Apricot is one of the few trees that is unable to regulate crop volumes. Any fruit tree needs competent pruning, and light-loving apricot is no exception.
Why prune apricots?
Apricot pruning is carried out according to a certain pattern. It is important to correctly cut off the branches, so as not to harm the tree. Trimming Objectives:
- Rejuvenation. In spring and autumn, the branches are cut to rejuvenate the tree and form a crown.
- Harvesting. Preventing the growth of the crown, they achieve a speedy and more massive bearing.
- Prevention of thickening of branches. To make it easier to harvest
If you abandon a tree - do not prune it, it will produce many fruits at first. But after a few years, the apricot abundance ends - the crown grows and thickens, and the internal branches quickly age, become “bald”, the number of laid buds on them is sharply reduced.
The consequences of thickening the crown:
- the fruits become small;
- qualitative indicators of fruits fall;
- fruiting is periodic.
Thick branched branches of apricot are both flexible and fragile. Without pruning, they are overloaded with fruits. Under the weight of the crop, the branches break off, which means that new shoots do not grow - productivity decreases. Thanks to proper pruning, apricot:
- regularly bears fruit;
- the fruits grow large and juicy;
- tree life is extended.
What tools are needed?
Every amateur gardener should stock up on a whole arsenal of various fruit tree care products:
- secateurs - manual or air;
- vaccination, garden, copulation and budding knife;
- garden file;
- trihedral file;
- a belt for a point and editing of cutting tools;
- bar and donkey;
- twine - it will be needed to fix the branches;
- stameskoy - for cleaning wounds;
- garden varnish, paint - to close the damage.
Experienced gardeners are sure that instead of a garden var and other oil products, it is necessary to use materials harmless to the tree - lanolin or beeswax.
You will also need copper sulfate. His 1% solution disinfects the tool and cuts.
How to prepare a tool for work?
Before work, cutting tools are carefully sharpened:
- Chamfering. When sharpening knives - garden, okulirovochnye and kopulirovochnye grind the chamfer until a wedge appears, smooth, without blockages and bends, from the tip to the edge.
- Sharpen knives on a fine-grained bar.
- They correct the knife with the help of a donkey.
During sharpening, the donkey and whetstone are moistened with water - to remove filings of graphite iron and carborundum.
- The grafting knife should be adjusted on a belt greased with special paste.
A tool ready for use is comparable in sharpness to a razor blade. Slightly dull garden knife is enough to correct on the donkey - right during operation. Vaccination knives must be edited additionally - on the belt.
It is important that during operation the tool does not dull more than it should. After work, all used accessories are cleaned of dirt and wiped with a dry cloth. If the tool is stored, its metal parts are lubricated.
Cropping technology
Trimming is carried out using several standard techniques. The choice of technology depends on the type of cut branches and on the tasks assigned to the gardener.
Cutting branches "on the ring"
It is used if it is necessary to remove the entire shoot without stimulating the growth of others. This technique is applied to shoots damaged by diseases or frost, as well as to eliminate “tops”.
To perform a competent cut, it is important to position it correctly. The task is simplified on branches with a pronounced annular influx, which is located on the border between adjacent shoots. The cut is performed exactly along the upper edge of the ring.
A ring is an influx in which cells with the ability to accelerate reproduction are enclosed. It is this property that allows the wound to heal faster.
The technique of cutting:
- To reduce soreness when cutting thick branches, a file is performed from below - by 1/3. It is necessary to retreat from the trunk to a distance of 10-20 cm.
- Sawing is performed from above - the branch is removed.
- The stump must be cut off in a ring.
- To make the cut smooth, they clean it with a knife - for better healing.
- The cut must be disinfected with 1% solution of copper sulfate.
- To cover a section with garden varnish, paint, wax or lanolin - gardeners decide for themselves which composition is better.
If you leave a stump or cut off the ring, the process of decay starts. Hollows may form in the wound. There is a risk of pest colonization and infection.
