How to properly prune an apple tree in spring

A well-formed crown of an apple tree gives a rich harvest. When planting a garden, the owner of the plot learns how to Proper pruning of apple trees. An error-free procedure, especially at the beginning of seedling growth and when working with fruit branches, guarantees successful development of the tree and annual abundant fruiting. When there is still no sap flow after the winter cold, you need to start pruning apple trees in early spring. The deadlines are short, the gardener must make it before it warms up.

Main point of care

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

• Creating a crown that provides fruits with the required degree of illumination and at the same time convenient for harvesting;
• Strengthening branches and their impeccable development;
• Reduced thickening, which reduces the risk of fungal diseases and pests;
• Increasing 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 spring is discussed in the article.

How to choose tools

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

• Garden saws, which have a special bend and narrowing towards the end of the blade;
• Loppers with rods 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 smooth and not worn out. For beginners, before pruning an apple tree in the spring, it is advisable to practice working with newly acquired tools.

Treatment of the cut area

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

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

Cutting sites on old trees are treated immediately after the operation, and on young trees - after 24 hours.

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

How to decide on the date

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

Deadlines apple tree trimmings in spring they are limited to the beginning of sap flow. A lot of sap can ooze through wounds at the site of large cuts. Trees weaken, become sick, are easily susceptible to pests, and fruit production decreases. In particularly difficult cases, plants may die. The best time to prune apple trees is when the temperature is near zero and 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 sanitization and removal of dry branches. You need to invest in the timing after leaf fall, but long before frost. When deciding when it is better to prune apple trees - in the fall or in the 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 large areas of wood, pruning is possible. Another point in favor of choosing the timing of spring pruning of apple trees is the opportunity to promptly remove branches that died during the winter due to freezing or that were broken during bad weather. Apple trees will not waste energy on restoring damaged wood, but will direct it to buds and flowers. Neat cuts under the influence of sun and moisture quickly heal 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 arrangement of branches and the number of fruits. Its yield depends on how to prune an apple tree seedling correctly in the first spring. The most popular crown is sparse, in several tiers.

• The central stem is cut off, forming a trunk at a height of 1 m. Future skeletal branches are formed from the buds over the course of the season;
• If the seedling has already formed branches, they are shortened to 30-40 cm, or 3-5 buds;
• Pruning apple tree seedlings in the spring they carry 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 placed at an acute angle often break off the trunk during a strong storm, causing damage to the entire tree. Such branches also collapse under the weight of a bountiful harvest;
• The greater the angle of shoot, the stronger and more productive the future adult branches. When pruning apple tree seedlings in the spring, it is important to leave branches formed at almost right angles to the conductor.

Working with a two-year-old seedling

When determining how to prune 2-year-old apple trees in the spring, the same rules are taken into account as for the initial formation of a seedling. Of all the developed branches, those that meet the requirements for creating a strong and productive tree structure are selected. For the future crown, leave from 3 to 5 strong branches, following the diagram for beginners when pruning apple trees in the spring.

• The key to 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 tiered crown, the lower branches are cut less, and the upper ones are made shorter by 25-30 cm;
• It is important to take into account for those new to pruning apple trees in the spring that the guide is located 20-30 cm above all branches, or 4-5 buds;
• If the top of the central trunk, which grows like a fork, splits, one, usually weaker, branch is removed. You can use stretchers to convert an extra fork branch into a skeletal branch of the second or third tier.

A tip in the procedure for pruning an apple tree in the spring for beginners: it is possible to leave a strong branch extending 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.

Formation of a young tree

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

• Carefully monitor the central trunk and remove the competing branch, avoiding bifurcation;
• When studying how to prune a 3-year-old apple tree in the spring, take into account that now is the time to shorten the conductor to the level of the branches of the second tier;
• When protruding side branches grow rapidly, they are pruned 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 are used to create fruit. In addition, the ends of the branches will not interfere with apple picking. If the crown is harmoniously formed, the gardener has little work to do when pruning apple trees in spring.

• It is necessary to inspect the crown and remove the branches that thicken it and prevent the sun's rays from penetrating to the central trunk and the fruits that have formed 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 trim tops on an apple tree in the spring. Vertical growths that appear over the previous season weaken the apple tree and thicken the crown. They have many large leaves that prevent the sun from reaching the fruits. Thus, the shoots spoil the harvest. All tops are removed.

How to recognize fruits

When pruning adult apple trees in the spring according to the pattern, you need to learn to recognize those that will bear flowers and fruits. The tops go vertically and are removed. Frozen branches are visible by small, not swollen buds; these are also cut off. The branches that grow inside the crown and thicken it are completely removed. The diagram for pruning an apple tree in the spring for beginners provides for the preservation of small fruit branches:

• The spears grow no more than 5 cm. They are distinguished by circular scars, and on the spear there is a large bud;
• Spears are processes perpendicular to the branch, up to 15 cm long. They are recognized by several pointed buds located in a close group;
• When studying 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 form on them;
• Old fruiting branches with all types of fruiting shoots are pruned if they are more than 10 years old. Over these years, replacement shoots should have already formed.

Rejuvenation of old wood

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. Anti-aging pruning will improve and continue fruiting of the tree, and also rid the entire garden of old branches that may be infected. But before the operation, you need to carefully examine the tree. It can be rejuvenated if the trunk is undamaged and there are strong skeletal branches.

• It is better to start radical pruning in the fall, cutting down dry and damaged branches;
• An approximate diagram will tell you how to properly prune apple trees in the spring, so as not to destroy the tree with a large volume of cuts. First, cut off the branches growing inward;
• The top of the trunk is also removed at a height of 3-3.5 m to open the crown;
• Next spring, rejuvenation is continued by removing powerful skeletal branches that interfere with the growth of other fruit-bearing branches;
• Rules for pruning apple trees in spring for beginners emphasize that no more than a third of the tree's branches are removed each year.

Working with trees on a trellis

Formed parallel to the surface of a wall, fence, or simply on a wire trellis, the tree ripens well and is easy to harvest fruit from.

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

Although crown formation is a complex process, the gardener needs to master these intricacies. Beautiful apple trees and a rich harvest will be the result of labor.

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