Pruning fruit trees in autumn

Pruning fruit trees in the fall has many functions. It promotes normal wintering of plants, rapid growth and development of the plant next year, and also lays the foundation for the future harvest. Pruning in the fall is an important part of caring for garden plants, and the health and condition of the garden for the next year largely depends on its correct implementation.

Is it possible to prune fruit trees in the fall?

Pruning hearth trees in autumn is widely practiced in regions with mild winters. In more northern areas, there is a high probability that the plant will not have time to heal its wounds before the onset of serious cold weather.Open cuts will freeze, and this can lead to the death of individual skeletal branches, and in some cases, the entire tree.

However, even in areas with a cold climate, it is recommended to prune fruit trees in the fall for sanitary purposes, removing dry, broken, fungus-affected branches. In such regions, it is better to postpone more serious pruning affecting skeletal branches or trunks until spring.

The importance of autumn pruning of fruit trees

Pruning garden plants in the fall is very important. Thanks to it, trees spend much less effort and energy maintaining life. If you remove unnecessary shoots in the fall, the plant will survive the winter more easily and will begin to grow faster in the spring. In addition, the likelihood of branches breaking off under the weight of sticking snow is reduced.

Types of pruning

In the fall, you can perform the following types of pruning:

1. Sanitary. Broken and dry branches are cut out, and branches affected by fungus, with traces of rot or other diseases are also removed.
2. Formative. Allows you to shape the crown in a certain way for ease of care and good fruiting.
3. Rejuvenating. It is carried out with the aim of replacing old skeletal branches with young ones, which significantly increases the life of the tree and its productivity.
4. Regulatory. Remove the top shoots that grow at an acute angle to the trunk, intersecting and directed deep into the crown to prevent it from thickening. Growth that exceeds the dimensions of the tree is also trimmed.

Types of cuts

To properly prune fruit trees in the fall, you need to have certain skills and know how to remove a particular shoot. Incorrect or careless removal is more likely to cause harm than to bring any benefit.

When pruning, the following methods are used:

1. Ring cut. It involves the complete removal of the shoot at the site of the annular influx from which it grows. You should not leave a stump at the cut site, as a top shoot will grow from it. And also you can’t make a long deep cut, which will take a very long time.
   
2. Cut to the bud. In this way, as a rule, one-year growth is shortened. The cut should begin at the base of the bud and end at the level of its apex. If the cut is made longer, the shoot will grow weak or die.
   
   Important! A small spike 1.5-2 cm long can be left above the bud to prevent deep dieback, which will also affect the bud. After a full-fledged shoot grows from the bud, the thorn can be removed.
3. Side branch cut. It is used to change the direction of growth of a branch, transferring its growth from the main to the side. Used to limit growth and crown formation.
   

In this case, the cut is made parallel to the direction of growth of the shoot, to which the main one is transferred.

The cut areas are cleaned with a garden knife and treated with garden pitch. This will prevent pathogens or fungal spores from entering open wounds.

How to form the crown of fruit trees

There are quite a few ways to form the crown of fruit trees. These include the following:

• sparsely tiered;
• cup-shaped;
• fusiform;
• fan;
• bush;
• without tier.

A sparsely layered crown is formed from the moment the seedling is planted and continues for several years. With the help of pruning, each subsequent year a higher fruit tier is laid. Crown formation is usually completed in the 4th year, after laying the 3rd tier.In the future, only maintenance, regulatory and sanitary pruning is carried out.

The cup-shaped shape of the crown makes it possible to lighten and saturate the center of the tree with air, which is why such pruning is used for sun-loving plants such as peach or apricot. With this method of pruning, the tree has no central conductor, and the bowl-shaped skeleton is formed by branches extending from a short trunk.

The spindle-shaped crown is formed mainly on dwarf rootstocks. In this case, an even central conductor is left, and skeletal branches are completely absent. All fruiting occurs on 2-3 year growth, which is constantly renewed.

Fan and bush forms are used on low-growing crops. In such plants there is no central conductor; instead, several equivalent shoots are formed. The fan form is used more for berry bushes, but the bush form of fruit trees is not at all uncommon.

A tiered crown is formed quite simply. For this, a central conductor (leader) is used, around which skeletal branches are laid at a certain distance (25–40 cm). After the tree reaches a certain height, the last skeletal branch is laid, to which growth is transferred, removing the leader.

Preparing tools

The quality of the cuts depends on the sharpness of the instrument, and this, in turn, directly affects the speed of wound healing. Therefore, it is very important that all cutting edges are well sharpened and do not leave uneven, frayed edges.

The main tools used for pruning fruit trees in autumn are:

• pruner;
• lopper;
• garden knife;
• hand garden saw.

Fresh cuts are an open gate for infection and fungi.To minimize the risk of plant infection, all tools should be disinfected with a 1% solution of copper sulfate or any alcohol-containing liquid.

