How to properly prune apples?

In order for an apple tree to produce tasty and healthy fruits every year, it is necessary to prune it.This procedure is quite significant for the correct formation of the crown of the tree. Not all experienced gardeners know how to prune apple trees. The optimal variant of the crown of the tree should have the bottom of the longest branches, which are gradually becoming shorter upward. It is worthwhile to consider in more detail the goals of pruning an apple tree, its timing, and also some secrets from professionals.

Apple tree is a fairly resistant trees, so it grows in almost every summer cottage.

Tree pruning is necessary to achieve the following goals:

• allows you to properly form the crown of a young tree, whose age varies from 5 to 7 years, and also influences the formation of the future crop;
• provides the most comfortable illumination of the crown and contributes to the nutrition of the adult tree;
• regardless of age, sanitary pruning allows you to get rid of the branches affected by various diseases.

The main task of cutting apple trees is thinning the crown and ensuring excellent yield. If you cut the crown correctly, the tree will receive not only the desired illumination, but also ventilation. In order for an apple tree to bear fruit well, one should adhere to these two requirements.

Pruning a tree is a rather important stage in the development of an apple tree. There are several varieties of it, so you first need to clearly define its purpose, and after that choose the best option to create a strong and healthy tree. The timing and scheme of its implementation directly depend on the selected type of pruning. Experienced gardeners are aware that they should be circumcised several times a year. Of great importance are the climatic conditions in which the apple tree grows. But also the trimming process itself should be carried out correctly, adhering to a specific algorithm.

Pruning of apple trees is usually carried out in the following periods:

• spring - carried out in early spring, before the appearance of the kidneys: it is produced to increase the fertility of the tree;
• summer - is used to rejuvenate the apple tree, while not using sharp objects; it includes pinching of shoots, bending, breaking and others;
• Autumn - held only after the tree will throw off all the foliage.

The first pruning of apple trees is spring, which is produced before the buds swell on the apple tree.

An interesting fact is that some experienced gardeners prune the branches of the tree even in winter, because the apple tree belongs to frost-resistant garden crops.

• First of all, it is necessary to remove all frozen and dried branches, because in the future the tree will spend its forces on their restoration, which is meaningless, because the branches after frostbite no longer bear fruit.
• Next, it is necessary to clear the tree from annual shoots. In normal fruiting, young branches are redundant because they take nutrients, but they do not yield crops. The presence of young taps has a negative effect on the formation of the fruit ovary.
• Clipping of the remaining branches is made depending on their height. It is necessary to adhere to the following rule: the higher the branch, the more eyes should be on it.If you are pruning a tall apple tree, then after spring pruning, no more than 8 buds should remain on it. If we consider the dwarf varieties, then their number should not exceed three eyes.

The correct apple crown consists of three tiers. If their number is greater, then in the future it may be difficult to harvest.

Spring crown should consist of such tiers:

• three main branches are involved in the formation of the first tier;
• four main branches create a second tier;
• two frame branches provide the third tier.

Few gardeners resort to pruning apple trees in the summer. But experienced gardeners strongly recommend not to forget to prune the branches at this time, since it is carried out both for preventive and sanitary purposes. It will protect the tree from various diseases, pests and increase its fruiting. In summer, the main goal is to adjust the apple crown. When the tree is covered with leaves, you can clearly see which branches are superfluous, spoiling the appearance of an attractive apple tree, and also produce shading of the crown. In this situation, it is worthwhile either to completely remove such branches, and to cut them to obtain the required length.

It is in summer that young shoots form on the trees. If you do not touch them, then during this period they begin to grow actively. To prevent this, it is worthwhile to pinch them. This procedure will significantly slow their growth by two weeks. In addition to pinching, many gardeners resort to breaking out branches that are redundant. Summer pruning is usually done with “bare hands”, since garden tools do not need to be used for cleaning wood. Only to remove the tops that grow vertically, thereby thickening the crown of the tree, you will need to take a saw and pruner.

If you do not produce summer pruning of the apple tree, then after a few years the young growth will become quite strong branches, and in the future you will have to carry out cleaning from healthy formed branches, which will stimulate the growth of young shoots. In this case, the gardener will have to make more time and effort to give the tree the correct shape and form a good crown. Many summer residents recommend to remove them at the initial stage of sprout formation.

A rather important stage in the development of an apple-tree is the cleaning of a tree in the fall from old and damaged branches. It is produced after the apple tree will throw off all the foliage. Its main purpose is to thoroughly prepare the plant for wintering. To do this, remove all old and depleted branches. It should be noted that all autumn work on cleaning the wood should be carried out before the first frost, so it is not necessary to delay it, because otherwise the risk of frostbite fresh cuts, which can fester in the future, increase.

