the base. Lay rejuvenation shoots, leaving branches with 2-3 buds on each knot.

Now proceed to the most "ruthless" pruning step: grit your teeth and remove all shoots from the vine, leaving only the trunk, 4 annual vines that you marked with tapes, and 4 knots for rejuvenation shoots. After that, cut the remaining vines to a length of about 1.5 m - a little longer if last year's growth is very strong, and a little shorter if last year's growth is weak.

Pruning raspberries and blackberries

With the exception of remontant varieties, the shoots of these crops usually form leaves in their first growing season, in the second - flowers and fruits.

Therefore, the first stage of pruning raspberries and blackberries is to remove all fruit-bearing shoots, which will die off anyway in the near future. Remove old branches immediately after harvest - in the summer or next spring before new shoots appear.

Pruning of blackberry raspberries, blackberries and common raspberries continues throughout the growing season. These plants form berries on side branches, which are stimulated by pinching off the tops when they reach about 0.9 m in height. Pinching strong varieties should be done at higher shoots, weak varieties are recommended to pinch at a lower height. Pinching several times a season as new shoots reach a height of 0.9 m.

All other pruning on blackberries and raspberries is recommended when the plant is at rest. Form the culture so that the shoots grow in bunches. Remove the weakest from the previous year by cutting them at ground level.

It is advisable to shorten the stems of red and golden raspberries so that the fruits formed on them do not touch the ground. Cut the stems at a height of 1.5 m (or at the height of your raspberry supports). For blackberries and blackberry raspberries, the side branches should be 30-60 cm long. For raspberries with creeping shoots, stems 2 m long and side branches 30-60 cm long are left. After trimming the stems of raspberries or blackberries, tie them to a support.

Remontant varieties of red and golden raspberries open up more opportunities for you. If you are ready to forego the summer fruiting of the crop, then after harvesting in the fall, you can simply cut off all the shoots at soil level. New shoots that appear in the spring will produce berries by the end of summer.

A few tips for properly pruning trees to get more yield:

• In order to increase the yield of raspberries, in addition to watering and top dressing, we pinch the tops of plants 2 times a year: in June-July, when they reach a height of 1-1.2 m, and in August-September at a height of 1.8-2 m. To in winter, the plant will stop growing, get stronger and tolerate frost well. The following year, after harvesting, dry branches are cut. There remain grown and plucked young shoots, which in the spring turn into lush bush. The yield increases by 2-3 times.
• When harvesting plums, cherries, etc. can serve good service the simplest device that will allow you to get to the very top berries. Tie a piece of a wide pipe to the end of a light stick, close it with a piece of gauze at the bottom, and sharpen the upper edge in the form of teeth.
• Keep the stems of red and golden raspberries off the ground. Shorten and tie up the left shoots
• The four vine pruning system may seem barbaric, but it produces large grapes.
• Annually remove the "tops" - upward shoots that grow in bunches around old cuts. These unproductive branches take the energy of the tree, obscure the ripening fruits and do not allow sunbeams penetrate the crown.

10 golden rules for pruning your garden

1. Trim trees regularly, but never do this work in temperatures below -8°C.
2. Use a reliable ladder, a sharp and well-functioning tool.
3. Remove all dead and diseased branches, as well as dried and diseased fruits.
4. Be sure to disinfect the tool with which you worked with diseased plants with alcohol, otherwise you risk infecting healthy trees and bushes. Remember: a little pruning provokes small stature new shoots, but strong, on the contrary, intense.
5. Create and maintain the desired shape of the plant's crown. When pruning branches growing in the same direction, remove the weak ones first, orient the strong ones to evenly occupy the space.
6. Orient the branches so that they come off the trunk at the right angle (45-60°).
7. Limit strong top growth in apple, pear, and stone fruit trees.
8. Remove old, poorly fruiting trees, replacing them with young ones.
9. Do not forget to regularly check the condition of the trunks and heal wounds.
10. Observe the reaction of the tree to pruning, use the experience gained in subsequent procedures.

