Pruning an apple tree in spring or autumn is normal and correct. But in the summer it seems that it’s even a pity to remove all this greenery. This concept is not entirely correct. Summer pruning of an apple tree will bring much more benefits than many may think. There are several features of its implementation.
Pruning an apple tree in summer.
Is it possible to prune an apple tree in summer?
For a long time it was believed that, in principle, it was impossible to prune an apple tree in the summer. This is a misunderstanding. In summer, it is very clearly visible which shoots are superfluous in the crown and which ones do not bear fruit. Proper formative pruning will help stimulate the appearance of new buds and prevent the growth of a large number of shoots.
The formation of the crown helps to rationally use fertilizing and ensure that all fruits have enough fresh air and are evenly illuminated, which directly affects their taste. If you cut off fast-growing shoots that do not bear fruit, then more nutrients will be supplied for fruit formation.
Even an old apple tree responds favorably to summer rejuvenating pruning.
How to trim a tree correctly
Before carrying out work, the tree is carefully inspected, thickening, non-fruit-bearing and damaged branches are identified . When pruning, adhere to the rule of the golden mean. If a large number of branches are removed, the yield will be greatly reduced; if pruning is insufficient, the desired result will not be achieved.
Required materials and tools
The main tool is a pruner . It is used to remove shoots up to 2 cm thick. If the branches are thick, use a lopper, as it is much stronger. A lopper differs from a secateur in that it has longer handles. For branches that are too thick, use garden saws.
Before starting work, the instrument is washed and treated with any antiseptic.
Trimming schemes
There are several trimming schemes:
- Restorative. They clear away diseased and crookedly growing branches.
- Rejuvenating. Remove old branches.
- Formative. They create a crown of strong shoots that bear fruit well.
- Regulatory. This pruning is carried out to reduce growth and thickening.
Pruning is divided according to intensity level:
- pinching - to slow down the growth of one-year-old seedlings;
- weak - remove a quarter of each branch to stimulate the growth of fresh shoots;
- medium - carried out for adult apple trees, in which a third of the shoots are removed;
- strong - thin out the crown by cutting off most of the branches.
Step-by-step instruction
Apple tree pruning in summer is carried out according to the following algorithm:
- Shorten the trunk (central branch) by about 1.5 m.
- Remove all shoots that grow inside the crown. These branches shade the apple tree and become a breeding ground for pests and various diseases. As a result, the tree takes the shape of a bowl.
- The lateral skeletal branches are trimmed. Their maximum length is 2.5 m.
- Remove all shoots growing inside the crown.
The effect of pruning on fruiting
There are several factors in how summer pruning affects fruiting.
Proper pruning can speed up the process of fruiting on a young plant. If the apple tree is recently planted, it directs all the forces it takes from the soil to the rapid growth of shoots, thereby diligently delaying the date of fruiting. The correct pruning scheme in summer will speed up this procedure.
Very often, it is in the summer that, in parallel with pruning the apple tree, the shoots are deflected and secured horizontally in order to also stimulate the appearance of flower shoots. In the summer it is also necessary to remove fatty shoots and tops, because they will not bear fruit, but greatly thicken the crown.
How to break out shoots from an apple tree
Not all emerging shoots can be used. Many of them are not suitable either for the formation of main branches or for replenishing the crown with overgrowing branches. If you allow them to grow, they will create thickening, or even, what good, they will seize the initiative and begin to claim the role of the main branches, although this, as a rule, goes against the gardener’s plans.
A lot of such shoots appear after pruning near the cuts, on stumps, and if the pruning was very strong, then in other places of the crown many shoots grow from dormant buds, which, based on the strength of their growth, can be classified as tops. Sooner or later they will have to be cut out almost all. Rarely which can be used.
To prevent wasting nutrients, do this work as early as possible. In the phase of beginning shoot growth. When they reach a length of 7-10 cm, break them off before their base becomes woody. Break out with your heel. The wounds will heal quickly. If after breaking out the tops appear again, repeat the work.
