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Getting a good harvest of peaches directly depends on the quality of tree care. The more complete and timely such activities are carried out, the better the result will be. One of these procedures is spring and summer peach pruning. It helps not only to form a full-fledged tree, but also to prolong the period of its active fruiting.
Purpose of pruning the peach tree in spring and summer
The gardener's task is not only to grow a peach tree, but also to get good and regular yields from it. It is for this purpose that all types of trimming are made. With the help of this procedure, the crown of a young tree is formed, which is most convenient for working with it.
Pruning is done in sanitary units, to improve the condition of the tree, rejuvenate and normalize the harvest. Such events are held strictly at a certain time and according to a certain scheme.
Types of pruning
Peach is a fairly fast growing tree. If you do not prune it, the crown will thicken very quickly, and the fruits are crushed. Several basic types of peach pruning are used to tidy up the tree.
- Sanitary. Held annually to keep the tree healthy.
- Formative. It is done during the first years after planting the seedling to form the crown of the tree in a certain way.
- Anti-aging. It is produced in order to rejuvenate the tree and prolong its life and active fruiting.
- Recovery. It is carried out one year after anti-aging. Allows you to re-form the skeleton of the tree.
- Contour. It is done to keep the crown in the required dimensions.
Typically, different types of peach pruning are combined for best results.
Peach pruning timing
All main types of pruning are usually carried out in the spring, choosing a period for this when the buds are just beginning to swell on the tree. It is difficult to indicate the exact time for carrying out this procedure, since it strongly depends on the climatic features of the growing area. In southern regions, peach pruning is usually in March, in more northern regions - in April. During this period, trees are sanitized after winter, the crown of young seedlings is formed, old trees are rejuvenated.
Pruning peaches in summer involves removing broken and damaged branches and disease-damaged shoots. It is produced in June. In addition to sanitary cleaning, they remove improperly growing, overlapping, thickening branches, spinning tops. The annual growth at which the crop ripens is also shortened. This is due to the fact that the peach ties 100% of the flower ovaries. If the harvest is not rationed, the tree will literally lack the nutrients to grow all the fruit. The harvest in this case will be plentiful, but very small. To improve its quality, annual shoots are pruned, thereby reducing the number of ovaries, but increasing the quality of ripening peaches.
Autumn pruning of peaches is done for sanitary purposes only. In the southern regions, too long annual growth is shortened at this time, and root shoots are also cut out.In regions with a cool climate, it is recommended to limit yourself to sanitary pruning in autumn so as not to weaken the plant before wintering.
Is it possible to prune a peach in August
Due to the intensive growth of annual shoots, the peach often has to be cut 2-3 times over the summer, including in August. If this procedure is not carried out, the trees begin to ache, and the flow of gum intensifies. The harvest is sharply reduced, and after several years the tree may completely cease to bear fruit.
Peach tree pruning schemes
The scheme for pruning a peach in spring depends on the region of its growth. In the south, they are most often formed in the form of a bowl, in the central regions - by a bush, and in areas with unfavorable weather conditions - in a stanza form. In addition, the peach is formed according to the principle of a grape bush, as well as in the form of a column (columnar varieties).
Shaping the crown of a peach in a bowl is the most commonly used and considered the most suitable method for growing it. This shape allows you to work with the crown without using a stepladder. Uniform illumination of the inner space of the tree contributes to good yield, while the air exchange inside the crown is not disturbed. A bowl is formed of 3-4 skeletal branches on a low (40-50 cm) trunk. The further north the peach is grown, the lower the stem is made.
In the middle lane, the formation of a peach in a bush form is considered optimal. To do this, leave a few of the lowest lateral shoots, which are cut shortly. In this case, the center conductor is also cut into a ring. In the future, 6-8 equivalent shoots are chosen from young shoots, which will form the basis of the bush. The rest of the shoots are removed. By pruning, uniform development of all shoots is achieved, as well as the maintenance of a spherical shape.
The slate form is extreme and is used when growing peaches in areas not intended for cultivation of this crop. As a rule, with this formation, the seedling is planted at an angle of 45 °, and the tree itself is formed from 2 horizontal shoots. This shape allows you to completely cover the peach for the winter.
The formation and pruning of a peach crown in the form of a grape bush can be done if the rounded crown is inconvenient for the gardener. To form a crown according to such a scheme, several multidirectional shoots are selected that have large angles of discharge and are at least 20 cm apart from each other. The rest, including the central conductor, are cut into a ring.
The columnar peach is the easiest to trim. Pruning of such varieties is reduced only to sanitary cleaning, as well as cutting out shoots that protrude beyond the size of the crown.
Correct pruning of peaches depending on the age of the trees
The method of pruning peaches in spring changes depending on the age of the tree. During the first few years, the skeleton of the tree is formed, the main branches are laid. In the future, excess and improperly growing branches are removed, the harvest is rationed, and sanitary cleaning is carried out.