Pruning garden trees - questions and answers

Many gardeners literally do not know which side to approach the tree from to shape it. Let's start with fundamental questions, the answers to which will help the gardener tune in and prepare for the upcoming pruning. This theoretical part must be remembered when approaching a tree with a pruner.

1. How does pruning affect the growth and fruiting of a tree?

Shortening regulates the number of awakened buds and the strength of shoot growth. With a strong shortening of annual branches, the length of the annual growth increases, but the total length of growths on the branch decreases compared to the unshortened branch. At the same time, the growth of shoots is delayed and there is a danger of their non-ripening and freezing. Therefore, a strong shortening is used in special cases - for example, when correcting appearance crowns. With weak shortening or without shortening, more buds are preserved, some of which, upon awakening, form shortened growths such as annuli and spears.

Branch bending moves the zone of awakening of the kidneys to the base of the branch. Branch bends to a vertical position enhance growth, to a horizontal position - fruiting. With arcuate bending, top-type shoots appear at the border of the bend and closer to the base of the branch, and fruiting, aging and drying intensify towards the top from the bend.

Interlacing, twisting, breaking and deformation of the branches is carried out to weaken their growth, increase the awakening of the kidneys, and turn them into fruit formations. Such branches are short-lived, and they are used temporarily to obtain an early harvest.

Blinding of the kidneys is carried out in order to prevent the development of shoots in unwanted places of the crown.

Pinching (pinching) is used to regulate the force of shoot development, accelerate the end of its growth, lignification, and turn growth shoots into overgrown shoots.

2. How does the tree react to pruning?

Pruning changes the growth of branches locally. Shortening one branch or cutting into a ring does not enhance the growth processes of another branch, even a nearby one.

The shortening of all branches of the crown leads to a decrease in the volume of the above-ground system of the tree, and a well-developed root system activates the growth processes of all branches. As a result, many dormant buds awaken and tops form along the entire length of the branch in the volume of the entire crown. This method of pruning has a negative effect on the development of young trees and, on the contrary, has a positive effect on mature trees, especially those that have reduced shoot growth.

The crowns of young trees from heavy pruning are excessively thickened, additional cutting of branches is required. The constant restoration of the lost parts of the crown delays the formation of fruit formations and flower buds. Therefore, a strong pruning of trees during the period of crown formation delays the entry into the fruiting season for 3-5 years, and the fruits are formed many times less than without pruning.

Strong pruning of mature trees, especially neglected ones that have not been pruned for a long time, restores the balance between growth and fruiting, many strong shoots appear, which are necessary for the formation of the crop, the quality of the fruits improves and the resistance of the tree to pests and diseases and to adverse winter conditions increases.

The reaction of the branch to the degree of shortening is different (see Fig.). The larger part of the branch is removed, the more growth appears on the remaining branch. The ability to grow is also the stronger, the larger the diameter of the cut branch and the more vertical position it occupies in the crown.

Weak shortening of branches in young trees leads to strong branching along the periphery of the crown and the absence of overgrowing branches inside it. Therefore, although the annual weak shortening does not affect the entry of trees into the fruiting season, but with a slight appearance of overgrowing fruit formations, a small crop is formed. Weak shortening of adult trees does not contribute to the awakening of dormant buds inside the crown, while new overgrowing branches do not appear.

3. When to prune a tree?

The formation of young and rejuvenation of fruit-bearing trees in which growth is weakened, as well as restorative pruning (in order to restore the lost branches of the crown and the optimal ratio between growth and fruiting), is best done in early spring. With these types of pruning, growth is enhanced on the branches, which is stronger the earlier the pruning is carried out. This relationship is due to the fact that all stocks nutrients accumulated in the roots and perennial parts of the tree are distributed among the remaining points of growth and fruiting.

With late pruning, when the buds have blossomed, all the reserve substances have already moved to the growth points, but they are removed with pruned branches, and the remaining buds have less reserve substances, therefore, the new shoot growth will be less. Nevertheless, this pruning period is used when reducing the height of the tree, thinning the crown, when strong restorative shoots (tops) are not needed, because they weaken the growth of the remaining branches and thicken the crown with powerful growth. Gardeners very rarely carry out late pruning. After all, when pruning during the period of bud swelling and flowering, many ringlets break off on the remaining branches, and when summer pruning you have to remove branches with a crop.

