A beautiful crown shape, large, high-quality flowers and fruits - all this can be achieved by thinning shoots and removing old branches, which stimulates the awakening of new productive buds. This is the purpose of formative spring, and in some regions, winter pruning.
Do not forget to follow the mandatory rule of any pruning: tool processing. You never know when you'll encounter a plant disease, so it's vital to get into the habit of cleaning your tools after pruning.
- When is winter and spring pruning done?
- Formative winter and spring pruning of apple trees by year First pruning: immediately after planting
- Second pruning: late winter - early spring next year
- Third pruning: in the third year at the end of winter - beginning of spring
- Subsequent years: how to prune a mature apple tree
Is it possible to prune fruit trees in winter?
Many gardeners believe that pruning fruit trees can only be done at certain times. However, it is not. Fruit trees can be pruned all year round, and winter is no exception. Winter pruning has quite a lot of advantages, but when doing it, you need to follow certain rules and requirements.
To carry out pruning, the gardener must have certain qualifications and experience, and also have a good understanding of the consequences of this operation. Therefore, in order to properly prune fruit trees in winter, it is better for novice gardeners to carry out this procedure under the guidance of an experienced mentor.
Advantages of working in winter
In the fall, all the main work in the garden ends, leaving summer residents with a lot of free time. If you leave pruning of fruit crops until the spring, you will have to do it quickly in order to do it before the sap begins to flow. In winter, you can take your time, stretching the procedure over several days. In addition, winter is a time of rest for plants, which allows the trees to avoid severe stress.
5 rules for sanitary pruning of garden trees in autumn
There are a number of other benefits of winter pruning:
- the absence of foliage allows you to more accurately determine the branches to be removed;
- free space makes cutting down shoots easier;
- the risk of infection of cut branches is reduced, since pathogenic microorganisms are dormant.
The only disadvantage of winter work is the inability to use electric and gasoline tools during subzero work. But since there is plenty of time, you can use hand tools.
Purposes of winter pruning of fruit trees
Pruning fruit trees in winter has several goals:
- sanitary;
- crown formation;
- damage prevention;
- rejuvenation of old trees.
Quite often, large branches of considerable size with a large amount of snow or ice stuck to them either break or begin to pose a threat to nearby buildings and other perennial plantings, as well as shrubs. During sanitary pruning, such branches and shoots are removed.
At the same time, formative pruning is carried out, the stepsons that thicken the shoots are removed. Tops growing at an acute angle and shoots inside the crown are also cut out. Rejuvenating pruning is usually carried out over several winters.
Important! Winter pruning is contraindicated for seedlings under 4 years old.
Benefits of pruning trees in winter
Compared to spring pruning, which needs to be done quickly before the sap begins to flow, winter pruning does not have a strict time frame. Therefore, in winter, you can prune fruit trees slowly, over several days. During this period of time, the plants are dormant, and even severe pruning will not cause significant injury to them. However, if you have to remove a significant part of the old wood, it is advisable to do this not immediately, but over 2-3 winters.
Pruning fruit trees in winter indirectly increases yield because it stimulates shoot growth in the spring. The absence of leaves makes visible all diseases of the central conductor and skeletal branches: moss, rot, growths on the bark. It is at this time that it is easiest to get rid of them. The undoubted advantage of winter pruning is that it does not cause much stress to the plant and forgives the gardener many mistakes.
Another positive side of winter pruning is that at this time the trees are clearly visible. The absence of any foliage allows you to see all the subtleties, notice all the shortcomings of the crown, disturbances in its formation, damage and weak points. You can safely work with it in winter, without fear of damaging neighboring plantings, since there are simply none at this time.
Another positive aspect of pruning fruit trees in winter is that there is no risk of plant infection. The pathogens, like the tree itself, are in deep hibernation, so you don’t have to worry about the potential introduction of infection or fungal spores into open wounds. Despite this, garden tools must be clean and disinfected.
Formative winter and spring pruning of pears by year
Annual pruning - always in the spring, before the buds open - will allow the formation of a compact fruit-bearing tree. Why exactly at the end of winter and spring? Because if you do this in the fall, the tree may freeze - the places of cuts and damage are especially sensitive. However, in the summer it is also not worth pruning the pear - along with the branches, some of the leaves necessary for the nutrition and development of the tree will go away.
Formative pruning of pears from the year of planting to the third year of cultivation
When getting started, remember that the pruning shears should have the narrower blade facing the part of the branch that you intend to cut.
Pruning pears in the first year when planting . Shorten the center conductor by about a quarter (1 picture in the collage). Then more buds will appear and a branched crown will begin to form. Trim the side shoots above the buds. When pruning, you will have to remove some of the fruit buds along with the branches. But the fruits will be of higher quality. And a tree that is not overloaded with harvest survives the winter better. In the second year, cut back 25 cm of growth on the central conductor. To form a regular crown, shorten the branches slightly (5–7 cm), with the upper branches being shorter and the lower ones, extending at a more obtuse angle, longer (Figure 2 on the collage).
Starting from the second year after planting, it is necessary to monitor the appearance of a “competitor” and remove it “on the ring,” that is, near the trunk itself, without leaving a stump.
When can you prune fruit trees in winter?