If there is no ring, you can make a cut “bevel”. How to do it? Draw one imaginary line at the base of the branch - along the trunk. The other - from the point of intersection of the branch with the trunk - at an angle of 90 degrees. Dividing the resulting angle in half, cut the branch.
Kidney pruning
Reception refers to forming pruning, in which a branch of the branch above the kidney is removed. The slice is oblique. The upper part of the cut is located above the kidney by half a centimeter - necessarily from the side of the kidney. Reception allows you to adjust the direction of shoot growth.
Pinching of the shoots
The pruning technique, in which the length of the shoots is reduced by 1/3 of the length. This technique allows you to accelerate the ripening of shoots, and also stimulates lateral branching.
Kidney blinding
This technique prevents uncontrolled shoot growth. This is the least painful technique that is used at the initial stage of the emergence of shoots. Noticing the extra branch, they pinch it off.
Trimming Types
For one season, apricot is subjected to five types of pruning:
- Formative. This pruning is necessary for the normal branching and formation of branches on the first tier. Allows you to design the shape of the crown and create a strong skeleton. Saplings are exposed 4-5 years old.
- Regulatory. Maintains crown shape. The essence of the process is thinning, adjustment and direction of shoots. Seedlings are cut from 6-7 years old and annually - while the tree lives and bears fruit.
- Sanitary. It consists in the removal of branches affected by pests and diseases. Such pruning is carried out throughout the life of the plant.
- Restorative. For trees with running or damaged crowns. Only plants in the 5th-9th year of life are subject to correction. After this age, you can only remove damaged branches.
- Anti-aging. Allows you to restore fruiting in old trees. The time comes when the growth of shoots slows down - they grow less than 30 cm per season, and fruiting shifts to the periphery of the crown.
It is impossible to form the correct branching without forming pruning; other options are needed to maintain the tree “in shape”. The plant should:
- well lit by the sun;
- have a regular, not overgrown crown;
- give high yields.
Trees that have withstood winter frosts without consequences, can not be subjected to regenerative pruning.
The formation of different types of crown
By dropping a young apricot forming pruning, you can create a crown of the desired shape. The formation process, starting from the moment of tree planting, lasts 4-5 years. Full crown formation should be completed by the sixth year of life. Before starting pruning, the gardener must choose the type of crown. Consider the existing options.
Sparse-tiered form
This is the most common form of crown. It is often used for tall trees, as a sparse-tiered form allows you to slow down the growth of the plant. Formation Technique:
- A year after planting, the apricot left 2-3 branches on the first tier. The distance between adjacent branches is about 20 cm - they need to be shortened by about a third. The remaining branches are cut "on the ring." Trim the central conductor so that it is 30-40 cm higher than the upper branch.
- After a year or two, they begin to form a second tier of the skeleton. Skeletal branches already have second-level shoots for this. They need to be left no more than 2-3 on the branch, shortened by 30%.
- After a couple of years, they begin to form a third tier. Then, the central conductor is cut at the base of the upper branch.
When forming a crown, one must adhere to the principle of subordination - branches on the third tier are shorter than branches on the second tier, and so on.
The specialist tells how to prune a young apricot, how to form its crown, and why the side branches should not be higher than the central conductor:
Cup crown
Such a shape of the crown guarantees good illumination and ventilation of the crown, and also helps to inhibit its growth. The technique of forming a cup-shaped crown:
- The first step is pruning when planting a seedling.
- On the trunk, you need to select 3-4 buds (or branches - if it is a two-year-old seedling), between which the distance is about 20 cm. The selected buds are multidirectional. The remaining kidneys should be blinded.
- It happens that after planting they did not form a crown for 3-4 years. It's not too late to fix everything. Choose 3 powerful branches, and the rest are cut "into the ring." The central conductor is cut out at the base of the upper branch.
- In the following years, pruning of shoots is done so that they have the same length. If any shoot begins to grow vigorously, it will dominate and turn into a central conductor - this is not permissible.
- Next, they are engaged in the formation of branches of the second level - in two pieces. The spacing between the branches is about 50 cm.
