Pruning old apple trees: a scheme in autumn and spring for beginner gardeners

Pruning old apple trees, as well as young ones, should be done in a certain way. In some ways, pruning apple trees is similar to raising children.

If you discipline apple trees by pruning too strictly, they become frail and sickly, uninitiative suffocates. Give them no restrictions, and they become unruly and unproductively growing “thickets.”

But if you give them the right pruning and feeding at the same time, they will form an attractive, useful tree form that will “produce” beautiful fruit for many years. Decrepit and damaged branches are dangerous to leave on a tree that has crossed the threshold of its old age.

If they are not cut off, the consequences for the tree will be unfavorable : diseases and harmful insects from damaged branches will begin to migrate to the still flowering branches, and due to the overly dense crown, the flow of sunlight to the tree will be reduced.

And as a consequence, the lack of timely pruning of apple trees leads to their death as a useful tree. Due to the extremely intensive growth of the crown, the tree produces tiny and unappetizing apples.

How to prune an old apple tree?

An apple tree will continue to produce fruit even when it is not looked after or becomes old. But the “effectiveness” of the harvest and its volume will fall with each season, and in some years there will be no apples at all.

Old age is also noticeable in the growth of underyearlings. If the growth of branches becomes very weak and small, the tree ages. And only by cutting off the excess can stray apple trees be “restored” and fruit bearing resumed .

More often, for such “restoration” the transfer method is used, that is, all skeletal branches are cut to the point where the strongest and youngest shoot is located, usually three years old. At the same time, they do not forget about subordination, where each subsequent upward tier of branches is cut off more than the previous one.
Remember! Do not prune while the ovary is forming!
If even after this the growth rate of young shoots has not been revived, then pruning of the “aged” apple tree is continued by even greater removal of the oldest branches.

Why is this necessary?

The lifespan of this culture is longer than many are accustomed to believe. The maximum time that an apple tree has managed to live is 370 years. Of course, most trees die before this age. However, even wild animals can live longer than 60 years. To do this, you need to follow the rules of caring for the plant and rejuvenate it in time, removing unnecessary ovaries and shoots.

As apple trees age, their branches become less fertile. The skeletal base produces shoots of levels 3, 4 and 5. Every year their number increases, taking more and more strength from the tree. So, instead of providing its own immunity or forming fruits, the plant spends energy on ensuring the life of unnecessary branches. Because of this, the appearance of the tree suffers, because next year leaves will appear only on young shoots.

By getting rid of extra branches, the apple tree “gets younger.” The circulation of oxygen in the trunk improves, which is why even an old tree looks like it is 5-6 years old. There are several reasons to prune:

increasing immunity;
cosmetic treatment;
getting rid of dried shoots;
increasing productivity.

Attention!

If the procedure is not carried out correctly, the tree may die.

The main and main thing in the system of pruning an adult apple tree

Gardeners in Europe have developed a system for pruning old apple trees, developed from rejuvenating pruning of neglected trees. It's called the update system. This method, which may at first glance seem difficult to implement for an amateur, is in fact a successful way to control the growth and age of fruit wood and the formation of fruit in the most favorable place for them.

In this system, only individual characteristics of the tree are taken into account and there are no hard and fast rules. And the system itself consists of reducing the share of excess annual growth. So that only the necessary part of the branches is left, and on the remaining part it will be possible to form fruit twigs.

Twigs and fruits should be well spaced along the entire length of the branch to ensure that the fruits are not crowded. The number of stepsons is reduced, but their total number will depend on the variety and growth of the apple tree.

A strong tree can “feed” a large number of apples. As a result, most of the stepsons that appear after anti-aging pruning should be shortened by 1/3, and their smaller half should be cut out.

On a weaker tree, which tends to form fruit buds due to the shoots of underyearlings, only the top of 2 out of 3 stepsons may be cut off. And the next summer, from these stepsons, they select those that best fit the definition of “real branches” and form a new fruiting link.

An ideal fruit tree should have only one central leading branch. You cannot allow two leaders, otherwise the tree will become weak. It is necessary to identify the only strong and strong leader among competitors and tops and remove all the others.