When to prune fruit trees in the fall

In order for the fruit tree to be pruned painlessly in the fall, it must be done within a certain time frame. They are different for each region because they have different climatic conditions. Two conditions remain unchanged:

1. The tree must completely shed its leaves, thereby entering hibernation mode.
2. There should be at least 1-1.5 months left before the onset of winter cold. If the cuttings do not have time to close before the frost arrives, there is a high probability that they will freeze, and this can lead to the death of the entire plant.

Timing for pruning fruit trees in autumn in different regions

The timing of autumn pruning of fruit trees depends on many factors. This includes the nature of the area, climatic features, and a number of other circumstances. For most southern regions, the most favorable period is from mid to late October. In more northern regions, pruning fruit trees in the fall is not recommended, since the likelihood of severe frosts in November is very high. In the Urals, Siberia and even in the Moscow region there is also a possibility of early cold weather. Therefore, in the fall, in these areas, it is recommended to limit oneself to only sanitary pruning, postponing all other work to the spring.

Autumn pruning of fruit trees depending on age

Fruit trees require different types of pruning at different ages.The only exception here is sanitary; it is carried out at any age at least twice a year, in spring and autumn. Young seedlings require formative pruning, old ones require rejuvenating pruning.

Mature fruit-bearing trees are pruned to maintain crown size and normalize fruiting.

Pruning seedlings after planting

After planting, the seedlings are pruned at a certain height, which depends on the type of crown being formed. In this case, several buds remain on the trunk, from which the main skeletal branches will subsequently be formed. After pruning, seedlings are usually covered so that they can withstand the winter more easily.

Pruning young fruit trees in autumn

Until the age of 3-4 years, the formation of the crown continues in accordance with the chosen pattern (sparse-tiered, cup-shaped, etc.). At this time, the main skeletal branches that make up the backbone of the tree are formed. Strong branches of annual growth are shortened by half, weaker ones - by 25-30%. They also remove tops that cross and thicken branches.

How to properly prune fruit-bearing fruit trees in the fall

After 4 years of life, the crown, as a rule, is finally formed, so all that remains is to maintain it in the required dimensions. In this case, you do not need to touch the skeletal branches. Most fruits ripen on horizontal branches; if they are over 60 cm in length, they should be cut in half; shorter ones can be left untouched in the fall. All vertical shoots (tops) must be removed, since they do not participate in fruiting.

Autumn pruning of old fruit trees

In autumn, you can prune old fruit trees for the purpose of rejuvenation. This procedure can significantly extend their life and active fruiting.Its essence is to grow new skeletal branches to replace the old ones. Since in this case the old wood is removed, pruning cannot be done at once; the tree will simply die. No more than 30% of the skeletal branches can be removed at a time, so rejuvenating pruning is done in parts over 3-4 years, gradually removing the old skeleton and transferring fruiting to young branches.

Massive skeletal branches are removed gradually, first cutting them to a length of 3-3.5 m. After the formation of a new skeleton, they are completely removed.

Processing slices

Open cuts can lead to tree infection if pathogens or fungal spores come into contact with them. To prevent this from happening, after pruning they need to be covered with garden varnish. It is often made on the basis of petroleum products, but it is preferable to use a pitch based on natural resins, for example, fir.

How to insulate fruit trees for the winter

Most hearth trees have a certain amount of winter hardiness and are able to withstand negative temperatures without much harm. However, each species has its own limit, and if the temperature drops below this mark, freezing occurs.

In addition to the cold itself, a serious factor is the lack of snow cover and wind. In regions of Siberia, trees often do not freeze out in winter, but simply dry out. You can protect them from the effects of negative temperatures by using insulation or shelter for the winter.

How to cover fruit tree seedlings for the winter

Seedlings are the most unprotected category of garden plants. They need to be covered first.For this, you can use various materials, the main thing is that they allow air to pass through. You can insulate seedlings using paper, spruce branches, cardboard, using various shelter designs. The free space is filled with hay, straw, and wood shavings.

How to cover young fruit trees for the winter

Young fruit trees are already quite large in size, so temporary structures must be erected to cover them. Most often, a wooden frame is knocked together around the trunk and covered with thick paper. The lower part of such a shelter is covered with snow.

Agrofibre is well suited for covering small fruit trees for the winter. You can make a kind of bag out of it by putting it on top and securing it at the bottom. During the winter, you need to regularly check such a shelter and shake off snow from it, otherwise it can stick, turn into an ice crust and tear the material.

Sheltering fruit-bearing fruit trees for the winter

It is quite difficult to insulate large fruit trees for the winter. Often, gardeners in the fall cover only the trunk and lower skeletal branches, wrapping them with parchment, paper or non-woven materials. Snow serves as additional protection: the more of the trunk they manage to cover, the better it will survive the winter.

Conclusion

Pruning fruit trees in the fall is an excellent opportunity to inspect the garden and also prepare it for winter. This is an important stage in the life of plants of any age, since in autumn a fairly large number of different manipulations with the crown can be carried out. This is also the key to longevity and good fruiting of fruit trees throughout their lives.