Pruning fruit trees in winter can only be done if the ambient temperature is not lower than 5-7 °C, and there is no likelihood of a drop in temperature in the near future. Young seedlings and shrubs are pruned only at the end of winter or early spring, when the temperature does not drop below 0 °C, otherwise they may freeze. Older fruit trees can be pruned between January and March, provided that the air temperature does not fall below the recommended temperature.
In the Moscow region and the middle zone, this can be done in any suitable month, since severe frosts have already become a rarity in these regions. Usually, February is chosen for this purpose in order to guarantee the avoidance of severe frosts, which pose a danger to plants after pruning.
In Siberia and the Urals, it is better to postpone this procedure until the end of February, when the severe frosts have subsided and the temperature has settled around the recommended values. In the southern regions, where freezing temperatures are quite rare, pruning can be done throughout the winter.
Preparing tools
The main tools for pruning fruit trees in winter are pruning shears, loppers and a hand saw - a hacksaw with a fine tooth. In addition, to treat open wounds you need to stock up on garden varnish. Before carrying out work and after completion, all tools must be disinfected with a solution of any alcohol-containing liquid or one percent copper sulfate. Although the risk of infection during winter pruning is minimal, hygiene rules must be strictly observed.
A big mistake would be to use a gasoline or electric chain saw instead of a hand hacksaw. Such instruments leave deep, uneven wounds with ragged edges that take a very long time to heal. Using a chainsaw is only possible when large dry branches are completely removed.
Important! In winter, there is practically no chance of scuffing and creasing when cutting down large branches.
Current issues
Is it permissible to vaccinate in winter?
Experienced gardeners claim that vaccination can be done in winter. They take root very well on apple trees. But you need to choose the right time and make the cut clean. You need to choose a time when the frost has almost subsided.
Are cuts made in winter treated with garden varnish?
If the procedure is performed in winter, then it is not necessary. After all, garden varnish is used to prevent the release of juice and resin, as well as to prevent infection. This will not happen in winter. In addition, garden varnish will not protect the cambium from freezing. When you do final trimming in the spring, you can use pitch.
Can I use a chainsaw to remove a very thick branch?
If it is not a dried, but a living branch, then this cannot be done. If the wood is alive, cut it very carefully. The branch is cut down as smoothly and cleanly as possible. If you use a chainsaw, this will be very difficult to achieve. But if the branch is dry, then a chainsaw can be used. In other cases, you should use a garden saw.
Schemes for pruning fruit trees in winter
It would be more correct to choose a scheme for pruning fruit trees in winter based on the goals that need to be achieved. In winter, the following types of pruning are performed:
- Formative. Allows you to shape the crown of a tree in the desired way, creating a strong frame from skeletal branches.
- Regulatory. By cutting off part of the crown, you can artificially normalize the yield, reducing it to prevent excessive fruit load on the tree.
- Rejuvenating. It is carried out once every few years with the aim of replacing skeletal branches with younger shoots.
- Sanitary. During this process, trees are cleared of debris, broken, dead, and deformed branches.
Important! Many gardeners carry out the pruning procedure in relation to the lunar calendar.
It is believed that all manipulations are best carried out on the waxing Moon, this leads to faster growth of new shoots in the spring.
Advantages
By pruning the trees in your garden in winter, you significantly reduce the risk of introducing harmful microorganisms into the cuts. In addition, during this time you do not have any other activities in the garden and you will not be in a rush.
Winter pruning goals may include the following.
- Rejuvenation of trees that are more than 10 years old.
- Crown formation, thinning.
- Sanitary or restorative pruning.
Young trees should not be pruned in winter.
How to prune fruit trees in winter
Fruit trees have different resistance to frost. This must be taken into account when planning pruning. First of all, pome fruits (apple, pear, quince) are processed, then stone fruits (cherry, plum, apricot), and the latter are best cut at a temperature not lower than 0 ° C.
There are two ways to carry out winter pruning of fruit trees for the purpose of rejuvenation:
- evenly;
- from south to north.
The first method involves uniformly shortening all skeletal branches by 1.5 meters. It allows you to maintain the compact size and appearance of the crown, but greatly reduces yield and winter hardiness. The second method is to shorten the branches on the southern side of the tree by 2-2.5 m at once. In this case, the tree loses its shape, but retains its yield and winter hardiness. The second year no work is carried out; in the third year the northern side is cut off in the same way.
Winter pruning of columnar and dwarf fruit trees has its own characteristics. Since not all trees of this type need any pruning at all, in winter, as a rule, only sanitary pruning is carried out, removing dry and broken branches. In addition, weak shoots are also removed to prevent damage to them during the fruiting period.
Pruning techniques
They can be divided into two large groups:
- cutting or thinning;
- trimming or shortening
Pruning is the complete removal of a branch “into a ring.” It is used for any pruning and for the formation of young plants, and for sanitary pruning of old, neglected ones.
Pruning reduces the length of a branch or shoot by cutting off the end portion. Pruning can be weak when the shoot is shortened by less than 1/3 of the length, and strong when more than half of the shoot is removed. Strong pruning (shortening) has a great impact on the plant (fruiting is delayed, the crown thickens) and must be used with caution.