And this central leader should be surrounded by strong branches and evenly distributed fruit-bearing branches on them. Which have many twigs and fruits for fruiting.

Advice! Avoid pruning your apple tree in early September because it encourages the growth of new branches while the trees should be preparing for the winter season.

Methods of formation in accordance with the period of development of the apple tree

Depending on the age of the apple tree, several stages of formation are distinguished.

Formation of a seedling

The trunk is the main connecting system between the roots and the crown of the tree. Its height varies between 40–90 cm. It is the most vulnerable place - often susceptible to freezing or sunburn, which can lead to the death of the entire tree.

There are some differences between pruning a one- and two-year-old seedling:

Annual seedlings do not have lateral branches, so when planting them, the central leader should be shortened by one third of the total size. In this case, the seedling remaining in the soil must be at least 60 cm tall.
On two-year-old plants, the leader (according to the rules as for one-year-old) and all branches located below 50 cm from the ground must be pruned. From the branches located above, you should select the strongest ones to form the skeleton, and remove the rest. Shorten the branches of the skeleton by 2–5 buds.

In Siberia, the Urals and the northern regions of Russia, it is recommended to leave a standard of no more than 30–50 cm.

Formation of a young tree

Over the next 5–6 years, the crown of the apple tree is formed. Conventionally divided into two stages:

The first three years of life. The main task for three-year-old apple trees is the formation of skeletal branches with the same angle of inclination in a circle from the leader. Important points:

mandatory removal of weak shoots, competitors and tops, shortening of skeletal branches;
branches of the same tier should be formed at a distance of 15 cm from each other;
the distance between tiers must be at least 45 cm;
formation of inclination angles by installing spacers or hanging a load to a value of no more than 60;
Avoid placing branches directly on top of each other.

Formation in this way does not delay the development of the apple tree. It is recommended to carry out in early spring.

The next 2–3 years. The main task is to prevent thickening of the crown by branches of the second and subsequent orders. Important points:

mandatory removal of tops and shoots growing downward;
shortening subordinate branches;
formation of inclination angles of new skeletal branches.

At the end of crown formation, the continuation branch of the leader is shortened, leaving a length no less than that of the upper skeletal branches.

Young skeletal branches should be shortened during this period by no more than 2 buds!

Formative pruning of a fruit-bearing tree is necessary to regulate growth and create favorable conditions for fruiting.

Annual pruning includes:

Removing growth from the root. To do this, carefully free the skeletal root from the ground and cut out the shoot with a knife. Cover the removal site with garden varnish and bury the root.

When removing shoots, do not leave stumps, as next year more shoots will grow from them, which will significantly weaken the nutrition of the apple tree.

Freeing up space inside the crown by removing branches:

broken, damaged or dead;
weaker ones growing close;
growing downwards or directed towards the trunk;
crossing (removing the weaker one or looking down);
tops.

When young growth appears in the place of a dead branch of the skeleton, a procedure for forming a new branch should be carried out by artificially creating an angle of inclination and securing it.

Formation of an old tree

Old trees must be pruned in the autumn, after the start of the leaf fall season, but no less than 1 month before the onset of frost. When unhealed wounds freeze, the bark peels off, which often leads to the death of part of the tree.

Pruning is carried out according to the principle of forming an adult tree, usually up to 1/3 of the new growth is removed.

Two main rules for pruning an old apple tree

The first rule of pruning is to remove all dead, damaged or diseased branches.

Second: cutting to a ring . When planning to make a cut, pay attention to the “branch collar” (or “ring”), which consists of the “wrinkled” part of the bark at the base of the branch where its end is connected to the tree trunk. This part of the tree has all the cells necessary for wound healing.

Important ! Never cut the collar of a branch when pruning! Instead, you need to make a cut just above it.

Aging apple tree

Many summer residents are interested in the question of what to do with old apple trees. The possibility of tree rejuvenation largely depends on proper care in previous years. Over time, the apple tree shows the first signs of deterioration. Visible signs of this process appear 30 years after the plant is planted in the ground.

In some cases, the first signs of aging may appear earlier. This process begins to develop earlier if the tree grew in unfavorable conditions and was deprived of proper care, fertilizer and watering.