The pruning time is determined by the use of its types and methods. Therefore, it is carried out at all times of the year, but the main one is in early spring, before the buds swell. Late autumn and winter pruning is carried out only in areas where there is no extreme cold, otherwise there is a danger of damage to the bark and wood in places of cuts by frost or sunburn.

In summer, pinching of shoots is carried out, which, according to their location in the crown, should become overgrown with fruit-bearing ones, and they do not require strong growth. They also remove the tops that appear in the area of ​​large cuts when pruning the central conductor and reducing the height of the trees.

4. How to cut correctly?

Shortening thin branches is carried out with a secateurs, and thick ones with a garden hacksaw. A cut of a branch (last year's shoot) on a bud is carried out in such a way that the cut plane in the upper part passes above the bud, and in the lower part - at the level of the base of the bud.

When cutting large branches on the trunk, it is also necessary to follow the cut rule. At the base of the branch there is an influx, along which the branch is cut. You can not make a cut parallel to the trunk, in this case a large oval wound is formed, which will take longer and poorly overgrow. The cut should not be cut perpendicular to the trunk, as a stump will remain at the bottom of the cut, which can rot.

Sometimes there is no annular influx, especially in branches with an acute angle of origin. In order to correctly determine the place of the cut, two lines are mentally drawn - one parallel to the trunk, the second perpendicular to the branch to be removed, and a cut is made along the line dividing the formed angle in half.

When cutting large branches, as a rule, they do not leave stumps, since many top-type shoots form on them, which will have to be constantly removed, and the stump will also need to be cut over time. The stump (protective link) is left in rare cases - for example, if winter pruning is carried out and there is a danger of freezing of the bark and wood near the cut, but in the spring the stump is removed anyway. Or if a thicker branch is cut to transfer to a less thick branch (this situation may occur when the central conductor is removed), but after thickening the branch, the stump is also cut out. This operation is carried out after 2-3 years, but at this time it is necessary to monitor the condition of the hemp. So that it does not dry out, it is necessary to leave several small branches on it and constantly shorten them, preventing them from growing strongly. Otherwise, all nutrition will switch to their growth, and the lateral branch to which the transfer was made will weaken in growth.

When shortening overgrown branches, pay attention to their condition: remove weaker, less productive ones.

How to cover up wounds after pruning a tree?

After trimming the branches, the wounds are putty. As a putty, garden pitch, petrolatum, paints on vegetable drying oil are used, as well as various mixtures. Along the periphery of the crown, shortened branches up to 3 cm in diameter are usually not glossed over.

Do-it-yourself tree pruning in the garden - sharing experience

When and how to prune

Pruning garden trees is an individual creativity, it is an art. And all in order to provide each leaflet with unhindered access to the sun and at the same time form a beautiful and convenient crown for harvesting.

Left a stump - get a spinning top

It is believed that the optimal time for pruning trees and shrubs is early spring. We all know: at the end of frost, plants tolerate it better and with early sap flow, all sections, large and small, are drawn faster.

Formative pruning of fruit trees - apple trees, pears - I spend as soon as the snow melts. But even in the fall, you can remove the intersecting branches that have grown over the summer and cover the sections with garden pitch.

Harvesting an apple tree at the end of summer, I always pay attention to which branches are heavily shaded, which had no fruit.

In order not to forget, I cut down such branches, leaving stumps 10-15 cm high. In the spring, I remove these stumps on a ring and cover the sections with garden pitch. If you forget to cut off the stump left in the fall in the spring, 5-6 tops will grow on it, which will thicken the apple tree even more, shade it from the light.

Pruning berry bushes - black and red currants, as well as gooseberries - usually comes down to removing old broken branches, as well as those that, in spring, after the snow shrinks, fall to the very the base of the bush, straight to the ground.

