About summer pruning of apple trees

With the arrival of spring, all the trees in the garden undergo a natural renewal process. New, young shoots appear on them, the movement of juice along the trunk and branches is accelerated, and new buds are born, which will later become flowers, and then - fruits. However, there is little natural renewal for fruit crops, and a contribution from gardeners is also needed here. It is the mechanical elimination of old and unnecessary branches and shoots that will give the apple tree freedom for better fruiting and heal the tree as a whole.

Why prune apple trees in summer?

The biggest advantage of pruning apple trees in summer is late blooming for the next season. This will save future buds that have just set from freezing in case of late frosts or other unfavorable weather. In addition, in the summer it is easier to identify for yourself the front of work on the formation of the crown. It is on a leafy tree that it is easier to make a bush form - the most convenient for harvesting and for the development of an individual.

More sun

By removing excess branches and shoots on a tree trunk, you will not only heal the young tree, but also give new life to the perennial. In addition, thinning will give the sun access to the inner branches, which will affect the better ripening of the fruits and prevent the appearance of malignant microflora on the leaves.

Breaking out the excess

In addition to cutting off with a hacksaw or pruner in summer, summer residents and amateur gardeners can easily break off unnecessary processes. These breaks should not be too chopped, with smoother edges. The same "hemp" can be used in the summer season to pinch a different kind of apples, or even a different fruit crop. The main thing is to correctly make the clothespin itself and insulate the cut well - for better engraftment. There are hundreds of videos on the Internet with instructions on how to properly isolate, so it's hard to go wrong. In the event that there is no need to make a clothespin, then the place of scrapping must be lubricated with special garden mastic or oil paint.

Summer pruning rules for apple trees

There are rules and guidelines for every process in this life. Pruning fruit trees is no exception. On the contrary, when removing excess branches and shoots from an apple tree, you must not overdo it, but also not leave a lot of unnecessary.

Crown formation

The main rule for pruning apple trees in summer is high-quality crown formation. Oddly enough, both the future harvest and the ability to bear fruit in general depend on this. The correct clipping pattern and sequence can be found in the tutorial videos on the Internet. Although, gardening experts recommend using gentle crown formation. Firstly, this method of removing unnecessary branches will not be too stressful, and secondly, until autumn, when the sap flow along the trunk slows down or stops, the apple tree will have time to come to its senses and recover. It is best to start forming a crown on a young tree that is not yet bearing fruit. After, every summer, you only need to update the pruning a little. Also, this method is suitable for already fruiting trees, in the event that the harvest is worse than before.

Rejuvenation

Experienced gardeners assure that even an old tree can be given a second life and help it bear fruit again.With the help of the usual pruning and crown shaping, which is also done in a gentle mode, the apple fruit bearer will be renewed and will give a high-quality, full-ripe crop. In addition, the percentage of ovary from flowering will increase significantly. Experts emphasize that such "rejuvenation" should be done at least once a year, and ideally in summer and winter.

Signs of success

A clear sign of a successful pruning of an apple tree will be its external condition. First of all, it is the color of the leaves. It becomes more saturated, and the structure of the leaf itself becomes healthy, shiny. Also, an indicator of a successful procedure for removing excess branches and processes is the trunk, the bark of which does not have large cracks and does not look overdried or depleted. But, most importantly, a good fruit set is the surest sign of success.

Features of pruning young and old apple trees

There are several nuances in the rules for summer pruning of apple trees. They concern the age range of individuals. Oddly enough, this is an important element in the selection of the correct pruning scheme for excess and old branches, shoots.

For the young

Non-fruiting individuals need to be cut to a minimum - in order to cause active growth. As for the scheme for removing excess, then skeletal branches need to be taken as a basis. You need to cut off those processes that interfere with the life of the tree and clog the fruit, be sure - at an acute angle. The skeletal branches themselves are laid at a low height. In a few years, when the tree grows, you will appreciate this contribution to the future - you will not need to stock up on ladders and special devices with long arms to harvest the crop. It will be necessary to more actively cut the branches that interfere with the growth of the main ones in two or three fruit years, after the first procedure. This is due to the fact that the apple tree will grow more slowly, and the processes - faster.

Thus, the crown will be formed correctly and the sun's rays will be evenly distributed throughout the trunk. If this is not done, the fruits will grow small and with poor taste. Sick and dry branches should also be liquidated for the same purpose. By delaying this, you will allow the frail processes to feed healthy, thereby impairing the health of the entire tree. You should also not be greedy with the harvest. In order not to overload the individual, with abundant flowering, part of the future apples must be removed, so that afterwards fragile twigs do not suffer from their large weight.

For old

The main indicator that a perennial tree needs rejuvenation is that its growth is less than 30 centimeters. In addition, the yield is extremely low and of poor quality.

When rejuvenating, the main thing is to remove those branches that are at an acute angle to the main trunk. On those that grow vertically, it is necessary to cut off a two to three year increase. Unlike young apple trees, more mature individuals need such a procedure no more often than once every three years. The maximum term is six years, but it’s not worth it.

Another way to "update" the apple tree can be in the spring by removing several young shoots for three or four buds. The next year, after this, new shoots and branches are removed to large peduncles. In the third year, the treated trees will already yield a good harvest.

Gardeners insist that old trees should not be allowed to grow upwards. This, according to experts, spoils the fruit crop and makes it impossible for summer residents to get a good, high-quality harvest. In this case, it is recommended to cut down branches that are more than three years old before the stumps. When buds and shoots appear on these stumps from six to eight centimeters long, the main thing is to choose the strongest one to replace the removed part. Such a trick will allow you to have a young part on an already dying tree and get a good harvest of strong and high-quality fruits from it every year.

Graft

In addition to eliminating the bad parts for the normal life of the tree, summer residents chose summer as their grafting season.This, in their opinion, is facilitated by the weather and the ability to feed the individual with additional fertilizers. Before any grafting, the main individual, where the new culture will be attached, is prepared - thoroughly watered, loosened and fertilized the soil. After that, they choose a place for future vaccination. Most often these are skeletal branches or thin parts of the trunk. In this case, both the surface of the trunk and the surface of the "clothespin" should be smooth.

After the introduction of a new culture into the dissection, the incision site is “bandaged” or covered with mastic - for better engraftment. Whether the procedure was successful will become clear literally in a week. The offshoot will not lose its "marketable" appearance and will be fresh. Thus, several varieties can be grown on one apple tree. In addition, you can combine different cultures, the main thing is that they match each other according to the climatic conditions of growth and according to the rules of care. Apples, pears and, often, plums "take root" on one trunk. But, only large varieties.

How to properly prune apple trees in summer (video)

The video shows how to prune apple trees and other fruit trees in the summer.