The first signs of aging are the exposure of skeletal branches. New shoots no longer develop on them, and in these areas the tree stops bearing fruit. The productivity of garden plants begins to gradually decrease every year. In this case, you need to think about how to save the old apple tree. After all, with proper care, it can bear fruit fully for more than one season.

If there is a high process of dying off of fruit-bearing shoots, the tops of the branches dry out, it’s time to help the tree. Low yield, medium or small fruit size also indicates the need to give the apple tree the required attention. Timely and correct actions will restore strength to the plant, extending its life. There is a certain technique for carrying out the pruning process. This will rejuvenate the apple tree.

Pruning old apple trees in autumn: diagram

If you don't yet know how to properly prune an old apple tree in the fall, the diagram below will help you. To carry out effective pruning, you need to adhere to a program consisting of a certain sequence of actions:

Cut out the oldest branches , those that for various reasons have become broken or damaged;
Further, where a large number of small branches grow, the crown should be thinned out, preserving the strongest and smoothest; painful and twisted branches need to be cut out;
Then those branches that leave the trunk at a small angle are cut off ; after all, with abundant fruiting, such branches can break under the load of ripened apples;
Remove all rubbing and tangled branches and remove all stumps “on the ring”;
After this, all sections of the branches must be carefully cleaned of burrs and irregularities, otherwise morning frosts can injure the phloem. Next, apply “garden pitch” to treat wounds; it is also possible to seal wounds with oil paint or natural drying oil;
At the end of the work, all the branches that were cut must be put in one place and burned to ashes; this is necessary to destroy possible insect pests and rot that could appear on weak and stunted branches.

Remember that pruning an old apple tree in the fall is the key to a good harvest next year. Also, do not forget that if a large number of apples are ripening, the branches should be protected from breakage due to the severity of the harvest with the help of supports.

Post-procedure care

No matter how the procedure for pruning an old apple tree is carried out, after it is completed, the crop must be stimulated to grow. To minimize stress, the first step is to cover the wounds with garden varnish, plasticine or oil paint.

In order for the apple tree to actively begin to grow young shoots, it will need to be fertilized. If pruning was carried out in the spring, then nitrogen fertilizer, during the summer - superphosphate, in the fall you need to use only potassium sulfate for digging into the tree trunk soil.

An important requirement is good quality watering of the plant. For one square meter of the trunk circle of an adult tree, you need to use about 4 buckets of clean water.

Pruning an old apple tree in spring: diagram and video

It is recommended to carry out early spring pruning even before the buds swell . Spring pruning not only protects the cut areas from freezing, but also due to the rapid onset of sap flow in the spring, the wound areas heal faster.

The cut areas are immediately treated with garden varnish , as in the autumn. It is advisable to shorten the shoots above the buds, so that on one part the edge of the cut is at the level of the upper part of the bud, and on the opposite side it has a bevel to allow water to roll off.

They don’t forget about the “creation” of the crown. In it, the middle and lower branches should be longer than the upper ones, and the top should be higher than the crown. In the spring, they continue to form the crown, simultaneously removing all frozen and frozen shoots .

It is important to know! In the spring, last year's shoots must be thinned out!

The length of pruning should depend on the vigor of the apple tree.:

For small and dwarf apple trees, only the tops of the remaining shoots are removed;
For medium-sized trees, shoots are cut by 1/3;
And the branches of tall and seed-bearing apple trees are cut by approximately half or more.

For details on pruning an apple tree in spring, watch the video:

Tools for apple tree rejuvenation

Before starting anti-aging pruning, you need to prepare the following tools:

Manual hedge trimmer – for thin and medium branches.
Secateurs with long handles - for branches with a diameter of no more than 5 cm.
Folding saw – for branches thicker than 6 cm.
Secateurs with telescopic handles - for pruning at height.

Don't forget a small stepladder, stool, garden pitch and bedding material.

Before starting work, all tools must be thoroughly treated with a concentrated solution of manganese or medical alcohol.

The cutting parts of garden tools should be sharpened. Otherwise, the edges of the cuts will be torn, which will cause the wounds to heal for a very long time. At the end of the work, all cut areas are treated with oil paint or garden varnish. And large branches are additionally wrapped in fabric.

