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Spinning tops on an apple tree are a nuisance that every second gardener faces when growing this type of fruit tree on their plot. Some people don’t know what it is and don’t do anything with it, but in vain. This problem requires mandatory intervention and correct actions, since it significantly reduces the amount of harvest and worsens the general condition of the crop. Tops also have positive qualities; in some cases, on the contrary, they help save a tree. What to do with them and in what cases will be discussed further.
Every gardener should be able to identify tops on an apple tree and know what to do with them and in what situation
What are tops on an apple tree?
Tops are young shoots on an apple tree, growing from hidden buds, of which there are quite a few on each tree. They are a reserve supply necessary for the tree to renew and restore strength in emergency situations.Tops awaken mainly when the apple tree is severely shocked, for example, when it is damaged, frost or sunburn, since their goal is to protect it. They can also grow due to poor tree care or lack of it.
How to identify a top on an apple tree
Tops on both young and old apple trees are easy to identify and can be seen with the naked eye. They have a remarkable appearance, which is why they cannot be confused with ordinary fruit branches. The growth of fatty shoots proceeds strictly vertically; they are covered with large leaf plates, the interval between which is about 10 cm. In addition, tops do not have fruit buds and can give a two-meter growth in literally a month.
An inexperienced gardener is most often to blame for the appearance of tops
Do tops bear fruit?
In most cases, tops do not bear fruit; they only thicken the crown and deplete the tree. And, as practice shows, in particular, they are simply removed from the plant. Although if the gardener performs certain manipulations with the fatty shoots, they may well become fruit-bearing branches.
Why are there so many tops on the apple tree?
Tops on an apple tree begin their rapid growth for several reasons; gardeners usually identify three of them:
- Serious damage to the tree. As a rule, they are burns from bright sunlight, frostbite of the bark after a cold winter, or the fracture of a large branch.
- A large amount of nitrogen in the fertilizer.Since nitrogen fertilizing leads to the active growth of new leaves and branches, if the dosage of this substance is exceeded, hidden buds also begin to bloom.
- Incorrect trimming. Anti-aging procedures carried out on an apple tree not according to the rules provoke the appearance of fatty shoots. As a result, up to five tops can grow in place of one cut branch.
Tops can also form from the root of an apple tree
Do I need to trim the tops on an apple tree?
In most cases, it is recommended to trim the tops on a garden apple tree. This should be done with a sharp, disinfected pruner or, if the branch is rough, with a hacksaw.
When to remove tops on an apple tree
It is necessary to cut tops on an apple tree in a number of cases:
- with direct growth from the trunk (break out in green form);
- crowns growing inward (cut into a ring);
- shading and thickening the tree.
Also, all top shoots touching the skeletal branches of any row are subject to mandatory pruning.
You can remove a fatty branch at any time
When to leave
In some cases, the tops can be left on the tree. This makes sense if:
- The apple tree needs rejuvenation;
- the formation of a new fruit shoot is required;
- there is a need to graft another crop variety onto the tree.
Usually, the left tops are brought to a horizontal position. Why they are weighed down with a load, but so that the branches do not break off from the heavy weight. The shoots are left in this position for at least two months. After the weight is removed, they are cut into a ring.
How to properly trim tops on an apple tree
There are several ways to get rid of tops on an apple tree; gardeners distinguish three of them: blinding, green operation and summer pruning. The first method is considered the most gentle. It is carried out manually by pinching, that is, removing the swollen buds. The second method involves trimming young tops using a sharp pruner, knife or hoe. It is performed in the spring. The third method is summer pruning, which occurs in the first days of June, by the time the fatty branches have grown sufficiently and one can already understand whether they will be suitable for the further development of the apple tree or not. Such tops are usually cut down with a hacksaw and, provided that the sections are more than 1 cm in diameter, they are treated with white oil paint or garden varnish. This pruning is usually called "ring". It is carried out along the upper part of the ring-shaped influx, which encircles the base of the shoot. They do this because it contains cells that multiply quickly and promote rapid healing of the wound and healing of the cut part. At the site of such a cut, a fatty shoot will never appear again.
