Features pruning Apple

The pruning procedure is carried out to ensure that the apple tree looks good, develops properly and pleases gardeners with excellent yield.Kolonovidnye apple relatively recently appeared in our country, but today have managed to gain wide popularity, they can be found in different regions. If competently taking care of a tree, it will surely delight gardeners with tasty and numerous fruits, growing compactly and occupying a minimal area. So, what is important pruning for apple-shaped apple trees - it is worth considering in more detail.

Pruning occupies an important place in the care of such a variety as a columnar apple. As for the features of this species, it should be noted that crown formation does not occur, and apples and greens are located directly on the stem of the plant. Due to this, trees can be planted compactly, while getting the maximum amount of harvest. Since there is simply no crown, pruning takes into account certain nuances and is not entirely standard. There is no specific procedure for this procedure; everything is left to the discretion of the gardener.

It is worth noting that kidneys, located at the very top, absolutely can not be removed or damaged, so the formation of the crown and it is not possible. The pruning procedure involves getting rid of one-year-old shoots, due to the formation of which the branches cannot develop, because they draw nutrients out of the tree and they may not be enough to draw fruit, as a result of which the yield will decrease.

To young sprouts are not mixed up among themselves, they must be thinned. This will not only increase the number of fruits, but also help the tree look more neat. The columnar apple is an undersized crop that must be considered when nursing. Visually, the plant looks like a poplar and resembles a pyramidal column with branches on its sides. If you refuse to trim, it can form a spreading crown and transform into a dwarf tree.

To form a column, side shoots, cutting in the springtime, you need to cut. This process will help to normalize their growth and achieve the desired shape. In addition, this procedure has other advantages. For example, even if the trees are located in close proximity to each other, their branches will not be tangled. It will also help strengthen the newly cut branches, and the uncrowned crown will receive more light and nutrients.

Too much pruning can damage the columnar apple. It must be produced in order to normalize the growth of the tree and increase its fruiting, while at the same time not causing damage. It should be borne in mind that shortening the central shoot is unacceptable in working with low-growing plants, attention should be paid to the side branches, which have the ability to grow both horizontally and vertically.

There are two ways to trim. The first involves deletion, which involves cutting only a certain portion of the side branch. In the second case, it is a clipping, during which the branch is removed entirely.

In order to form a properly developing tree in all respects, one procedure is not enough, the process stretches over several years. All stages should be considered in more detail, namely:

• in the first year of the seedling’s life, it is necessary to shorten its trunk and remove the side shoots completely;
• in the second year, it is necessary to pinch those shoots that have grown by more than 30 centimeters, excluding the topmost one, which will continue to play the role of a trunk;
• in the third year, the branches growing on the sides are cut to such an extent that their length is no more than 40 centimeters, and pinching the upper shoot 25 centimeters is carried out;
• the fourth year begins with the thinning of the branches, pruning the weakest and most damaged ones;
• in the fifth year it is necessary to limit the growth of the plant, its maximum height should be about 3 meters;
• Starting from the sixth year of apple life, it will be necessary to carry out only sanitary pruning, namely, to remove dry and damaged branches, in order to allow the development of new ones and increase the level of fruiting.

When carrying out pruning, you must remember the basic rules that every gardener must adhere to. We must not forget that the more branches were removed, the greater the number of useful substances will get those that remained on the tree. The process must be completed before the juice goes, otherwise the procedure is better to postpone to the autumn or the very beginning of summer.

Compliance with the stages according to each year of life will help the proper formation and development of the plant. In some cases, it is possible to leave not one column, but 2–3, but this may threaten the lack of food for other branches.

As for the proper procedure, gardeners should not forget that you can only cut off shoots, but you definitely need to leave two buds on each of them. Pruning should be done annually.

The period of fruiting apple-shaped apples is 5 years, after which they are pruned down to the base. Pinning is done so that the side branches receive the necessary amount of nutrients and can give fruit.

As for the trimming scheme for the season, it is carried out 4 times.