What to do with an old apple tree?

One of the main actions in rejuvenation is reducing the height of the apple tree . To do this, it is necessary to “cut off” the entire upper part of the trunk. And this must be done at approximately a height of 3-4 meters from the ground. For all side branches, the topmost piece is cut off by 1/3.

The edges of the lower branches must be cut off if they have drooping branches and it has previously been noticed that the fruit does not ripen on them.

Branches need to be trimmed down to highly developed and younger side branches. If only tops turn out to be such, then the strongest is chosen, and all the others are cut off into a ring. Like everything frail and weak. The remaining shoots are shortened by 1/3.

In a similar way, the height of the apple tree is simultaneously reduced and the yield is increased. The tree turns out to be small-sized and suitable for convenient subsequent care.

What types of trimmings are there?

You should be careful, because if you approach the procedure on a grand scale, you can lose the culture. There are several different ways of pruning: either a one-time cut from the total mass, which is carried out in the spring, or gradually over two or three seasons to remove all excess.

Shock

The method of shock rejuvenation is relatively recent, but effective and intense. You need to approach the procedure wisely and limit your enthusiasm so as not to remove too much. In addition to the pruning itself, it is also necessary to use several important care procedures.

Shock trimming diagram.

Shock therapy is carried out in several stages:

Complete removal of dry and damaged branches, cutting them down to the living part.
The central branches were cut down to a height of 3-4 meters, but the procedure was carried out gradually.
Pruning side shoots to a maximum length of 2.5 m.
Thinning out the middle, where there are many branches crossing each other and growing at an acute angle.

After such a satisfyingly cruel pruning, you need to cover up all the wounds. In the spring, nitrogen-type fertilizers are also applied. It will be necessary to take additional preventive measures against the disease.

Gentle

Gentle is a gradual procedure that usually lasts for 3 years. The apple tree is restored completely, but it will take a long time to wait for a complete renewal, about 5 years.

Apple orchard after gentle pruning of trees.

Thick damaged branches are removed annually and completely. The same applies to long shoots: their length needs to be adjusted. You need to be prepared for the fact that the apple tree will be under stress these few years, and this will affect the number of fruits.

Gradual

The procedure is even longer and is also carried out in stages, but not every year, but after one or even two. During this time, you will need to remove all thick shoots that are more than 10 cm in diameter, but this must be done several times.

Between cuttings of large shoots, standard sanitary pruning of diseased, dry and fattening shoots is carried out annually. Thus, the apple tree rejuvenates gradually, but this does not affect its fruiting too much.

Scheme of gradual pruning of an apple tree.

There is an important condition that you need to know. When pruning, attention is paid to the sides and the part of the crown that is located to the south is cleared first. A few years later, when it is overgrown with skeletal shoots, the northern side is cleared using the same principle.

Maximum pruning and when is it needed?

Maximum pruning is carried out only after any climatic disasters. After a hurricane, freezing rain, severe hail, severe drought, extremely cold winter, or fire. Only such drastic incidents give permission for maximum voluminous pruning.

In this case, everything broken and dead is removed to make healthy wood. All other reasons should not push the gardener to radical pruning. From such pruning, especially when carried out by beginners, nothing but harm to the tree can be achieved.

In conditions of such pruning, it is very important to remove all diseased and damaged branches and twigs , that is, to free the apple tree from unnecessary load.

Types of pruning

There are several types of pruning, differing in purpose.

Crown formation

Formative pruning of a young apple tree should begin immediately after planting. It is very important to form the crown correctly. This will make it easier to collect fruit and further care.

How to prune an apple tree to form a crown is written below, in the section - Activities according to the years of a tree’s life.

From the very beginning, you need to remember about the height of the trunk - this is the distance from the ground to the first branch at which the formation of the crown will begin. The stem gives the plant the shape of a tree, not a bush, and makes it easier to care for and harvest.

Maintain a distance of approximately 80 cm from the ground to the first branch. Form the crown of the apple tree in the form of a free spindle (a modern intensive option for low-growing rootstocks) or a pyramid (a sparse-tiered form is a traditional option). The correct shape will ensure uniform illumination of the fruits, and the branches will not break under their weight. Formative pruning is done during the dormant period - in autumn, after leaf fall, in winter (in some climatic zones) or in early spring - before the growing season.