In the spring, at the end of March, I always sprinkle ashes near the currant and gooseberry bushes so that the snow melts faster and the branches from the settled snow break less. So at the same time the soil under the berry bushes is also fertilized.

With age, thickened branches in the crown, as well as damaged and drying branches, should be cut.

I do sanitary pruning in March. I cover the wounds with garden pitch. I carry out restoration pruning after large frosts.

I lead such pruning in late dates to determine the border of wood regrowth - at the end of May.

Technique of cutting a branch to a side branch with a large angle: 1 - the cut is correct; 2-3 - the cuts are wrong - hemp is left.

Trimming methods:

• clipping on a ring of an annual branch;
• clipping on the ring of a two-year branch;
• shortening of an annual branch;
• shortening of a two-year branch.

Approximately with such methods I advise you to do pruning of trees in the garden.

It's time to refresh!

Now about feeding fruit trees. After abundant fruiting, they are noticeably depleted.

I think they should be helped immediately after the harvest.

Under young fruit trees, I make a furrow around the crown. I add 90-100 g of superphosphate to it, scatter a half-liter jar of ash and a bucket of well-rotted mullein manure. And under the apricot - also a bucket of rotted mullein manure, 100-150 g of superphosphate and 30-40 g of potassium salt. For mature trees in the area trunk circle I fertilize much more and be sure to cultivate all the soil under the crown. Under an apple or pear tree, I make grooves along a circumference 35-40 cm deep, with the help of a hewn wooden stake I make indentations in each hole for another 30-40 cm, and I pour expanded clay into these indentations - for better passage of fertilized water. In these recesses I lay rotten manure mixed with earth and ash. Thus, the roots of the apple tree will grow towards moist, fertilized soil and nourish the entire plant.

I want to say that with the correct, competent application of fertilizers, both organic and mineral, the quality of the soil does not deteriorate, and the resulting products are all environmentally friendly.

Features of winter tree pruning

Glancing at the thermometer outside the window, I increasingly think about global warming. It is not the first year that nature has presented us with various weather surprises.

Many folk omens, which worked for more than one hundred years, have lost their relevance. For the last two years, the temperature cycle has been shifted by almost a month - the third decade of December without snow and with a daytime temperature of + 6-9.

The tree does not have a time counter, it reacts exclusively to temperature: cold - we sleep, warm - we wake up and grow.

I'll give you an example.

In the autumn of 2010, there was a climatic failure: in early October, there was a sharp cooling with frosts, and two weeks later the thermometer again rose to +15°С. As a result, some trees managed to bloom. It is clear that there could be no talk of a full-fledged, rich harvest - the coming winter cold destroyed the fruit buds, and new fruits could only be planted next summer. Only a small part, like a consolation prize, was able to survive and give a small harvest.

Violation of the temperature cycle concerns not only the autumn prolonged in time - winter can also move and capture part of March. Several times already last years we have witnessed a "shortened" spring, when the transition from winter cold to summer heat is reduced to several weeks instead of two to three months.

Why am I bringing this issue to your attention? It's about the time we spend on everything dacha work generally. In addition to the garden, there is also a garden - the main internal competitor in terms of labor costs. A fast and shortened spring forces us to shift our attention and throw all our strength into landing. horticultural crops. A garden work either carried out in an accelerated mode, or postponed altogether. Therefore, use winter time for the main pruning of the garden - optimal solution in this situation.

In fact, winter pruning is not much different from spring pruning.

But several important rules need to know and understand. Firstly, winter pruning is not carried out at 100% of the crown volume. What is meant? No matter how warm the winter is in general, no one can cancel the February frosts. Therefore, fine finishing pruning will still have to be carried out only in the spring. Otherwise, techniques such as "on the outer kidney" are doomed to failure. Freshly cut tips of thin twigs will inevitably freeze and will not justify our hopes. As for the removal of large, including skeletal branches, this also has its own characteristics. A branch more than 20 mm thick in winter is cut not into a “ring”, but with an indent of 5-10 cm. Many will be outraged by such a clear violation of the classic pruning rules - knots have no right to life.

