How to properly prune an apple tree in spring

A well-formed apple tree crown gives a rich harvest. By laying a garden, the landlord learns how prune apple trees correctly... An unmistakable procedure, especially at the beginning of the seedling's growth and when working with fruit branches, guarantees the successful development of the tree and the annual abundant fruiting. When, after the winter cold, there is still no sap flow, you need to start pruning apple trees in early spring. The terms are short, the gardener must be in time before the warmth.

Main point of care

Pruning is sometimes referred to as the main point of care fruit trees... It starts from the moment the seedling is planted and changes in accordance with the growth stages of the tree. Correct pruning of apple trees in spring contributes to:

• Creation of a crown that provides the fruits with the required degree of illumination and at the same time is convenient for harvesting;
• Strengthening the branches and their flawless development;
• Reducing thickening, which reduces the risk of fungal diseases and pests;
• An increase in the number of fruiting branches;
• Timely disposal of damaged branches, natural incubators of infectious agents and pests.

How to properly prune an apple tree in the spring is discussed in the article.

How to choose the tools

Unfortunately, amateur gardeners believe that a tree can be approached with a regular construction saw. But before the date when the pruning of apple trees begins, you need to purchase:

• Garden saws that have a special bend and taper towards the end of the blade;
• Loppers with bars of different lengths for removing hard-to-reach branches;
• Garden knives;
• Secateurs.

The cutting blade must be sharp, clean and free of rust. When pruning, the stump remains flat, not worn out. For beginners, before pruning an apple tree in the spring, it is advisable to practice working with newly acquired tools.

Cutting site processing

When the apple tree is pruned in the spring, you need to know how to cover up the wounds. The sections are processed so that the juice does not flow out:

• Garden mastic or pitch;
• A solution of lime and copper sulfate in a ratio of 10: 1;
• Oil paint;
• Plasticine.

The cuts on old trees are processed immediately after the operation, and on young trees - after 24 hours.

Recently, there are many supporters of the theory that trees recover better if the sections are not covered with anything. Each gardener decides what to do with a particular tree.

How to determine the date

Experienced gardeners, when asked whether they prune apple trees in the spring, answer in the affirmative. At this time, fruit trees tolerate the destruction of the bark least painlessly and, with the beginning of sap flow, quickly recover from stress. It is imperative not to miss the time when the apple trees should be pruned. Which month to choose, from late January to early April, is determined by the local weather. In frosts below -8 ⁰C procedures can cause irreparable damage to trees. Trees become very fragile and branches under the weight of the tool break easily, the wounds are uneven.

Timing apple pruning in the spring they are limited to the beginning of sap flow. A lot of juice can ooze through wounds at the site of large cuts. Trees become weak, get sick, easily succumb to pests, and fruit bearing decreases.In especially difficult cases, plants may die. The best time for pruning apple trees is when the temperature is kept near zero, the plants are still dormant.

Which season is more favorable

Many amateur gardeners know that trees are advised to be pruned in the fall. Such procedures are done only for sanitizing, removing dry branches. It is necessary to invest in the time frame after leaf fall, but long before frost. When deciding when it is better to prune apple trees - in autumn or spring, they determine whether the wounds on the tree can heal before the onset of frost. If, before the cold weather, the plants manage to cope with stress and overgrow cuts of a large area on wood, pruning is possible. Another point in favor of choosing the timing of the spring pruning of apple trees is the ability to remove in time the branches that died during the winter due to freezing or broken during bad weather. Apple trees will not waste energy on restoring damaged wood, but will direct them to buds and flowers. Neat cuts under the influence of the sun and moisture heal quickly after proper pruning of the apple tree.

Formation of an annual seedling

Young trees planted in autumn are pruned in spring. You need to start forming the crown from the first year. With the correct structure, the tree does not need any support, since a harmonious relationship is created between the location of the branches and the number of fruits. Its yield depends on how to properly cut an apple tree seedling in the first spring. The most popular crown is a sparse one, in several tiers.

• The central stem is cut off, forming a stem at a height of 1 m. Future skeletal branches are formed from the buds during the season;
• If the seedling has already formed branches, they are shortened to 30-40 cm, or 3-5 buds;
• Pruning apple seedlings in the spring they are carried out according to the scheme generally accepted for all varieties;
• Branches growing at an angle of less than 45 degrees to the central trunk are removed. Branches located at an acute angle often break off the trunk in a strong storm, causing damage to the entire tree. Such branches collapse under the weight of a bountiful harvest;
• The larger the angle of the shoot, the stronger and more productive the future adult branches. It is important when pruning apple tree seedlings in the spring to leave branches formed at an almost right angle to the guide.

Working with a two-year-old seedling

When deciding how to prune 2-year-old apple trees in the spring, take into account the same rules as for the initial formation of a seedling. Of all the developed branches, those that meet the requirements for creating a strong and fruitful tree structure are chosen. For the future crown, from 3 to 5 strong branches are left, guided by the scheme for beginners when pruning apple trees in spring.