The time spent on breaking out shoots is in any case 5-10 times less than cutting out the branches that have grown from them, and there is no need to talk about saving organic matter. It is very large and very useful. Breaking out shoots is one of the mandatory methods of summer pruning when forming artificial crown forms and normalizing generative (fruit-bearing and flower-bearing) branches.
Trimming scheme
For apple trees that have not yet reached five years of age, there is one main pruning scheme - removing almost all fattening branches. This is done in order to leave only that part of the crown that is the base and fruit-bearing.
Scheme for summer pruning of an apple tree.
In the fourth year of the apple tree’s life, it is necessary to cut off the central conductor at a level of 3-4 meters in the summer. This is done in order to stop height growth. It is also necessary to clear the crown of crooked and painful shoots.
For slightly older trees the scheme is slightly different. In addition, it will be necessary to remove those branches that dry out, are damaged by pests and have stopped bearing fruit.
Features of pruning depending on the type of tree
Features of pruning apple trees in summer depend not only on age, but also on the type of tree. For tall and medium-growing varieties, general schemes are used for the formation of young and old trees.
Columnar apple trees deserve special attention. When working with them, the main task of pruning is to remove the main fruit-bearing shoot down to the two lower shoots. The remaining vertical branches are pinched to 5-7 cm, weak, diseased, dry or excess shoots are cut into a ring.
Additional Information. Pruning dwarf apple trees is aimed at thinning the ovaries, which reduces the volume of the harvest and the load on the branches. The optimal time for thinning is mid-June. During this period, the excess part of the ovaries withers and crumbles. The remaining unnecessary flowers are cut off with scissors.
Basic rules for pruning an apple tree
There is one pruning rule that must always be taken into account. You cannot remove more than a third of the total mass of the vegetative system of the apple tree at one time. Otherwise, the plant will be sick for a long time and may not even recover. However, it is necessary to take into account that if a lot of extra branches are left, the harvest becomes smaller and becomes significantly smaller.
Crown formation
The crown of apple trees is often formed in a tiered pattern, where the bottom row will be the longest and the length of the shoots will decrease upward. However, there are many different options for forming a crown that will serve as decoration. Modern trends create various fancy shapes on trellises, but the principles for pruning are always the same.
For young trees
On young trees that have not yet had fruits, formation begins in the first year and ends when the first fruits appear. More precisely, it does not end, but simply passes into another form.
Scheme for pruning a young tree.
Young apple trees need to be adjusted according to the height of the trunk in a timely manner: it is cut off and the side shoots are partially removed to direct the growth of skeletal branches and all branches.
Rejuvenation
To rejuvenate the apple tree, you will need to cut much more. Branches that are completely withered, those that do not bear fruit, and those that compete with the main shoots are removed. In summer, anti-aging pruning is carried out once, and it is recommended to repeat the procedure a second time in winter.
For old trees
To properly rejuvenate an apple tree in adulthood, you need to remove the vertical two-year growth, and remove all old branches to a height of 6 meters. It is very important to seal all cuts with a diameter of more than 1 cm with garden pitch.
Scheme for pruning an old apple tree.
When to pinch shoots from an apple tree
If in some place of the crown you need to form a branch that is small in size and well covered with generative formations, pinch a strongly growing shoot approximately above the fifth true leaf. It can be a little shorter or longer. Do not pinch short shoots and shoots of continuation of the main branches.
Time the pinching to coincide with the time when there are 2-3 weeks left before the end of shoot growth. It's not worth it before. The 1-2 buds closest to the pinching site will awaken and give off strong shoots. And this is undesirable. They may not ripen and will freeze very much in winter. And in general, the goal will not be achieved. A later pinching is also not suitable: it will not give any effect.
Remove the tops of the shoots with whatever you want: pruners, scissors, fingernails. If after this short shoots such as ringlets and spears grow from the axillary buds, that’s good. Leave everything as it is. If one strong shoot grows from the top bud, pinch it off above the third to fifth leaf. If many strong shoots form, cut the pinched branch above the lowest one, and in turn pinch it above the fifth or slightly higher leaf.