Sanitary

This pruning is carried out in the spring. The purpose of the event is to remove dried, diseased, damaged shoots, which can become a source of infection and a wintering place for pests (in the bark of old branches). During this period, root shoots and shoots that appear on the trunk (below the main, skeletal branches) are also cut out.

After work, cut branches must be burned or disposed of outside the site to prevent the spread of infections and pests.

Rejuvenating

The purpose of this technique is to rejuvenate the tree. Rejuvenating pruning of an old apple tree includes radical cutting of perennial, skeletal branches in order to stimulate the development of dormant buds and subsequently form a new tree frame from these shoots.

We will talk about this in more detail below in the section – Old tree.

Thinning or regulating

Young trees (5-6 years old) are thinned out sparingly, since they have a smaller volume of shoots and the sun's rays penetrate more easily into the center of the crown. Older and mature trees require more severe thinning. Trees with too thick a crown due to lack of sunlight are more susceptible to diseases. They take longer to dry after rain, and water retention can lead to the development of fungal diseases. Thickening also contributes to the fact that flower buds do not form in the center of the crown, which leads to a decrease in the number of fruits, a decrease in the taste and marketability of apples (weak coloring of red varieties).

The procedure is carried out during the rest period. As a rule, it is combined with formative (if the garden is young and the formation of the crown continues) and sanitary pruning. During annual crown thinning, approximately 20% of shoots and branches are cut off.

Goals:

give more light to the center of the crown, create optimal lighting and ventilation conditions;
support the formation by removing branches competing with the conductors.

During the work, branches are removed, including competing conductors, weak shoots, and diseased ones.

After the procedure, the crown may seem sparse, but in the summer, when new shoots appear, the tree will thicken again.

What and how to prune an old apple tree?

It is very important to have the right tools for the job. Keep the following tools on hand:

Hand pruners. Use the tool to remove small branches and medium-sized branches. But before using this tool, it must be made sharp and in good working order.
Loppers: have long handles and provide greater cutting force and power due to increased leverage. That is why they are used when pruning large branches. They are typically used to cut branches larger than 1 cm and up to 5 cm in diameter.
The folding saw is useful for cutting thick ends of branches and large branches larger than 5.5 cm in diameter.
Telescopic pruning shears . It consists of blades similar to pruning shears, but attached to a long pole and useful for cutting high-lying branches.

Remember that in addition to proper pruning, it is also necessary to carry out timely maintenance procedures for the fruit tree, such as fertilizing, protection from rodents and other pests, as well as proper garter.

Required Tools

The following tools are used to care for old apple trees:

Hand pruner for cutting thin branches and branches of medium thickness.
Lopper with long handles for removing thick branches, the diameter of which ranges from 1 to 5 cm. Thanks to the increased levers, the tool provides great force and a powerful cut.
Folding saw for removing branches with thick ends and branches with a diameter of over 5.5 cm.
Pruning shears with telescopic handles are necessary for removing vetoes located at height. It is a tool that resembles a regular pruner, but is attached to a tall pole.

You will also need a stool or a small stepladder, canvas fabric and garden varnish for coating the cuts. All instruments are disinfected with alcohol or a concentrated solution of potassium permanganate before work. If damaged or infected shoots are removed, the treatment is repeated during the pruning process. The cutting parts of the instruments are sharpened. Otherwise, the edges of the wounds turn out to be torn and the damage does not heal for a long time. After cutting, the sections are covered with garden varnish or oil paint. Large damages are additionally tied with cloth.

Sanitary pruning of apple trees

This pruning is done in the fall in order to rid the apple tree of branches and twigs that are dangerous and unnecessary for it. Sanitary pruning in an apple orchard is mandatory after natural disasters, a severe outbreak of diseases , and it consists in removing dead, painful and infected branches and shoots.

At the time of such pruning of “elderly” apple trees, such branches are cut down to the very fruit ring. And when removing part of a diseased branch, part of the healthy tissue is also cut off.

This will prevent the rot from returning . Broken branches should be cut out, removing only the broken part with pruning shears.