How to prune a young peach
After planting in a permanent place, the peach seedling is cut at a height of about 60 cm. 2-3 skeletal branches are left on the trunk, which are cut to 3 buds. Above them, about 10 healthy kidneys should remain up to the cut point of the central conductor. All other shoots are cut into a ring.
In the second year of life, the formation of the lower tier continues. Annual increments are shortened to 60-65 cm. At a distance of 30-35 cm above the lower tier of skeletal branches, two oppositely directed powerful branches are chosen, which will be skeletal. They are cut so that they are 10-15 cm shorter than the lower ones. The central conductor is cut just above the level of the upper lateral branch.
In the spring of 3 years of life, all the necessary shoots on the skeletal branches are shortened to 0.4 m. By autumn, a full-fledged tree is formed. On it, you need to remove fatty shoots, tops and branches growing deep into the crown.
At the 4th year of life, the formation of the peach tree is considered complete. In the spring, young shoots are shortened to 5 flower buds, and branches that grow above the required level and go beyond the size of the crown are also cut off.
Rules for pruning fruit-bearing trees
Pruning of adult fruiting peaches is carried out for sanitary purposes, as well as for rationing the harvest. To do this, 1-2 flower buds are left on underdeveloped shoots, and up to 5 flower buds on others. Pruning is performed on the selected growth bud, thereby adjusting the direction of the future growth of the branch. It should be directed to the side (not up!), And also should not intersect with other shoots in perspective.
The crown of an adult plant must be maintained at the same height, preventing it from skewing. If the shoots are taller from any edge of the bowl, then this part will receive more sunlight, and the uniformity of ripening will be disturbed.
How to rejuvenate a peach tree
The peach tree can bear fruit for up to 10 years. Then it should be rejuvenated. Over the course of several years, part of the old wood is gradually removed, while the growth is transferred to new skeletal branches, the age of which does not exceed 2-3 years. In addition, all downstream shoots are shortened.
Pruning old peach
If the peach has not been pruned for a long time, you can bring it to a normal state and restore its fruiting by pruning. To do this, you need to do the following:
- Reduce the crown to 2.5-3 m. It is necessary to cut out all fattening shoots growing up. So that the crown does not turn out to be one-sided, you can transfer some of these branches to lateral growth.
- Lighten the crown. To do this, it is necessary to remove the thickening, rubbing against each other, inwardly directed branches, as well as tops.
- Clear the tree. Any dry, diseased, broken branches must be removed completely.
- Rejuvenate the peach by removing some of the old skeletal branches.
How to properly prune a peach for fruiting
Pruning the peach tree for fruiting is used to adjust the yield to the size of the tree. This measure normalizes the number of future fruits and avoids overloading the tree. Pruning for fruiting is done as follows.
Fruit links are formed from lateral shoots, observing the necessary intervals:
Shoot length, cm | Interval, cm |
25-50 | 10 |
50-70 | 15-20 |
St. 70 | 25-30 |
In the intervals between the shoots, replacement knots are formed - the same lateral shoots, only cut off to 2 growth buds. The next year, the same fruit link will be formed from them, and the fruiting shoot will need to be removed. All other shoots in the intervals must be removed.
To normalize the load on the tree, the number of fruit links is adjusted to the productivity of the peach variety. For varieties with low productivity (Success, Molodezhny, Zlatogor), the number of fruiting shoots should be from 150 to 200, for medium-yielding (Golden Moscow, Kudesnik, Kremlevsky) - from 90 to 130, high-performance peaches (Flamingo, Krasnoshchekiy, Krymchak) should be 40- 80 pcs.
After flowering and the formation of fruit ovaries, the final rationing of the fruit load is carried out. In this case, first of all, weak shoots are removed.
How to prune a peach after fruiting
Peach pruning after harvest is done for hygienic purposes to keep the tree clean. All dried, broken or damaged branches, wen and tops that have not been removed earlier are removed.It is also necessary to remove shoots that have signs of disease or are damaged by pests. Peach should not be pruned strongly; this can greatly weaken it before hibernation. It is better to carry out this procedure in September or early October. Later dates are undesirable.
A useful video for beginners on how to trim a peach in spring is at the link below.
Caring for peaches after pruning
Pruning is akin to a surgical operation, so it is very important to do it accurately and on time. And also it is necessary to use only a well-sharpened and disinfected instrument. Smooth cuts heal much faster, and the entire rehabilitation period of the tree will take much less time.
After pruning is complete, the peach needs grooming. All sections must be treated with a 3% solution of copper sulfate to protect against infection, and then covered with garden putty. Large cuts can also be covered with natural oil paint. Many gardeners do not recommend using a garden pitch, since the knots under it can rot.
Conclusion
Peach pruning is a must and must be done annually. Without it, the yield will drop sharply, the fruits are crushed, and the tree, instead of fruiting, will begin to grow up uncontrollably, spending energy on forcing shoots. You should not be afraid of pruning. It is enough to correctly cut the peach once with an experienced mentor, and in the future the procedure will not cause any difficulties.