I want to reassure you right away: this is not the final phase of pruning, but only an intermediate stage. The reason for this temporary violation of the rules is as follows. We all saw on the trunks and thick branches healed places after the removal of the branches in the form of a kind of "navel". They are formed as a result of a gradual "influx" of the bark roller directly to the place where the branch was cut. In turn, the cambium is responsible for building up the cortex. But in order for the cambium to fulfill its building mission, it must be alive. If we remove the branch, as it should be according to the rules, “on the ring”, the February cold will freeze this cut along with the cambium, the ion will remain open forever, regardless of size. Over time, radial cracks will appear, through which, as through open doors, various pathogenic microorganisms can penetrate. First of all, these are spores of the tinder fungus. It can be called a kind of "invisible lumberjack",

since the visual signs of its penetration into the body of the tree become visible only after the scales of the fungus sprout on the trunks or branches. This means that the core of the branch has already been attacked, the tinder spore cycle has completed, and the takeover of your garden continues. These are the unfortunate consequences for your trees that unscarred cuts can entail.

But a margin of several centimeters will not allow killing the cambium along the entire length of the left knot, and it will successfully overwinter. And as soon as the cold ends, the time will come for the second, final stage of pruning. Now, with a clear conscience, we can finish the work we started in the winter. We carefully cut off the knots, and the sap flow that began with the advent of heat will enable the cambium to successfully build up a cow roller, which over time will completely “seal” this place.

About garden var

It is necessary to mention one more operation performed after pruning - the processing of cuts with garden pitch. There are also several opinions about this procedure. Most often, it is recommended to apply the var immediately after pruning. I used to follow this rule too. But for several years now I have been doing this a few days after I cut the branches. Why? The fact is that a branch can be conditionally represented as a bundle of many microscopic sap-carrying channels.

When we cut a branch, we sort of open them. The most reliable way to clog them will be the natural drying of the surface. And these are not theoretical assumptions, but the result of practical observations. The higher the average daily temperature, the more the earth warms up and the more intense the flow of sap. And in the case when the var is applied “in a rich way”, in a thick layer, under the influence of heating it is deformed, slightly rising above the surface. Under this “hat”, moisture, which has nowhere to evaporate, is ideal conditions for the growth of various spore cultures.

For those who doubt, I suggest doing a simple experiment at home. Take a beetroot, cut it in half and wrap the cut in clingfilm. Then hide it, and in a few days you will find mold, slime or something like that under the film. This does not happen on dry surfaces.

Therefore, I let the cuts dry for several days, and after that I apply the var in a thin layer. By the way, the knots to be removed do not need to be processed. In winter, everything sleeps, and spores also cannot grow intensively on an open surface.

FEATURES OF CUTTING STONE CROPS

Cherry pruning should be carried out taking into account the characteristics of fruiting. There are bush-like and tree-like cherries. Bushy cherries differ from tree-like ones not in the shape of the crown (in the form of a bush or tree), but in fruiting on the growth of the previous year. This growth has a growth apical bud, and all lateral buds are flowering. After fruiting the following year, this growth becomes bare. So every year the length of the bare branch increases, and through

6-8 years of fruiting, a large number of long branches without overgrowing branches can be noted on the tree. Tree-like cherries have bouquet branches, and their crowns are not bare to the same extent as those of bushy forms. According to the predominant type of fruiting, bushy cherries include Vladimirskaya, Zagoryevskaya, Lyubskaya varieties, tree-like ones - Zhukovskaya, Molodezhnaya, Bagryanay, Volochaevskaya.

The ratio of flowering and vegetative (growth) buds depends on the strength of shoot growth. In bushy varieties, on shoots up to 20 cm long, only flower buds and only apical growth buds are formed, with a length of 30-40 cm, lateral buds can also be growth buds, and with a length of more than 40 cm, growth buds are predominantly formed.

In tree-like varieties of cherries, on shoots larger than 30 cm, mainly growth buds are formed, from which bouquet branches and new shoots are formed next year. On short shoots, only flower buds are formed.

