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It just so happened that the apple tree in our gardens is the most traditional and most desirable tree. After all, it is not for nothing that it is believed that a few apples plucked straight from the tree and eaten right there on the spot can bring health to a person for a whole year. But in recent decades, household plots, especially near large cities, have become smaller and smaller. And it is becoming more and more difficult to place large fruit trees on them. But a traditional apple tree is a tree with a height of 6-8 meters and a crown diameter of sometimes up to 10 meters. It is not for nothing that industrial apple orchards observe the minimum distance between trees of 5-6 meters. But you want to have apple trees of different ripening periods in order to feast on tasty and healthy fruits from mid-summer to the very frost.
This is where the so-called columns come to the rescue, that is, columnar apple trees. It is believed that they take up little space, which means that even in a small area of 2-3 acres, several trees can be placed at once and there will still be free space. And caring for them should not be difficult at all. But in reality, everything turns out not quite as we would like.
The maintenance and pruning of these trees is significantly different from traditional varieties. This article will be devoted to how to properly cut a columnar apple tree and take care of it.
Features of columnar apple trees
These varieties were obtained in the 80s of the last century as a result of an accidental mutation of one of the oldest apple trees in Canada. Trees could not fail to interest many amateur gardeners.
In addition, fruits are formed both on short fruit branches and directly on the main trunk.
Columnar apple trees are usually also characterized by a small height, but this value is largely determined by the characteristics of the stock onto which the trees were grafted. If the stock is vigorous, it is possible to grow a "column" up to 4-5 meters in height and even more.
There is one more point that is rarely paid attention to. Many varieties of columnar apple trees were bred for much milder climatic conditions than are available in most of Russia. It is for this reason that the apical buds of these trees often freeze, not withstanding severe frosts. Namely, they are the most valuable buds, the dying off of which can completely alter the development of the tree.
Finally, the columnar apple tree has a shallow root system, so it requires more frequent watering, especially in hot and dry weather. It is impossible to loosen and dig up the earth in its near-trunk circle for the same reason. Most often, it is sown with special lawn grass to maximize moisture retention.
All these features cannot but affect the nature of the care and pruning, which a columnar apple tree may need.
Reasons for pruning
Many even experienced gardeners still argue whether it is possible and necessary to cut a columnar apple tree.
If it develops naturally, then the side shoots will grow very short, and the tree will indeed be very compact and in the form of growth resemble a column. But, as already noted, in the conditions of Russia, freezing of the apical kidney is almost inevitable. In addition, many gardeners unknowingly or accidentally cut off the top of the tree. And sometimes the reason for the loss of the apical bud is the overfeeding of the young apple tree with nitrogen fertilizers, which leads to insufficient maturation of the buds and their death in winter.
One way or another, but when the apical bud is removed from the columnar apple, the lateral shoots begin to grow rapidly, including in length. And in this situation, pruning a columnar apple tree becomes simply necessary.
In addition, there are other fairly traditional reasons why you still need to prune the apple tree. Cropping helps:
- Strengthen young branches;
- Rejuvenate the whole apple tree and individual shoots;
- Increase the productivity of the tree;
- To cut the crown, in order to avoid confusion of the shoots with each other;
- Improve appearance.
Pruning time
In general, the timing of pruning is individual for each variety and is determined by its characteristics. Indeed, among the columnar apple trees there are early summer varieties, the main pruning which are best produced in the fall. And there are other, medium and late varieties, which are optimally pruned in winter or spring.
It's just that each season has its own pruning features, which are very important, especially for novice gardeners.
- Winter pruning is usually carried out in early spring before sap flow begins. For most varieties of columnar apple, it is considered the main one. In northern and middle latitudes, all apple trees are pruned at this time. And only in the southern regions of Russia, the basic scheme for pruning columnar apple trees works better in the fall.
- Spring pruning is done as needed after the trees are blooming. This is the right moment to determine the viability of the apical bud. If it froze over after winter, then it is at this time that the most suitable vertical shoot is chosen from among the many replacing ones, and it is left as the main one. The rest of all shoots from the top must be cut out at the very base. In the same period, it is necessary to remove the tips of the branches frozen after winter. It promotes health and apple tree rejuvenation.
- In the summer, you can remove excess green shoots growing directly from the central trunk. In the spring, many of them seem to be fruit twigs. But in the summer, if it becomes clear that they have developed into ordinary leafy twigs, then it is better to remove them. They are usually easily removed by plucking. Removing small green shoots requires care so as not to accidentally damage the bark.
- Columnar apple trees are pruned in autumn mainly for sanitary purposes. All dry and broken branches must be removed. All overlapping branches that have grown over the summer are cut off. All branches are especially carefully looked through in search of possible pests and diseases. All spoiled ones are necessarily cut out. Well, in the southern regions, this is the most suitable time when you can prune trees according to the basic scheme described below.
The main scheme for pruning columnar apple trees
If the apical bud has been removed from your columnar apple tree or the powerful development of lateral shoots has begun for other reasons, then the regularity of fruiting and the quality of ripening fruits depend on the correct pruning.
How to cut a columnar apple tree so as not to harm it and get the most correct effect from the procedure?
Empirically, it was noticed that the more a side branch grows vertically, the more it grows.And branches that grow more in the horizontal direction give minimal growth, but many flower buds are formed on them.
After the first year of life, all lateral shoots are cut so that only two living buds remain from the trunk on them. The next year, each of these two buds will develop into a strong branch. The one that will grow more vertically is cut back into two buds. The other branch, growing closer to the horizontal, is left as a fruit branch.
In the third year, the fruiting horizontal branch is completely removed, and the same operation is performed with the remaining two. In the fourth year, everything is repeated again. And on the fifth, usually the entire fruit bud is cut into a ring.
But since new branches grow from the trunk during this time, everything is repeated again.
The video below shows in detail the process of pruning according to the basic scheme of a three-year tree in the early spring period:
Common pruning mistakes
Often, even with the correct procedure for pruning columnar apple trees, the result is not quite what is expected of it. The branches dry up, do not grow, the tree does not please with apples. The reason may be that the cuts themselves were not performed quite correctly, because in such a difficult matter as pruning, there are no trifles.
In order not to repeat the most common mistakes, you only need to scrupulously follow a few rules:
- The cut should be performed from the base of the branch to its top.
- The direction of the cut should be opposite from the outermost kidney.
- The slice should be located 1.5-2 cm above the kidney.
- Finally, it should be perfectly flat, free from bark scuffs and burrs.
By following all these simple rules and adhering to the above schemes, you can achieve annual, rather abundant fruiting from your columnar apple trees, even in difficult Russian climatic conditions.