Pinching does not always have an immediate effect. Here is the culture, the variety, and the condition of the plants, and believe it or not, the character of the gardener has an effect. Therefore, master pinching shoots slowly and thoroughly. In some cases this technique is simply irreplaceable.
Advantages and disadvantages of summer pruning
Like any other procedure, pruning an apple tree has its pros and cons.
The advantages include the ability to speed up the onset of fruiting, increase productivity, and direct the apple tree’s forces to form a crown and a sufficient number of fruits.
It has been noticed that in summer plants can easily tolerate manipulations in the crown.
But there are disadvantages. If you cut too much, the plant will take a very long time to heal its wounds and may not have time to prepare for winter, which is why it will suffer from low temperatures. Also, some gardeners note the fact that in summer there is a very high probability of infection by various fungi and infections that can develop on apple trees, and which are much easier to penetrate into the tissues through cuts. The same applies to pests.
Required materials and tools
Gardeners pinch or break off branches with their hands. But before pruning the large branches of the apple tree, you need to prepare gardening tools.
Why do the ovaries of an apple tree fall off - what to do
Picture 5 Before pruning, tools should be well sharpened and treated with an antiseptic
For pruning you will need:
- pruner;
- lopper;
- garden knife;
- garden saw or hacksaw.
Before use, the instrument is sharpened and treated with an antiseptic composition. Goggles and gloves are used to protect eyes and skin.
Note! Treating the tool with alcohol or an antiseptic helps protect trees from the spread of fungal or viral diseases during the pruning process.
For young trees
The main purpose of pruning a young apple tree is to form its crown. During the procedure, a few branches are removed. If all activities are carried out correctly, fruiting will occur within a year. When you form the crown of young trees (up to 2 years of age), cut shoots that are located at right angles to the central trunk.
Young apple trees need to be shaped
Such apple trees have intensive growth, which leads to the need to eliminate excess parts. If the crown is formed correctly, the yield indicators will delight you every year, and the taste of the apples will amaze everyone who tries them.
Instructions
Follow the rules for forming the crown of young apple trees to achieve the desired result:
- control the length of the central and side shoots. If the branches directed to the side exceed the size of the main trunk, they are trimmed. Shortening is carried out as necessary;
- in the first year after planting, only 4 skeletal branches are left on the young tree. They will serve as the main crown. When you prune again, leave 5 shoots;
- shortening of the central shoot. They don't touch him for the next 2 years.
Young apple trees produce many flowers. To keep the load on the tree to a minimum, some of the inflorescences must be removed. If light levels prevent the fruit from ripening on time, cut off a few branches to allow sunlight to enter the crown.
During sanitary pruning of a young apple tree in the summer, weakened and disease-affected shoots are removed. This will prevent bacteria from spreading throughout the tree.
Alternative procedure
Try to trim the crown so that further care consists only of pinching it without using tools. For beginner gardeners, the manual forming method is suitable (only diseased branches are considered an exception).
It is enough to pinch developed shoots to slow down the growth of the crop. After using this scheme, the formation of buds from which apples are formed improves. It is not necessary to treat an open wound with garden varnish or other means. This method is not only easy to use, but also does not require additional tools.
A method based on deflection—“reconfiguring” the branches for active fruiting—helps replace the procedure. The essence of this method is as follows:
- shoots that are located at an acute angle to the central trunk are directed to the horizontal plane;
- in this position they are fixed with twine, weights or tape - use weights with caution so as not to damage the abducens process.
After just a few weeks, the fixing material is removed. The branches remain in this position without it.
Methods for deleting branches
Before removing a shoot, you need to know exactly why and how to do it. Improper pruning can cause the death of the tree.
Depending on the purpose, several types of apple tree pruning are common:
- Sanitary is used to maintain the health of the tree. It consists of removing dried, diseased and damaged branches. Early spring or summer is suitable for sanitary pruning.
- Rejuvenation pruning involves removing old and non-fruiting branches in order to increase the overall productivity of the tree. It consists of thinning the crown and inhibits active growth.