• The main procedure is done in winter. Since the tree does not have permanent branches, the lower processes often suffer from a lack of sun. In winter, you can form those areas that will actively bear fruit, and over time they will rise up. And also it is necessary to cut off weak and dry branches.
• Concerning spring pruning, it needs to be carried out before the juice begins to move. After that, the plant will begin to grow more actively, and young shoots will appear from the buds. In the same period, the central shoot is determined. And also with this procedure, carried out in the spring, you can prune the frozen tips of the branches, which will only benefit the tree.
• Summer you need to remove those new shoots that hinder the development of the plant. They will take their start on the trunk. It should be borne in mind that gardeners do not recommend using a secateur, a simple plucking will be enough. Damage to the bark, however small, will not be beneficial to the tree, so the process is required to observe maximum accuracy.
• And finally in the autumn the gardener needs to remove the shoots growing vertically, and also to thin the tree. When the fruits are already removed, the movement of the juice will gradually stop. This period is most favorable for sanitary pruning. This means that it is necessary to remove dried, damaged and broken branches in order for the plant to meet the winter fully armed. After the summer pruning, young shoots again have time to appear.

When pruning apple-shaped apples, extremely sharp tools should be used that will not leave any unnecessary damage. After the procedure, sections are processed using garden warrior.If you remove the green shoots located on the trunk, it will only benefit the plant. The central column will be stronger and will be able to form more fruits. Branches that are more than 3–4 years old are removed when pruning.

Caring for a tree should be done, focusing on the requirements of each particular variety. For more active flowering processes and the development of the fruit is required to observe the distance between the rows. In the case of a columnar apple, it should not exceed one and a half meters. You can trim the tip only when new ones start appearing from the top of the frozen shoots. In other cases, the upper bud on the trunk is necessary in order to normalize the growth of the tree. The angle of the others should not exceed 30 degrees. If the shoot is located close to a horizontal branch, it is not recommended to delete it.

For 5 years it is necessary to prune according to the following principle: out of two processes appearing on the vertical branch, one must be removed and the other left, the fruits will appear on it in the future. You can form a crown in another way, but it is a bit more complicated than the previous one. To pruning added nipping plants. Even if this procedure is done with the usual type of apple, in the future it will become kolonovidnoy. You can also achieve the opposite effect.

Despite the fact that in springtime flowers are actively formed on the branches and trunk of a tree, this does not guarantee that there will be as many fruits. Since the plant is short, it does not have enough nutrients to provide all the apples. Therefore, work with buds should also be systematized. The very first year was marked by the appearance of a huge number of buds. All of them are subject to removal.

Buds are collected in bouquets. On one process there may be several of them. If the situation does not intervene, clusters of apples are formed on the branch. It will be correct to leave only one branch on which no more than 2 bouquets should be located. As for the flowers on the trunk, it is also impossible to leave them all. The number of apples to be harvested doubles - and the number of buds that must remain on the tree is obtained. An adult apple tree is capable of producing 12 kilograms of such fruits.

At the very beginning of the ovary you need to remember to thin out. Even fewer bouquets are left on the branches - one for each; half is also removed again from the trunk. When the first fruits appear, still very small, they need to be left 2-3 pieces per bunch. With their size of 4–5 centimeters, only one fruit should be left in place of the bouquet. This will help the remaining apples to obtain a sufficient amount of nutrients, to grow and mature more actively.

Each sprout on which the fruits were located, during spring pruning is necessary to stop, this procedure is carried out 5 years in a row. At the 6th year of life, the branch is completely removed, as it has completely exhausted its resources. Due to this, the crown will be pulled up. If the columnar apple is properly maintained, it will delight the gardener with its fruits for many years.

When the time comes for the plant to degenerate, it must be cut, but a stump of 60 centimeters high should remain above the ground. As soon as young shoots appear, the most powerful and powerful of them should be fixed at the support, it will be the basis of the new tree. The rest are cut until the plant is mature.

Even if the pruning was carried out with the implementation of all these rules, it is not always possible to wait for the desired result, according to reviews of gardeners. The reason is very simple - possible errors made during the procedure can lead to adverse consequences. The effect can be the most deplorable: the drying of the branches, the stopping of their growth, the absence of fruits on the tree. To prevent such troubles from darkening the joy of harvesting, you should adhere to the following points, which gardeners sometimes do not take into account:

• pruning should be done, starting with the lower branches, and gradually moving to the top;
• the cut must be done in the opposite direction from the extreme ovary;
• the location of the cut must be at least 2 centimeters taller than the kidney itself;
• Sharp garden tools should be used to prevent chipping and unplanned damage to the bark of the tree;
• so that the side branches are formed correctly, should be cut on the kidney.

See how to produce pruned apple trees in the next video.