To properly cut the apple tree in the fall, it is worth adhering to a certain algorithm for performing the work.

• First you should do the strongest and largest branches that are damaged. Quite often, a branch cracks from a large number of apples. In winter, the damaged branch is likely to freeze, for this reason it is better to remove it in the fall.
• It is very important before the winter sleep to thin the crown of the tree. In places where there are many branches, it is necessary to carry out cleaning from the weak, while leaving only straight and strong twigs.
• Further, it is worth eliminating such elbows that grow at the wrong angle. Usually with strong gusts of wind and heavy rainfall, they quickly break, so you should eliminate them before winter.
• Remote branches must be burned, and fresh cuts must be treated with special septic tanks to protect the tree from the possibility of infection.

When determining the time for pruning an apple, it is worth starting from the climatic features of a particular region. Even experienced gardeners can not accurately determine the date of the cutting of the apple. Therefore, it is necessary to take into account the weather conditions. Pruning in the spring must be done in one month, in extreme cases, three weeks before the start of sap flow. Experts note that before this time you should not get to work, because after a cold winter wood is characterized by fragility. If you clean the crown before the prescribed time, it can cause irreparable harm to the plant. It is worth trying to pick a time when the tree has already “woken up” from hibernation, but the formation of buds has not yet begun.

The pruning scheme should be determined for each apple tree individually. It is necessary to take into account the size and age of the tree, its location on the site, what trees grow nearby, how much work needs to be done. To date, there are several schemes for cutting apple trees. It is worth noting that there are no strict norms and requirements for this process. They should be used as a basis, and the choice remains for the gardener. Only he can decide what is needed for the apple tree, given the overall situation.

Among the most popular pruning schemes, it is worth giving the crown the following forms:

• rounded;
• figured;
• colonic;
• flat vertical;
• flat horizontal;
• pyramid

Spring pruning is essential for apple trees, because it allows you to prepare the tree for the new fruiting season. During this period, it is necessary to do sanitary pruning for young apple trees, which allows you to form the correct crown.

This process includes the following steps:

• you must first remove all frostbitten, dried and damaged branches;
• it is necessary to eliminate completely the branches that are infected with various diseases or suffered from pests;
• should remove all branches that grow in the direction of the inside of the crown, and also form a sharp angle to the trunk;
• to rejuvenate old branches, it is enough to prune them.

If necessary, a regulatory trim is performed. With its help, you can influence the future fruiting.

Summer pruning is insignificant, but if the tree is sick, then you should not wait for the fall, it is better to clean the diseased branches immediately.

So, during the summer period, the apple tree needs the following care:

• with the arrival of summer, all diseased branches that were not removed during spring cleaning should be removed;
• at the end of June, it is necessary to pinch all fast-growing shoots of green color, which will prevent the shading of the crown, since they will stop taking nutrients;
• in the summer, it is also necessary to monitor the condition of all branches: the branches that have been cracked or broken must be removed;
• already at the end of the summer, old branches should be cleaned, on which a small number of apples are represented, and also to eliminate the branches that shade the crown of the tree;
• and it is also very important at the end of summer to prune fruit-bearing branches, which will allow to postpone the beginning of the growing season next year.

It is quite important to clean up the apple tree in the autumn, because during this period you can do any work that did not have enough time in spring or summer.

When the harvest is already collected, you should pay attention to the following steps:

• you need to cut all the branches broken by the wind;
• those branches that have cracked or broken under a large crop weight should be removed;
• sanitary pruning allows you to eliminate all diseased branches that have suffered from a big harvest;
• at this point, you can clean old apple trees to rejuvenate them;
• it is also necessary to eliminate the branches, on which during the fruiting period there was a minimum number of apples;
• pruning and lend those branches, which are deformed or small-sized fruit;
• should remove all the branches that create a shadow of healthy, fruitful shoots;
• it is necessary to clean the tree from those branches that were affected by various diseases and pests.

When choosing a trimming scheme, consider the age of the apple tree. The main task in clearing a young tree is to create the right basis for the correct development of the crown. An old tree should be cleared of old branches before fruiting, as this will have an impact on the future harvest, as well as provide the tree with vital forces. Mature plants need pruning in order to protect them from various diseases and pests. Typically, the types and methods of cutting trees are the same for both young and adult apple trees, but the technology is different. It is worth more to consider each option.