The cherry crown develops well even in the nursery and does not require special rules formations. The stem is formed at a height of 40 cm (lower than that of an apple tree) in order to place the main and overgrown branches closer to the soil. Cherry branches and especially flower buds are less winter-hardy than apple trees, and if they are closer to the ground, part of them is covered with snow and preserved from freezing.

Prior to fruiting, pruning is minimal. Only broken branches, competitors and top-type vertical branches are removed. Sharp forks on large branches subordinate. With weak branching, the branches (shoots of the last year) are shortened by 1/3 or half the length.

Fruiting trees of vigorous varieties reach a height of 4-5 m, and they are reduced according to the same principle as apple trees. Remove the central conductor and vertically growing branches in the upper part of the crown. After lowering, the height of the trees should be no more than 2.5-3 m. Inside the crown, long bare branches are removed.

On the periphery of the crown, anti-aging pruning is carried out. Shortened for transfer to a strong lateral branch, which has overgrown branches with strong growths. In tree varieties, shortening can also be carried out on bouquet branches. In the lower part of the crown, sagging branches are cut to transfer to a lateral branch growing vertically, and in the upper part of the crown - vertically growing branches to transfer to a horizontally located branch or directed downwards.

PLUM

According to the type of fruiting, plum varieties are divided into three groups. In the first group (East Chinese, Ussuri, Canadian and American species), fruiting is formed according to the type of bushy cherries on annual growths. In the second group of cultivars (European), spurs are formed, and fruiting proceeds according to the type of tree-like cherries. In the third group of varieties, the type of fruiting is mixed. In connection with this similarity in fruiting, the formation and pruning of crowns is carried out in the same way as for cherries, and you can also apply pruning elements recommended for apple trees.

The crown of a plum is less thickened than that of a cherry, and in development it is more like an apple tree. Therefore, at an early age, the plum crown is formed like a cherry, and during the fruiting period, pruning is carried out according to the same principle as apple trees.

ADVANTAGES OF A SMALL CROWN

On stone fruit crops it is possible to form small-sized flat

crowns designed for apple and pear. Photo 1 shows the stages of the formation of such a crown.

At the fruiting age, pruning is reduced to the removal of vertical shoots and branches inside and at the top of the crown (photo 2). The cherry tree, formed in the form of a flat crown, at the age of 30 was 2.7 m high (photo H).

Cherry varieties, especially early ones, are largely damaged by birds. crowns small size can be covered with a fine-mesh net used in the repair of buildings.

Varieties of stone fruit crops differ in the type of fruiting and not all are suitable for the formation of small-sized flat crowns. Only those varieties are suitable in which bouquet branches (cherry, sweet cherry) and spurs (plum) are formed in large numbers on the branches of the second order of branching. All varieties of apricot and cherry plum have only one type of fruiting (on annual branches of the second order of branching), and it is possible to form a small-sized flat crown.

HOW TO INCREASE YIELD WITH GROWTH REGULATORS

Orta stone fruit crops differ in the degree of fruit set: self-fertile, partially self-fertile, self-fertile. There is experience in increasing fruit set by spraying auxins during the flowering period.

Experiments over 2 years showed that not all varieties responded to the same degree to the treatment that was carried out at the beginning of flowering.

Compared with the control, when processing cherries of the Molodezhnaya variety, the setting increased by 6.8%, Turgenevskaya - by 5.1%, Bagrynaya - by 7.4% in one year, and there was no effect in the other. There was no effect on the varieties Bulatnikovskaya, Rastorguevskaya, Chereshnevidnaya. In the plum of the Egg blue variety, in one year the setting increased by 18.8%, in the other there was no effect, in the sweet cherry of the Fatezh variety, the setting increased by 24.9%.

The noted unstable efficiency of fruit set by variety and year is due, in our opinion, to the fact that not all flowers bloom simultaneously and the flowering period lasts up to 10 days, and the treatment could not coincide with the time of the flower fertilization process. In our opinion, the treatment should be carried out three times: the first - at the beginning of flowering, when the first flowers appear, again every 2 days.