The main rules that should be followed when trimming tops:
- You cannot leave a stump above the ring, as in this case the cut will take a long time to heal, provoke the development of fungal diseases, and become a place for overwintering and breeding of pests.
- It is forbidden to cut off the ring, as this will damage the cambium and bark of the apple tree, which can cause the death of the skeletal branch.
- When removing a large top, it is first cut off with a hacksaw, leaving a small stump (2 cm), which is then removed onto the ring with a sharply sharpened knife.
What can be made from tops
Fatty shoots should not always be removed from the tree; in some cases, they are used for good and even damaged plants can be saved with their help. For example, they are used to form the crown of an apple tree, create new fruit branches, and use them to rejuvenate old trees. They also graft tops onto them, use them as rootstocks, and produce young seedlings.
Form a crown
Tops can become the main element in order to form a full-fledged crown on an apple tree. To do this, it is necessary to change the direction of their growth and thereby transfer them to fruiting. To do this, the top is tilted horizontally for several months so that the wood remembers where to grow. In the fall, it is cut according to the standard pattern by 1/3 of the length.
Pruning is carried out observing the following rules:
- the cut is made at an angle of 45 degrees;
- the bud is left from which the branch will grow horizontally or upward;
- the work is carried out carefully, without damaging the renal membrane.
Fruit buds form only on horizontal branches of an apple tree
Make a branch
Sometimes a top on an apple tree can be turned into a new branch, which will subsequently bear high-quality fruits. To do this, it is recommended to trim the top to 2-3 lower buds, as they do when forming a skeletal branch. Thus, within a couple of years apples will begin to appear on it.
Restore an old apple tree
Tops on an old apple tree, if it is of a good variety, without severe damage or splits, can help it recover.
To do this, in the spring the plant is radically pruned as follows:
- Shorten the trunk at the height of the third tier of branches.
- All side shoots are cut into a ring.
- Disinfect every wound.
- Dried sections are covered with garden varnish.
With the onset of summer, tops will begin to appear on such an apple tree, then the gardener will only have to monitor them and form a new crown with their help.
Make seedlings
The tops on the apple tree after pruning can be used to obtain new planting material. Why do you have to root them using the air layering method?
Getting a seedling is very simple. To do this you need:
- Choose a strong top.
- Make a notch at the site where the root is supposed to form.
- Treat them with Kornevin or any other growth stimulant.
- Wrap this area in damp moss and wrap it with polyethylene on top.
Already in the fall, roots will form on the top; the seedling can be separated and planted in a permanent place in the garden.
Because of the vigor of spiny shoots, gardeners often use them to make rootstocks. It should be noted that the grafting on it always takes root and produces strong shoots. In the future, such a seedling will inherit strong immunity and will not differ from ordinary young apple trees.
Tops from the roots of self-rooted trees can be planted, thereby obtaining new young apple trees from them
Prevention of the appearance of tops
To prevent the regrowth of tops on apple trees, gardeners must adhere to the rules of agricultural technology for growing and caring for the crop. The following measures are being taken:
- moderate watering of the plant;
- timely pruning of broken, frostbitten and burnt branches;
- applying a limited amount of nitrogen fertilizers;
- compliance with the rules of anti-aging haircuts.
Most often, tops grow back when the apple tree pruning technique is not followed. Usually the mistake is leaving a stump of any size and at an angle.
With the correct actions of the gardener, the fruiting of the apple tree remains stable, and its development is not disrupted
Conclusion
Tops on an apple tree do not always cause problems and disrupt the development of the tree. In some cases, they can be the salvation of a damaged or old plant. Sometimes from a top shoot formed in place of a broken one, you can get a strong, young and well-fruiting branch. As a rule, the appearance of fat formation occurs in emergency cases, and before removing it, it is better to carefully examine the tree and try to understand why this happened.
