Rules for pruning apple trees in summer
To increase yields, it is necessary to prune apple trees in the summer. If this is not done, the tree will run wild, and the fruits will acquire an unpleasant taste and large size. The less often the crown on the apple tree, the better the ventilation and lighting required for the development of delicious apples.
Rules for pruning apple trees in summer
Timing
There are certain periods of summer pruning of an apple tree. It is better to remove branches on it after the end of the growing season. If you do this earlier, this will lead to a new appearance of processes - the size of the fetus will decrease, because they will not receive enough nutrients.
The first removal of shoots is carried out when their length reaches 20 cm: competing growths formed on skeletal branches are cut off.
If you are growing early apple varieties, prune at the end of June. At this moment, remove all dimensional processes that were not removed in the fall. At the end of June, 1 m of the tree is cut off so that the nutrients serve for the development of the fruits.
If you do not reduce the height of the apple tree, there will be a risk of damage to it in winter, when there are strong northerly winds. Late-ripening varieties are pruned at the end of summer.
Reducing the time for removing shoots has the following consequences:
- the ovary is not protected from sunlight, which leads to its dryness;
- there is a great risk of diseases and parasites;
- sunburn is formed on fruits and leaves.
Apple pruning in summer is preventive and sanitary. If in autumn or spring you did not have time to remove old, damaged or dry branches, it is allowed to do this in summer. Examine the tree for scion during the summer months. They are pinched so that the seedlings do not grow more actively.
Tools
The main tool is a secateurs. It is suitable for removing branches that are less than 2 cm thick. If the shoots are thick, it is better to use a lopper. Its advantage is strength (it will not break during work). The lopper differs from the pruner only in longer handles.
Knives are also used. Such tools are less in demand, because with their help it is difficult to carry out high-quality and fast work. If you decide to use a knife, choose specimens with a sharp and strong blade. You can't let them break. They replace the secateurs.
If you are cutting large and thick branches, use a garden saw to do this. There is little difference between a garden saw and a conventional saw. The only difference is that the garden view is used for living branches.
Additional inventory
You will need gloves to protect your hands. Comfortable footwear will ensure comfortable work and will not cause fatigue in your feet. Closed clothing and safety goggles will keep sawdust out of your skin and eyes.
To increase your comfort while working, use the ladder. It makes it easier to reach the topmost areas of the tree. If you have to remove large branches that are more than 35 cm in diameter, use a chainsaw to make this process easier.
Before use, each instrument is disinfected with a solution of potassium permanganate (40 g per 10 l of water). This way you will not bring bacteria or viruses into the tree and keep it healthy.
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 you carry out all the activities correctly, fruiting will come in a year. When forming the crown of young trees (up to 2 years of age), cut off the shoots that are at right angles to the central trunk.
Young apple trees need to be formed
Such apple trees have intensive growth, which leads to the need to eliminate unnecessary parts. If the crown is formed correctly, the yield indicators will delight you every year, and the taste of apples will amaze everyone who tries them.
Instructions
Follow the rules for forming the crown of young apple trees in order to achieve the desired result:
- control the length of the central and lateral shoots. If the sideways branches exceed the dimensions of the main trunk, they are pruned. Shortening is carried out as needed;
- in the first year after planting, only 4 skeletal branches are left on a young tree. They will serve as the main crown. When you re-prune, leave already 5 shoots;
- shortening the central shoot. The next 2 years do not touch him.
Young apple trees form many flowers. To minimize the load on the tree, some of the inflorescences must be removed. If the level of light prevents the fruit from ripening in time, cut some branches to allow sunlight to enter the crown.
During the sanitary pruning of a young apple tree in the summer, weakened and diseased shoots are removed. This will prevent bacteria from spreading throughout the tree.
For old trees
Summer pruning of apple trees also has a rejuvenating effect. This allows adult culture to direct all its forces towards the development of young shoots. Pruning old and dry trees is necessary if:
- the taste is lost;
- reduced yield;
- young seedlings do not develop.
Instructions
In the process of forming the crown of old apple trees, it is necessary to remove the fatty branches and branches forming an angle of 45 °. Cut back on the gains that have appeared over the previous few years. There is also a more complex scheme, which involves the following actions:
- on half of the shoots, 4 buds are removed;
- eliminate young processes, up to a large kidney;
- cut off shoots in the center of the tree if fruiting rates have decreased;
- eliminate the increase over the previous 3 years;
- cut off the branches and branches that make the crown thick.
The highest percentage of the harvest is observed in trees whose height is within 4 m. If this figure is exceeded, the tree is shortened. If this is not done, the top of the apple tree does not receive the amount of nutrients it needs.
For a more complete understanding of the procedure, you should find and watch a video on the Internet, which shows how to prune an apple tree in summer.
Care after pruning
All sections must be processed
It is necessary to take care of apple trees after summer pruning, because their health and the level of fruiting depend on this. After the procedure, treat all open wounds with garden varnish. This will prevent the growth of bacteria and fungi inside the trunk.
You can replace garden var with balsamic bark, oil and water-based paints, which are diluted with gentle agents, and not with chemical solvents. This is a necessary procedure to prevent chemicals from dissolving the protective layer of the bark.
Move all branches outside the garden. The more waste you leave on the site, the worse it will penetrate oxygen into the soil. The tree will dry out and wither.
Do not perform the procedure in hot or damp weather.On warm days, the apple tree will not have time to recover from stress, and the rain will wash away the protective layer of the preparations with which you treated the cut sites.
Advantages and disadvantages
Caring for fruit trees does not work without pruning them. There is a list of the benefits of this procedure:
- air circulates better inside the crown;
- ovary and fruits receive a sufficient amount of sunlight;
- the tree develops immunity to diseases;
- pest resistance and yield indicators increase;
- the harvesting process is facilitated.
Trees planted in the immediate vicinity also need pruning. Developed crops will shade "neighbors" and hinder them in obtaining nutrients from the soil. Regular pruning in the summer will help reduce competition.
If you do not want to carry out them, place the seedlings in advance at a distance of 6 m from each other. So you will save the energy that will have to be spent on the formation of the crown of the apple tree.
Alternative procedure
Try to trim the crown so that further care of it consists only in pinching without the use of tools. The manual method of formation is suitable for novice gardeners (only diseased branches are considered an exception).
It is enough to pinch the developed shoots to slow down the growth of the culture. After using this scheme, the formation of kidneys improves, from which apples are formed. 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 - "readjustment" of branches for active fruiting helps to replace the procedure. The essence of this method is as follows:
- shoots that are located at an acute angle to the central trunk are taken to the horizontal plane;
- in this position, they are fixed with twine, weight or tape - use weights with care so as not to damage the abduction process.
After a few weeks, the fixing material is removed. The branches remain in this position without him.