Trimming is done to achieve two main objectives:

• keep the height of the main shoot so that the main branches develop on the sides;
• form shtamb.

Circumcision for crown formation can be performed only one year after planting the tree. An annual plant usually has a central trunk and two or three branches. The height of the center conductor must not exceed one meter. Very long skeletal branches should be shortened; however, they should be twenty centimeters shorter than the height of the tree. On one branch should remain from three to five buds.

To achieve the correct stump, you should eliminate all the shoots that are located on the trunk up to half a meter from the soil. Those branches that form an angle of 60 degrees at the growth point should also be removed, since they will spoil the correctness of the crown. Some gardeners try to give them a horizontal focus.

In order to properly clean the apple tree in the second year, it is worthwhile to be guided by the fact that this procedure should help lay the foundations for the proper formation of the main tiers of the main branches. Apple crown can be given any shape, but you should avoid the cup. Each tier should have approximately 2–5 large branches. Between levels one should maintain a distance from 40 to 60 cm. Usually this distance depends directly on the height of the tree.

The branches should be approximately equally spaced; it should be repelled from the circumference of the central stem. A two-year-old apple tree needs shortening the branches of the skeleton. If you want to create a cup-like crown, then it is in the second year of plant development that you need to remove the central trunk; in the future, the crown will be formed without a central guide. It should be cut, but only on the first fork of the branches. As the central trunk is absent, it is necessary to make a start from lateral branches. Usually it should be from two to four trunks, their number depends on how many branches are located on the first tier.Thus, the crown should be formed up to 5 years of age.

The apple tree is an adult tree after reaching 5 years of age. From this point on, the main pruning produces a rejuvenating effect, but it should be done only after sanitary cleaning.

When rejuvenating pruning should pay attention to the following steps:

• old branches that no longer bear fruit or bear small, tasteless fruits must be removed;
• eliminate part of the tops;
• it is necessary to cut crossing branches on the ring;
• remove the lower branches, which differ in the direction inside the crown;
• it is worth clearing a trunk from overgrowths both radical, and growing at a trunk;
• It is necessary to shorten the main trunk; it should be borne in mind that the height of an adult apple can vary from two to three meters.

Pruning the top of an apple tree plays an important role because it allows you to increase the quantity and improve the quality of the fruit. Apple trees that are over 8 years old need to be pruned for their rejuvenation several times a little bit.

Proper formation of the crown of the tree is directly dependent on the quality of the implementation of pruning a young apple tree. This is an important factor that affects further fruiting.

Today, many experienced gardeners choose the following types of crowns for an apple tree:

• sparse and longline;
• medium standard;
• fusiform;
• combined.

For novice gardeners, it is better to give preference to the crown of a rarefied-tiered type. To create it, you should leave only 5 main shoots, the distance between which should be between 35 and 40 centimeters. All remaining shoots need to be destroyed. An excellent choice would be the medium-crown view of the crown, since it is also characterized by simplicity. It is necessary to cut all the branches that are located at a height of from 0.80 to 1 m from the ground. The rest of the shoots remain intact.

When the tree is two years old, it is worthwhile to clean up the extra shoots again, while leaving only 4–5 strongest on each tree trunk. They must grow at a right angle in order to further form a beautiful crown. During this period, it is worth making a pinch point growth. It should be located higher than five buds from all other branches. After this 2–3 years, the apple tree should not be touched so as not to disrupt fruiting, although dried and damaged branches need to be removed. Do not forget to follow the shape of the crown - you will need to shorten the regrown branches to maintain a rounded shape.

Adult apples, as well as very neglected, should be pruned exclusively in the autumn. First, you should get rid of damaged and dry branches, then remove those branches that grow inside the crown or interfere with the growth of young shoots. Do not leave fruitless large branches. They do not yield a crop, but draw many useful substances. Those skeletal branches that interfere with the harvest or grow in another direction are also worth cutting off. For an old apple tree, it is very important to open the crown, which can be achieved if the central trunk is shortened; while its height should not be more than three meters from the soil.

In order to improve the old tree, it is necessary to make its renewal by eliminating the old branches; it should be borne in mind that the skeletal branches of the tree must be strong and healthy, otherwise cleaning the tree will not give positive results.Rejuvenation of old wood should be done over several years, including several stages. Spring pruning is most favorable, as the tree is quickly restored. Even before the appearance of foliage, you can perfectly consider the shape of the tree and build a plan for future adjustment of the crown.

