Timing and other secrets of pruning plums

Pruning features

The life of a plum, like a cherry, is not so long - it can bear fruit for about 20 years, in rare cases there were specimens that bore fruit for up to 50 years. In order to prune a fruit tree correctly, it is necessary to take into account which group of varieties it belongs to in terms of growth strength, crown type, degree of branching, type of fruiting, since the branching ability is not the same for different types of plum.

Most of all pruning of plums may be required for such types of trees as black plum, cherry plum, American and oriental.

In the spring

One of the best periods, according to experts and experienced gardeners, for pruning plum trees, like cherries, is spring. Plum pruning should be carried out annually in order not only to combat crown thickening, but also to ensure full growth and development of the tree. How to properly carry out this procedure in the spring?

The best time to remove unnecessary branches is considered to be the end of March - beginning of April. At this time, the tree has not yet entered the growing season, and frosts are already far behind. Spring pruning of both cherries and plums consists of several parts - first, mandatory thinning is carried out, during which not only overgrown tree branches are removed, but also unnecessary shoots growing upwards. Next, it is necessary to remove the increments that remained on the drain from the previous year. This is done so that new branches have the opportunity to grow in the next season.

To carry out pruning, it is necessary to prepare tools that will have to be done carefully so as not to damage the fruit tree. The sparse-tiered crown shape has proven itself well. To make it, it is necessary to leave up to seven powerful healthy branches on the drain, which will be at an angle of about 50 degrees in relation to the trunk. An option is considered ideal, in which not only the main, but also the skeletal branches are located at a distance of 20 cm between themselves. With a two-tier type of crown formation, two main branches are located on the second tier.

Summer

Summer pruning of plums is usually carried out in July, since during this period the tree is still very young and requires the formation of the desired type of crown. For the first time, pruning of plums in the summer is carried out immediately after planting seedlings in the garden. How to carry out such a procedure correctly? To do this, it is necessary to reduce the shoots that are on the side by 20 cm, and those that appeared a little ahead of time - by 15 cm. The most important thing is recommended to be left intact.

Next year, the procedure is carried out again in July, with the only difference that this time they remove all unnecessary shoots that can interfere with the full growth of the fruit tree. Pruning plums in summer, like cherries, provides an excellent opportunity to remove frozen branches left after winter that could not be removed in spring. It is in the summer that you can clearly see how overgrown the tree is in order to decide how best to carry out the procedure.It will also allow you to remove diseased branches and prevent them from infecting healthy ones.

In autumn

It will be correct to prune the branches of a fruit tree in the fall when its growing season ends, and all the leaves have already fallen to the ground. Most often, this period falls in September, it is in the middle of the month that it is worth starting this procedure. First of all, in the fall, it will be necessary to remove dried or diseased branches, and also, if necessary, slightly shorten the top of the tree. When pruning a plum for the first time after planting a seedling, the main trunk is reduced by about a third of the length, and other shoots by about two-thirds.

As for those that are too old or those trees that cannot boast of good condition, then when pruning, removing the bad branches gives them a great chance to renew themselves. In the fall, the third pruning of the plum is also carried out, which is needed in order to thin out the crown as much as possible and leave only the most viable branches on which good fruiting will occur in the future. Thus, holding this important event in the fall is no less important than the spring pruning.

In winter

Since the plum is a stone fruit crop, due to the rapid change of winter to spring, you may not see when the first buds appear on the fruit tree. That is why winter pruning of branches is becoming more and more popular among gardeners. It is customary to hold it in February, while the temperature should be about +15 degrees. The advantages of carrying out this procedure during this period of the year, experts boldly call the absence of trees, which makes it possible to decide how exactly it will be necessary to cut off excess branches, frozen branches are not so difficult to remove, the fruit crop in winter is not so stressed during such manipulations. If you carry out winter pruning correctly, then you can bring more obvious benefits to the tree, which will be seen when harvesting in the season, and at the same time do the least harm.

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Tree pruning

Since a plum, like a cherry, with its usual growth and development, can form a huge number of branches that are not only capable of breaking, but also thicken the fruit tree, leading to a decrease in its yield, the importance of pruning it can hardly be overestimated. Experts advise to form such trees in the form of a dwarf pyramid. Consider in detail the pruning of branches of seedlings, two- and three-year-old fruit trees.

One-year

For the first time, this procedure is recommended to be carried out a year after planting a seedling in your garden. It is good to carry out these manipulations in the first year of a tree's life, because a damaged root system can provide the trimmed branches with the necessary nutrients.

Timing of the formation of tree branches

If we neglect this pruning, and carry out it for the first time only after two years, then the growth of the shoots will slow down, and, therefore, the owner of the garden will have more trouble in completing the procedure. The main stem only needs to be trimmed once a year as it forms the basis for other shoots.

Thus, in the first year of the tree's existence, it is possible to lay a solid foundation for the development and full growth of skeletal branches. In addition, the grower can determine the height as well as the shape of his plum tree.

Biennial

A two-year-old plum, like a cherry, is usually pruned in mid-March. To do this, remove half of the three skeletal branches. According to the rules, it is customary to make a cut in the place where the kidney is turned outward. It is also permissible to cut off skeletal branches by a third of the length. The stem of the tree must be cleaned of side branches at a height of about 50 cm from the ground surface. The main conductor of a fruit tree is advised to be cut into a good bud so that it rises above the soil at a height of about one and a half meters.When the growing season begins, new shoots can be seen on the tree trunk, which will first have to be shortened by 7 cm, and during the second wave of the growing season, they will have to be removed completely.

Old

Since the life of a plum, like a cherry, is relatively small, it will soon turn into an old tree. When it grows to about two and a half meters, it will be possible to talk about the cessation of its growth and development. If in the first years of life after pruning it was necessary to control the uniform growth of the main conductor, as well as skeletal branches, now it is necessary to prune the main trunk and the largest branches. Such a procedure will already have as its goal, first of all, the rejuvenation and renewal of the tree.

To do this, in the spring, skeletal branches are removed, and the resulting damage is lubricated using a special garden pitch. In order not to cause multiple damage to the tree, it is recommended to cut off large-sized branches near a plum, like a cherry, by sawing them from below, after which it will be easier to remove the upper length. Fresh shoots then appear at the cut site, which are cut in July, leaving about four of the most viable ones.

It is advised to split the pruning of an old tree over several years, since it can be disastrous for it to receive some wounds in one year. Pruning of a plum tree must be carried out when it has a fairly strong and at the same time absolutely healthy stem. It is then that you can bring the greatest benefit to the fruit crop and get a good rich harvest of fruit in the future.

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