Spring sanitary pruning is carried out after extremely frosty winters or when returning cold weather occurs in the spring.

Any dead branch is cut back to healthy tissue. Everything cut at the time of pruning must be burned!

Step by step pruning

Rejuvenation of old apple trees is best done in stages over several years.

Autumn rejuvenation in the first year. In the first year, pruning is carried out in the fall. First, remove dead, damaged branches, twigs and shoots

Particular attention should be paid to the presence of colored spots, corrugated areas, and areas of peeling bark on the branches. These signs may indicate the presence of a disease that penetrates the tree through wounds and breaks, gradually weakening and killing it. In this case, the branches need to be cut to a healthy place, without leaving a stump

In this case, the branches need to be cut to a healthy place, without leaving a stump.

How to properly trim large branches so that they do not split and tear off part of the trunk? Cut down large branches gradually: first cut a third from the top, then from bottom to top towards the started cut. Then identify the new leader branch and prune the crown accordingly. If there are several such branches, then leave the younger and stronger one. Take your time and don't cut more than three large branches in one year.

Then decide on the height. Tall trees are difficult to prune and protect from diseases and pests, so the recommended height is up to 5 meters. However, if the tree is several times taller, then no more than a third can be removed in the first year. A well-thinned crown will allow rays of light to penetrate to the lower branches.

Rejuvenation in the second year. Next year, the old apple tree is rejuvenated in the spring. First of all, take care of new shoots and “tops”. Leave one shoot at a time on strong branches, making sure that the resulting branches are proportionate. Apples will grow on young branches. Select a strong shoot and use wire to make it horizontal (as far as possible). Do this carefully so as not to break it. You need to get rid of the extra “tops”. In late autumn, if necessary, trim the height and thin out the “skeleton” branches.

Spring and summer of the third year. Remove the wire from the branches and get rid of the remaining “tops”. Some suitable ones can be left for potential fruiting branches. They are processed in the same way, using wire.

Pruning neglected apple trees

This pruning differs primarily in that tall neglected apple trees have a bare middle due to reduced access to sunlight. Therefore, they clean the branches, increase the ventilation and illumination of the crown, and thereby stimulate the formation of fruit buds on powerful and young shoots. Here are 3 pruning techniques for neglected apple trees:

A small cleaning means shortening all shoots by ¼, but the height of the apple tree does not decrease;
Medium pruning is when the number of branches that are cut to 1/3 of their length is equal to half of all branches, and the central trunk is lowered by 2m;
Intensive clearing is when large branches are transferred to young branches, reducing the size of large branches by half, and the growth of the tree is also “halved”.

The right type of apple tree

It's never too late to learn how to care for an old apple tree. Even a dilapidated tree can be revived by methodical, consistent pruning of its branches. This procedure must be done correctly. To understand how to rejuvenate a garden plant, you should consider the ideal appearance of an apple tree.

How to rejuvenate an old apple tree: rules and pruning patterns. How to rejuvenate an old apple tree: pruning scheme, feeding. How to care for an old apple tree

In the absence of timely pruning, the tree has a dense crown. Skeleton-forming branches grow chaotically, they have no specific order. The shoots can cross significantly, blocking the light of their neighbors. Such branches often damage each other in strong winds.

With proper care, the tree is distinguished by the presence of a central leading shoot. It forms a trunk from which the branches of the skeleton extend. The barrel is pointed straight up. The branches that extend from it do not have an acute angle relative to it. The upper shoots should be shorter than the lower ones. This is what an ideal apple tree should look like. This form is created over several years. The branches do not interfere with each other. They transmit maximum light to subsequent shoots.

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When deciding to rejuvenate an apple tree that is fairly overgrown, you should strive to give it exactly this shape. This process will take quite a lot of time. The correct direction and density of the crown can be restored in approximately 3 years. At this time, periodic methodical pruning will be required. Deep and rapid removal of excess branches can kill the tree. It is for this reason that the procedure is carried out carefully and takes a lot of time.