Over time, only adjusting circumcisions will be needed - it will be necessary to remove the shoots growing inside the crown.
Transfer branches to a side shoot
This technique can be used with any type of crown formation. Its task is to limit the growth of certain branches in the upper direction. To do this, on a branch whose growth they want to limit, they find a kidney (shoot), whose growth goes in the required direction. At this point, make a cut. The shoot left for growth will take a more horizontal position. To enhance the effect, it can be bent for a certain time, fixed. Then the new shoot is transferred to the side branch. There are two types of translation:
- Pruning is done on the outer kidney or shoot. Reception is used if the crown is in a state of neglect.
- Pruning to the inner kidney or shoot is used in the rarefied state of the crown - when it is necessary to ensure its filling.
Trimming (shortening) for translation
Seasonal tree pruning
The gardener is always full of work - in any season the garden needs care. Apricot pruning can be done at any time of the year. Seasonal events have distinctive features, consider them.
Spring
Pruning is started when March is almost running out. Conditions for starting the procedure:
- comfortable ambient temperature;
- lack of active sap flow.
Properly performed spring pruning is the key to high yields while maintaining high taste characteristics of the fruit.
Spring events include such work:
- formation of the correct crown;
- planning of sanitation and support procedures;
- removal of frozen and broken branches - so that the forces of the tree do not go to restore damaged shoots.
Summer
Until June 15, gardeners mint - anti-aging pruning. From the middle of May they begin to make a shell. Pinch all the shoots that appeared in the new year - 20-25 cm.
Summer pruning is not carried out annually - only once every 3-4 years. The procedure sometimes has to be postponed due to insufficient moisture in the culture.
Summer pruning apricot is performed for the purpose of rejuvenation. All young shoots are pruned, leaving no more than 20-30 cm in length. The shoots that appear after two weeks should be left no more than 3-4 shoots, all the rest - cut off.
Fall
Autumn activities come down to cleansing the tree from diseased shoots. All branches are shortened by 30%, only skeletal branches are not affected. Pruning is best done in mid-October. In rainy weather or during frosts, events are not carried out. Thanks to the fall care, it is possible to maintain a balance of the fruiting and non-bearing branches.
Winter
Winter is the perfect time for pruning branches and forming crowns. At this time, the plant has not yet “woken up”, which means that the removal of branches will be less painful for the plant.
In winter, branches should be cut at a temperature not lower than minus 8 ° C. In severe frosts, the wood becomes brittle, the wound tightening time increases.
Winter pruning tasks:
- the formation of new shoots;
- maintaining a healthy culture.
Advantages of winter activities:
- no foliage - the condition of the crown is clearly visible;
- the plant experiences less stress;
- frozen wood is easier to saw - no seizures are formed that usually appear when working with a hacksaw or pruner;
- easier to install the stairs - there is no danger of damage to neighboring trees.
Apricot pruning instruction
To create a beautiful crown, you need to cut a tree every year according to a new scheme. Crown formation starts from the first year of landing. This is the only way to grow a strong tree, giving abundant harvests. Experienced gardeners prefer to form a sparse-tier crown, which involves the removal of 5-7 main branches at a distance of 40 cm. Formation lasts from the first year to 6-7 years of age.
Seedling pruning
The formation of the crown is preceded by the shortening of the seedling - this operation is performed when planting the plant. The first few years, the branches grow especially actively - they need to be trimmed so that the branching process begins. At the apricot, the branches are not firmly attached to the central trunk, so the laying of single branches is carried out so that they extend to a large angle.
If the apricot has to grow in areas with a climate unfavorable for it, it can be grafted onto a frost-resistant stock to a height of one and a half meters. Then the seedling is cut off above the grafting point - at least 4-5 branches or buds should be left above it.
First year
In the first year of life - after planting, the seedling is shortened - the stem is cut at a height of 90 cm from ground level. If there are side shoots, choose two - located opposite. The remaining are cut "into the ring" - without hemp. Selected shoots are shortened by 50%, the main stem - at a height of 20 cm from them.