Reading time ≈ 3 minutes

Experienced gardeners often disagree on the question “when and how to prune trees?” However, they all agree that this procedure is extremely important for the proper growth of fruit trees, optimal formation of their crown and trunk, increasing the fruiting capacity and quality of the crop, as well as rejuvenating garden plants. It is also important to remove deformed, broken, dried or diseased branches.

tree pruning

When solving the problem of when to prune fruit trees, it is important to know that their first pruning is done during planting one-two-year-old seedlings at a permanent growth site. In a planted specimen, about thirty to fifty percent of its crown is cut off with a secateurs. The resulting sections should be covered with garden pitch, and then wrapped with electrical tape. Instead of garden pitch, you can use oil paint as a putty.

Over the next three years, shaping pruning is carried out, allowing you to create a proportional and reliable crown of the fruit tree. Our website contains a video on how to prune trees during this period, so that later the tree has a properly formed crown, and its skeletal branches grow thick and do not interfere with each other. Also, the pruning procedure should ensure that the tree branches grow at an obtuse angle relative to its trunk.

If the question is when to prune trees in the garden and how often to do it, the answer is this: young trees require annual formative pruning. During this procedure, it is recommended to cut off up to a third of the length of absolutely all strong shoots growing on skeletal branches and trunk. It is advisable to leave three or four shoots on the branches young tree. The rest must be removed.

The problem of pruning old garden trees is also quite solvable. They are pruned as needed. Old and diseased branches are definitely removed, as well as branches that have undergone breakage and deformation. Also, periodic thinning of the crown is recommended.

When is the best time to prune trees?

Questions: "Is it possible to prune trees in winter or summer?" - novice gardeners ask quite often. It is important to understand that in different time years, it is necessary to carry out tree pruning procedures of different significance. The main pruning is usually performed after the termination severe frosts during tree dormancy. It is desirable that it be produced before the onset of the spring growing season. In warm regions, it is performed until the end of February. In the absence of proper experience or doubting how to prune trees in the spring, because of the fear of cutting off healthy branches, confusing them with damaged ones, you can postpone the pruning procedure until May, when the buds begin to bloom. Formative pruning is also carried out in early summer, while pruning in autumn is mainly done to rejuvenate the tree and encourage the growth of new shoots.

Recently, in a hardware store, I met my gardener friend, Sergei Ivanovich Stepashin. I talked to him. He bought garden pitch and two new pruning shears. A woman stood nearby and asked: “Why are you going to the garden so early? There is snow up to the waist!” Sergei Ivanovich answers her that it is time to do pruning, otherwise the juices in the trees will wake up.

But the woman again objected in disbelief: “What juices? Apple trees will bloom only in May, there is still a lot of time before that, you will have time. It's hard to cut in the snow. I come to the garden in mid-April, so there are still snowdrifts behind the house.”

Expressing her concern about the inconvenience associated with the snow, the woman was surprised that Sergei Ivanovich chose the most expensive tool. “They would take that secateurs over there, cheaper.What's the difference than to cut the branches? It’s good that my apple trees are young, they don’t need to be cut at all.”

And then an experienced gardener read a “lecture” to a talkative customer. All advice was very valuable, and at my request, he allowed them to be published.

Sergey Ivanovich is an experienced gardener. Everyone goes to him for advice, because in any year he is with the harvest. He considers pruning of fruit crops to be very important. It ensures the health of the tree and good, stable yields. There are three main conditions that must be met.

1. Let's start with the timing. Pruning is carried out in late winter or early spring, when the threat of frost with temperatures below -15C has passed (in middle lane Russia usually from the end of February - until the middle or end of April). Therefore, dear gardeners, if you come to the garden only by mid-April, then this deadline for cutting!

Apple trees bloom really late and do not show signs of life for a long time. But hidden processes take place in them, including sap flow. If pruning is carried out during this period, then the wounds do not dry out for a long time and the branches flow through them with juice. Stone fruit cultures awaken much earlier, they must be cut first.