- In the first years of life, formative pruning is performed on the apple tree to create powerful lower branches. It will ensure the tree's resistance to external environmental factors.
Compliance with pruning rules contributes to the timely removal of dry and damaged branches and the formation of a healthy tree with intensive fruiting.
The best crown shaping techniques
Experienced gardeners use several techniques to form a healthy crown of apple trees. These techniques allow you to thin out the branches as much as possible, provide free access to sunlight, increase productivity and speed up the ripening of apples.
A suitable option for crown formation is chosen taking into account the age of the apple tree, its variety, as well as the characteristics of the grafting.
Below are the most common crown shapes for apple trees, which allow you to achieve high yields and an attractive aesthetic appearance.
Flat crown
To effectively use a summer cottage and have an original appearance, apple trees have a flat crown. This crown consists of symmetrically located skeletal branches. As a result, after just a few years, the tree is not voluminous, but stretched in a plane. A flat crown is most often formed in apple trees growing near a house or fence on trellises.
The flat crown is otherwise called palmette and is divided into the following subspecies:
- horizontal;
- vertical;
- oblique Italian;
- free;
- Verdier.
Forming a flat crown requires care, diligence and time.
Whorled-tiered
The five-armed or whorled-tiered crown is easy to form. It got its name due to the fact that the tier is formed from five branches growing from neighboring buds. Above the formed tier, after a few years, another one is created, consisting of three branches.
This crown has its drawbacks: apple trees grow large, require large areas and are difficult to maintain. Due to the large number of branches in a tier, the crown loses its strength and often breaks.
creeping
The formation of a crown in width is called creeping. A properly formed creeping crown is effective in cold regions with strong winds and unfavorable climate. Even in such unfavorable conditions, gardeners have the opportunity to grow excellent apple harvests.
Bush-like
For vigorous and branching varieties, a bush-like crown is used. It is a lifesaver for small summer cottages, as it allows you to form a healthy apple tree without damaging neighboring trees. It is also suitable for harsh, northern conditions. Here gardeners have the opportunity to quickly renew the tree in the event of massive freezing of branches.
To form a bush-like crown, an annual seedling is pruned at a height of 40-60 cm. Next, six skeletal branches located close to each other are left, all other branches are removed.
Vertical palmette
For industrial mass cultivation of apples from low-growing varieties, a vertical palmette is used. This method involves the formation of branches not standardly around the tree, but in one plane. The vertical palmette allows you to plant seedlings quite densely, at a distance of 1-3 meters from each other, without compromising the yield.
This pruning method is often used for apple trees used as decorative fences.
Fusiform
Spindle pruning removes a small amount of shoots and removes the core of the vascular branch. Spindle pruning provides excellent lighting for the tree followed by a rich harvest. It is easy to perform and requires minimal effort. Suitable for beginners without experience and allows you to form a beautiful and healthy crown of an apple tree in three years.
See also
Planting and caring for Japanese quince in open ground, cultivation and propagation
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Cupped
Forming a crown with a bowl is excellent for varieties characterized by weak growth and short life. To form it, the shoots extending from the conductor to a length of about 40 cm are removed. Above the main branch, the conductor is completely cut off.
Tiered-discharged
One of the simplest and most common crowns is tiered. It gives the apple tree a natural look and promotes multi-level formation of branches. The tiered crown of an adult apple tree is kept at a level no higher than 2.5 meters.
Aftercare
There is no need to rush to process the cut right away. The ideal option is if the wound dries out a little. Subsequently, a garden varnish is applied to the surface, which will not allow fungus and bacteria to spread inside the trunk.
You can replace it with balsam bark or oil paint. The latter is diluted with gentle solvents. Chemicals can dissolve the bark itself and harm the crop.
It is better to carry out the procedure during a period when there is no precipitation. Hot weather will also not be the best option. In the first case, the protective layer will be washed away by rain, in the second, restoration will become problematic.
Small sections, up to 1 cm in size, do not need to be processed.