In the first year, large branches should be eliminated: all patients should be removed, bare (without bark), dry, with deformities, as well as intertwined. In the second and third year, it is worthwhile to form the center of the crown; it should be cut off the top of the main trunk, its height should be no higher than 2.5 meters. It is necessary to remove the tops that remain after the previous pruning, however, you can leave some vertically growing branches, which in future will give new shoots.

Older apple trees are rarely updated, but the thickening of the crown has a great influence on the condition of the tree, so it is also worth watching. Formation of the crown is recommended to produce no more than once every two years. It is necessary to remove the shoots and branches that do not let the rays of the sun to the fruitful branches. All broken and dried twigs also require removal.

If the apple tree has always yielded great harvests, but recently its fruiting has sharply decreased, then you should definitely purge it from branches that do not yield a harvest. This pruning is called anti-aging. In general, about a third of the total number of tree branches is removed. It is worth being careful not to cut more than necessary. Of course, after such a procedure, the tree will not be able to bring a rich harvest in the first year.

The main goal - the crown of the tree should be similar in shape to the column, so it is worth paying due attention to the elimination of the side branches. In addition, it is necessary to cut off all the excess shoots and branches, which lead to thickening of the crown of an apple tree. The main rule is that it is forbidden to touch the main trunk when pruning a columnar apple. An exception is possible only if the tree ceases to grow: you should only shorten the central trunk a little bit. Coliform tree must have an intact apical bud.

The central shoot of a young columnar apple should be strengthened using special supports. This approach will protect the main trunk from strong gusts of wind and other adverse weather conditions. At the beginning of spring, even before the appearance of buds, side branches should be trimmed, leaving only two buds, from which young shoots will be formed in the future. In a year, also in spring, all branches that grow vertically should be shortened again, leaving only two buds - this will contribute to activating the growth of new shoots. In this case, one should not do anything with horizontal branches, because they will bear fruit this year. Next spring, all fruit-bearing branches of the horizontal direction must be cut so that a ring is formed.

Dwarf apple tree also needs timely cutting for the correct formation of the crown and a rich harvest in the future.The main goal is to assist in the expansion of the tree, while excluding its development in height. It is worth noting that at first the seedlings of the dwarf apple tree grow quite quickly. Only with the start of fruiting, its growth begins to slow down.

In order for the fruits to be tasty and large, you should prune the tree as follows:

• the annual apple tree in springtime must be cut so that its height does not exceed 50 cm from the ground; cut necessarily be treated with garden pitch;
• after a year in spring it is necessary to pay attention to the lateral branches - they should be shortened to the second bud, and you should not forget about the central trunk - it should be shortened by about 1/4;
• in the subsequent spring, it is necessary to completely eliminate all the branches, which are aimed at growing in the middle of the crown or downwards, while the central trunk, like the side branches, should be shortened by 20 cm; all actions should be aimed at the formation of a round crown of a small size.

Experienced gardeners pay attention that after pruning the apple tree needs special care - it is necessary to make watering and feeding. After spring pruning, it is worthwhile to fertilize the soil around the tree with fertilizers that include potassium, nitrogen, phosphorus; it is better that they be in equal proportions. If you need to feed the tree after its autumn cleansing, then you should pick up fertilizers containing phosphorus and potassium, because these components contribute to the rapid healing of wounds, as well as a positive effect on the bark of the tree. It is very important to strictly adhere to the time of fertilization. Their quantity should be in moderation, since an excess of top dressing will bring more harm.

The following rules of experienced gardeners, pruning apple trees should be considered:

• the tree must be no more than five meters high; with a higher height, its branches do not receive the required amount of nutrients;
• certain apple varieties have exclusively peripheral fruit bearing branches, which further leads to their injury under the high weight of the fruit; in order to exclude this, it is necessary to regularly prune the side branches, which bear fruit;
• Forming pruning crown should stop if the tree stopped giving apples; to make a change in the direction of growth of branches, it is necessary to apply the rope extensions.

During the pruning of apple trees, special tools will be required, such as saws, garden shears, pruners, delimbers and others. They must be very sharp and disinfected. After cutting off diseased branches, it is imperative to disinfect the instrument before moving on to healthy branches. Do cut branches should be as close as possible to the trunk, which will avoid the formation of knots and hemp. If it is necessary to remove a branch of large diameter, first it should be shortened, and only after that complete cutting should be done.

If a saw is used for cutting branches, it is worth making an incision only from the bottom, because it will allow not to injure the bark. Further, the cutting is done from above. All places of cuts must be treated with garden pitch. Some gardeners apply oil paint. Processing should be carried out on the second day.

How to cut the apple tree, see the following video.