• The pledge of a strong and well-bearing crown is skeletal branches extending from the conductor at an angle of 60 to 80-90 degrees;
• Starting to form a longline crown, the lower branches are cut off less, and the upper ones are created shorter by 25-30 cm;
• It is important to take into account for beginners in pruning apple trees in the spring that the conductor is located 20-30 cm above all the branches, or 4-5 buds;
• In the case of a bifurcation of the top of the central trunk, which grows with a fork, one, usually weaker, branch is removed. It is possible with the help of stretch marks to transfer the extra branch of the fork to the category of skeletal of the second or third tier.

A hint in the spring pruning procedure for beginners: it is possible to leave a strong branch branching off at an acute angle. Then it is also tied to a peg driven into the ground near the seedling, and pulled back so that it grows more horizontally.

Young tree formation

If the garden is young, then the owner will have more time for 3-5-year-old seedlings during the period when the apple trees can be pruned in the spring. A rounded crown at this stage of development has already been formed.Pruning will be minimal, including damaged parts, but very significant for the apple trees that are beginning to bear fruit.

• Closely watch the central trunk and remove the competing branch, avoiding bifurcation;
• Studying how to prune a 3-year-old apple tree in spring, take into account that now is the time to shorten the guide to the level of the branches of the second tier;
• With the rapid growth of protruding lateral branches, they are cut off in order to maintain the shape of the crown;
• When pruning branches of the following orders, be sure to leave bouquet, mixed and fruit branches, ringlets, rings and spurs. The first fruits will be created on them.

Formation of a fruiting tree

When pruning apple trees in the spring, it is better to shorten the main branches so that the tree does not grow so rapidly, and more nutrients go to the creation of fruits. In addition, the ends of the branches will not interfere with the collection of apples. If the crown is harmoniously formed, the gardener has a little work during the spring pruning of apple trees.

• It is necessary to inspect the crown and remove the branches that thicken it, prevent the sun's rays from penetrating to the central trunk and fruits that are tied inside the crown;
• Removing thickening branches promotes free aeration of the tree, which to some extent protects the plant from diseases and pests.

Be sure to take into account how to properly cut tops on an apple tree in spring. Vertical growths that appear in the previous season weaken the apple tree and thicken the crown. They have many large leaves that prevent the sun from accessing the fruits. Thus, the shoots spoil the harvest. All tops are removed.

How to recognize fetuses

When pruning adult apple trees in the spring according to the scheme, you need to learn to recognize those on which there will be flowers and fruits. Tops go vertically, they are removed. Frozen branches are visible on small, not swollen buds, they are also cut off. The branches that grow inside the crown are completely removed and thicken it. The scheme for pruning an apple tree in spring for beginners provides for the preservation of small fruit branches:

• The ringlets grow no more than 5 cm. They are distinguished by circular scars, and there is a large kidney on the spear;
• Lance - processes perpendicular to the branch, up to 15 cm long. They are recognized by several, located in a close group, pointed buds;
• Studying the spring pruning of apple trees in detail, you need to remember about fruit twigs - thin, curved or straight one-year shoots up to 30-50 cm long. Later, fruits are formed on them;
• Old fruit branches with all types of fruiting shoots are pruned if they are more than 10 years old. Over the years, replacement shoots should already be formed.

Rejuvenation of an old tree

If there is a tree in the garden that is more than 30 years old, you need to think about how to produce pruning an old apple tree in spring... Rejuvenating pruning will improve and continue the fruit of the tree, as well as rid the entire garden of old branches that may be infected. But before the operation, you need to carefully examine the tree. You can rejuvenate it if the trunk is intact and there are strong skeletal branches.

• It is better to start radical pruning in the fall, cutting down dry and damaged branches;
• A rough diagram will tell you how to properly prune apple trees in the spring, so as not to destroy the tree with a large amount of cuts. First, the branches growing inward are cut;
• The top of the trunk is also removed at a height of 3-3.5 m to open the crown;
• The next spring, rejuvenation is continued, removing powerful skeletal branches, which interfere with the growth of others, fruiting;
• The rules for pruning apple trees in the spring for beginners emphasize that no more than a third of the branches of the tree are removed every year.

Working with trees on a trellis

A tree formed parallel to the surface of a wall, fence, or simply on a wire trellis ripens well, and it is easy to remove fruits from it.

• Forming an apple tree in one plane, strong shoots are directed in both directions from the guide at a right or obtuse angle;
• The conductor is shortened 50 cm above the branches;
• The next year of pruning the apple tree in the spring, the scheme is repeated: strong lateral shoots are fixed horizontally, the competitor that developed after cutting the top is removed, like weak shoots. The conductor is shortened in the same way;
• Young apical shoots from the side fortified branches of apple trees on a trellis should be lifted up with stretch marks in the summer. Otherwise, they will lag behind in development compared to the central trunk;
• Forming the third tier of a trellis apple tree, pruning does not change in spring: developed branches are fastened, weak and vertical ones are removed. The conductor is either cut off if a fourth line will form, or tilted at a right angle, creating an upper horizontal;
• The height of trellis apple trees is from 1.8 m on low-growing rootstocks and up to 2.5 m on vigorous ones;
• Accordingly, the rules for pruning apple trees in the spring, cut the tops "into a ring" that appear after the conductor is transferred to the horizontal;
• When creating a trellis, make sure that the branches below are longer than those at the top.

Crown formation, although a complex process, but the gardener needs to master these wisdom. Beautiful apple trees and a rich harvest will be the result of labor.

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