Second year
There are several more branches for the skeleton. From them should be at least 35 cm to last year's shoots. The location of the branches on the trunk should be uniform. The branches in the lower tier are cut, taking into account the characteristics of the variety:
- vigorous - by 50%;
- in the undersized - 1/3 of the length.
The second level is shortened so that the branches are 10 cm shorter than the shoots from the lower tier. A section of the main stem is performed at a level of 40 cm from the upper lateral branches.
Third year
In the third year of the apricot's life, they lay the third tier of skeletal branches - the principle of laying the second year is preserved. It is important to follow the principle of priority - below the branches are the strongest and longest, then 10-15 cm shorter than the previous ones. The main conductor is cut directly above the third level.
Fourth year
In the fourth year of life, fruiting begins, which means that you cannot radically reduce the shoots - this can affect the fruits. Pruning in the 4th year involves cleaning the crown - damaged, broken and thickening branches are removed.
After five years
The next pruning is carried out at 6-7 year of the tree. Its task is to increase productivity.To this end, on all major branches leave 2-3 shoots at the ends. Shoots are shortened by a third. A knot is created between the shoots - by cutting a strong shoot at a distance of 10-15 cm from the base. This year they also carry out sanitary cleaning of the crown - they remove branches that thicken the crown and block the flow of lighting to the lower tiers.
Old apricot
Old trees need rejuvenation procedures that extend their life and increase productivity. There are three methods of rejuvenation:
- The branches of the second tier, overgrown with skeletal, are cut "into a ring." This causes an active growth of young shoots. The gardener chooses those that grow horizontally or at an angle of 45 degrees - they will bear fruit. The remaining shoots are cut. While the branches that were left for fruiting do not grow, an overgrowth will appear - it needs to be thinned out regularly.
- Skeletal branches replace completely. 1-2 branches are selected that will replace, shorten them by 20-30 cm from the trunk. When the buds wake up and new shoots begin to grow, the gardener chooses one - he will become a skeletal branch. All other shoots are methodically cut. You need to leave the shoot, growing from the bottom or side of the skeletal branch. If the outcome is successful, after 3 years you can replace other branches - one or two. You can’t cut many thick branches in one year - this can lead to a tree disease.
- The last cropping method is intermediate between the first two. Skeletal branches not only bare, but also shorten by half. By revealing and shortening skeletal branches, gardeners rejuvenate apricots.
Common cropping errors
Novice gardeners often make mistakes that can harm the tree. Actions that lead to problems:
- The use of a blunt instrument leads to damage to the bark, the appearance of burrs - this can cause wood to rot. Tools must be sharpened carefully.
- Violation of the timing of pruning - this reduces the immunity of the tree. The plant recovers for a long time.
- Cutting skeletal branches is not "in a ring." If the cut is located close to the main stem, the formation of hollows is possible, and then the death of the tree.
- Ignoring the principle of priority of tiers leads to a decrease in productivity.
- Exceeding the height of the bookmark of the first tier will cause the fruits to hang at a distance of 2 m from the ground - harvesting will become more complicated.
Dangerous effects of pruning
The main danger after pruning is the appearance of viral and fungal lesions on fresh cuts. From local foci, the disease can spread to the whole tree. This will reduce the yield of the plant, and then lead to death. It is for this that the sections are disinfected, and then they are covered with garden varieties or other suitable material. Dangerous apricot diseases:
- monilosis - rot of the plant during the formation of fruits;
- hole spotting - the deciduous cover is affected;
- verticillosis - withering of the leaves and death of the plant;
- valsa mushroom - violation of the integrity of the wood cover with subsequent decay;
- cytosporosis - the penetration of infection into the wood causes a break in the surface of the branches.
The rapid growth of shoots is a characteristic feature of all apricot trees, leading to a decrease in their productivity. Thanks to the correct and timely pruning, gardeners extend the life of the tree, increase the quantity and quality of the fruits brought to them.
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Russia. City Novosibirsk
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