Tips on how to prune an adult apple tree

Tip #1. If the apple tree does not have enough fruit-bearing branches on its branches or the lower branches, which still bear fruit well, become bare on the apple tree, then having found a healthy and strong bud, cut through its bark just above the bud itself. Then cut a groove between the bark slits, making sure to cut through the bark and the green layer underneath. This will force the tree to grow a new branch in that spot.
Tip #2. Prune apple trees when they are dormant: late winter or early spring.
Tip #3. Speaking of tools, it is better to buy one thing, but the best quality that the gardener is able to buy, and in the future the tool will be well taken care of.
Tip #4. Avoid too much pruning , this will stimulate active vegetative growth to the detriment of the harvest!
Tip #5. Operate decisively! Without fear of sawing off large but barren branches ! By acting this way, the summer resident will achieve incomparably more positive results than by minting a large number of young fruit-bearing shoots over a number of years.
Tip #6. When pruning an apple tree, care must be taken to avoid cutting too many branches at once, otherwise the tree will suffer traumatic shock and may even die.

Pruning apple trees: before and after.

Scheme for pruning branches of an adult apple tree.

What does an old apple tree look like after pruning?

Pruning a low-growing fruit tree.

When to prune in spring

You can renew and preserve an old apple tree by pruning in the spring only by adhering to a schedule. Too late or early manipulation can be traumatic for the tree. Removal is required before sap flow begins. The first buds should not appear on the knots.

It is in the dormant state that wood tolerates any intervention well. The consumption of juices is reduced.

Removal should be started after the snow has melted. The temperature outside should be above zero. There should be no frost shortly before the procedure, otherwise the area of wood will begin to rot.

If you perform anti-aging pruning of an apple tree during frost, the manipulation will be too traumatic. At this time the wood is very fragile.

In what cases does an apple tree need anti-aging pruning?

Any trees and shrubs can and should be rejuvenated, especially if they bear fruits that you like. But how do you know if the time has come for such a complex agricultural practice? Apple trees do not have a certain age when they need to be rejuvenated. If you shorten the shoots every year, thin out, remove old and dry branches, then your tree will develop well and bear fruit for up to 100 years. Of course, this requires watering, fertilizing and protection from diseases. But it depends on pruning how often and severely the apple tree will get sick, and whether it will have enough strength (nutrition) to plant and grow a rich harvest. Trees that grow on their own, without pruning, may need rejuvenation 15 years after planting.

We are talking about ordinary apple trees, growing as a classic tree 5–10 m high. There are also columnar varieties, the average lifespan of which does not exceed 10–15 years, and dwarf varieties, which maintain productivity for 20–30 years.

Today, a service is developing - pruning and restoration of old trees, since this work requires not only skills, but also great physical effort

It is not necessary to neglect the tree to such an extent that you already doubt whether it is even capable of continuing to exist. There are many signals with which the apple tree lets you know that it needs help:

The tree has grown to 6–10 m.
The crown is dense, consists of many branches intertwined with each other, some of them are dry.
Annual growths (young shoots) are absent or few, they are short (less than 25 cm).
Flowering and fruiting occur only at the top of the trunk and at the ends of the branches.
The apples are small.
The tree stopped blooming and bearing fruit.

If your apple tree shows at least 2-3 symptoms, then it’s time to start radical pruning.

Trim time

Old apple trees, the bark of which is not damaged and the branches still have sufficient strength, can be pruned using a certain technology. It is often used by gardeners in Europe. This procedure is used exclusively for old trees. Young apple trees require different care.

When a tree produces a high yield, branches are pruned in autumn and spring. This allows you to provide the shoots with the necessary light and remove dry, painful branches from the crown. If there are too many buds on the branches, some of them need to be removed. They will exhaust and take away strength from the plant. The fruits in this case will be large. In a lean year, the number of buds that are formed for the next year is reduced.

Old trees can only be pruned in the fall. The apple tree must prepare for winter during this period. There should be no leaves on it. It is at this time that you can apply the apple tree pruning scheme. In the fall, after the end of the leaf fall period, you should choose a period when frost has not yet set in. The temperature during the day should be around 6-8ºС.

In the spring, pruning is performed only after the autumn preparation of the tree. At this time, the buds on the trees should not yet swell. It is very important to provide the tree with proper care and provide the necessary fertilizing.