2. Pruning of fruit trees should be carried out from the first year after planting. Young apple trees also need pruning, like any other. You can not wait until the crown is overgrown and it will have to be thinned out a lot. This is no longer a pruning, but an execution for a tree. Proper pruning involves the formation of the crown from the "childhood" age, that is, the gradual, annual removal of unwanted branches and shortening, changing the shape of the selected skeletal branches.

3. You need to trim only with a sharp tool. You should be aware that not every tool is suitable for trimming. Cheap secateurs and loppers are made of soft metal that quickly becomes dull and burrs. Their blades severely injure tissue. good tool Made from high quality steel that holds a sharp edge very well. This pruner also lasts much longer. Naturally, their price is higher.

Why form a crown

When forming a crown Special attention give to the choice of future skeletal branches. They must meet the following requirements: departure angle - 40-60 degrees; in one tier - no more than three branches.

Compliance with the departure angles is necessary so that in the future the tree, without installing supports, holds a crop of up to 500 kg. At acute angles of departure, the connection between the branch and the trunk is weak, and the stress “to tear” is quite large. In especially fruitful years, even large branches break. Sometimes the tree breaks in half.

Branches with an acute angle of departure are either cut out or bent back by installing spacers (Fig. 2.).

It is also necessary to observe the condition that there should be no more than three branches in one tier. Otherwise, the crown thickens, and in low light, the yield decreases, the taste of fruits deteriorates, shoots ripen worse and diseases begin to develop.

Pruning young seedlings

Pruning begins in the first year after planting. seedlings of spring and autumn planting cut the same way. The meaning of this pruning is to balance the roots damaged during digging and the aerial part. Sometimes this is done in the nursery.

Annual seedlings without branching, they are cut at a height of 80-100 cm above the soil level (Fig. 1, a). This stimulates the formation of lateral shoots from which skeletal branches will be formed.

In a branched seedling 1-2 years old, all side branches are removed at a height of 60-70 cm (Fig. 1, b). Often, gardeners feel sorry for the seedling, believing that "he still has nothing to cut." But such pruning forms the stem of the future tree. All branches below 60 cm are simply not needed. Below, they are poorly lit and produce a small crop. Over time, they will still have to be trimmed, but the wounds will be larger.

Branches located above 70 cm are shortened by 1/3-1/4 part. Usually this is done over the 3-5th kidney, counting from the base of the shoot (see Fig. 1, c). At the same time, the principle of subordination of branches is observed. The central shoot (leader, or conductor) should be 15-20 cm higher than the side branches, and the shoots located higher along the stem should be shorter than those below. Usually, a two-year-old seedling has 3-4 lateral branches that are shorter than the conductor. In the case when all branches are developed approximately equally and the central shoot is not the leader in growth, a strong pruning of the side branches is carried out in order to achieve the principle of subordination of tiers. Sometimes a seedling has duplicate shoots (if two adjacent buds have developed on the stem). Leave one, the most well-located branch, and the second is cut into a ring.

Principles of crown formation. The angle of origin of the skeletal branches is 40-60 degrees; in one tier - no more than three branches; the leader should be higher than the side branches; the branches of the upper tiers should be shorter than the lower tiers.

After the winter, it may turn out that the leader is broken or very cold. In this case, it is replaced by the most powerful, closely spaced shoot, tying it vertically to the stump left by the conductor, or to a peg stuck in the ground.

The same pruning rules are followed for a three-year-old tree and older. Moreover, the principle of subordination of branches is also observed for lateral skeletal branches. Overgrowing branches on them should be shorter than the side conductor. Figuratively speaking, the principle of subordination can be represented as a kind of “rounded triangle”, into which the tree itself must fit after the formation of the crown and its skeletal branches (Fig. 3).

IN further pruning a young tree is carried out in order to create a light, sparse crown. This should be done not only in spring, but also in summer. For example, already in the summer you can see which shoots grow inside the crown. They are removed immediately while they are still green. Young shoots growing down, pinch. Duplicate shoots are cut or transferred to another position using stretch marks. ” green pruning” is the most forgiving form of pruning.

You can find this article in the newspaper "Magic Garden" of 2011 No. 6.