How to prune an apple tree in the fall?

Timely pruning of apple trees is one of the most important components of caring for this crop. The procedure should be carried out taking into account weather conditions, as well as the condition and age of the tree itself.

Pruning an apple tree in autumn is a procedure that guarantees a bountiful harvest for the next season and contributes to the generally successful development of the culture. Of course, along with other shaping procedures, it also provides the tree with a beautiful crown. Autumn processing helps to make young shoots stronger, which will play a significant role during wintering, and also allows them to quickly replace old ones, that is, to rejuvenate. In a thickened apple tree, due to the formation of the crown, the flow of air and light to the shoots is improved.

The absence or improper conduct of the procedure leads to the fact that the culture has difficulties with nutrition. This, in turn, negatively affects the condition of the crop: its quantity and quality. Again, not meeting the timing of pruning is often the cause of trunk bark damage and wood damage when the temperature drops. Nevertheless, it should be mentioned that the autumn procedure has a positive effect only in regions with a temperate climate. In the north, the cuts after such processing do not have time to tighten, and the onset of frost leads to the death of the apple tree.

In general, autumn pruning should be done from mid-September, after harvesting fruits, or in October. - that is, in the months characterized by a slowdown in sap flow in the trunks of fruit trees. All work on preparing the culture for wintering should be carried out at a time that will allow the plants to recover before the first frost, which may take a couple of weeks. Early processing is undesirable, since the fruit tree does not tolerate such a traumatic procedure due to the heat. It is better to prune apple trees after waiting for the yellowing and falling of the leaf plates. However, if in September the crop has already been harvested, and the leaves on the tree are still green, you can carry out light pruning, freeing the plant from thin branches, and transfer more global processing to spring.

It is worth mentioning that filing branches is considered undesirable on the full moon and new moon... And also the days of the growing moon are unfavorable, in which the juice moves upward, and the sensitivity of the slices increases. A dry day is ideal for the procedure, or at least one day before which there was no precipitation. The fact is that moistened wood is poorly sawn, and the resulting torn cuts heal for a long time. When planning to trim the apple orchard, the climatic features of the region will also have to be taken into account..

So, in the Moscow region, Samara and the middle lane, the interval from mid-October to early November is considered optimal. For St. Petersburg and the Leningrad region, the days from mid-September to the end of October are more successful. In the southern regions, pruning is allowed for almost a whole month from the end of October. Finally, in the Urals and Siberia, famous for their cold winters, pruning will have to be done before the beginning of October.

Before starting the formation of the apple tree crown, it is necessary to perform a number of preparatory measures. The first step is to determine the state of the apple tree: its age, the size of the branches, the level of development, and depending on this, the pruning scheme is selected. The specimen is examined for symptoms of disease and insect exposure, and any lesions are immediately disinfected with copper sulfate.

At the same stage, the preparation of tools that may be needed in the work is carried out. For example, for most branches, sharpened and cleaned garden shears or a handy pruning shears will work, but thick shoots will have to be disposed of with a special hacksaw with teeth or a folding saw.

You can prune an apple tree for the winter in different ways, depending on the main purpose of the procedure.

Rejuvenating pruning is required for mature trees with an already formed crown. Thanks to the procedure, the fruits begin to form not only at the crown and ends of old shoots, but also the shading at the trunk is eliminated. It all starts with the fact that the trunk is cut to a height equal to 2-3 meters. After the top is cut off, the skeletal branches are cut to the nearest young, developed and "looking" in the right direction of the shoot. Following is the general thinning: the branches that grow straight up or down, as well as shoots, "moving" towards the trunk, are removed. Those specimens that provoke thickening or rub against each other are subject to elimination.

I must say that if the apple tree has not been looked after for a long time and about 2-3 cuts with a diameter of 7 centimeters or more are to be created on it, then the event should be divided into several stages, stretched over 2-3 years. For example, in the first year, the top of the plant is cut off and a couple of skeletal branches are shortened, and the next 2-3 more shoots are removed. The creation of a large number of wounds in one season will lead to the death of the culture.

It is necessary to start forming the crown correctly immediately when planting a seedling... Since the annual is not yet able to branch, its thin trunk is simply shortened by about a quarter. Next year, when skeletal branches already appear on the specimen, it will be possible to do direct pruning. The lower tier of such shoots is determined at a level of 50 centimeters from the ground, and everything that grows below is completely cut off. The second and third tiers are formed one above the other in the following years, also with an interval of 50-70 centimeters.

Within the same level, the shoots can differ in height from each other by 10-15 centimeters. During the formation of the crown, 3-5 branches should remain in each tier, each of which would look in its own direction. Only those shoots that are located in relation to the trunk at an angle of 45-55 degrees should remain as skeletal. If the branches are too close to the trunk, forming an acute angle, then they will need to be cut. When trimming, it is important to ensure that the tops of the lower tiers do not go into the upper tiers.... In addition, annual growths on skeletal branches should be pruned by one third each year.

Universal pruning is essentially about sanitizing the tree. Within its framework, diseased and dry shoots are eliminated either completely or before the beginning of healthy tissues. Those branches that grow in the wrong direction, intersect with each other or touch each other are completely cut off. In the latter cases, of the two copies, only the strongest and most beautiful specimen is retained. The tops are sure to be eliminated - young fattening shoots that grow up, but do not bloom and do not set fruit. If necessary, rootstock shoots have to be removed as well.

When pruning trees, you should focus on the age, as well as the specifics of the plant.

A large and old apple tree more than 20 years old requires rejuvenation, which was mentioned above. Before you start using the tools, you need to make sure that both the trunk and the skeletal branches are still viable, and that there are no putrefactive processes or symptoms of disease. It will be correct to carry out the procedure in stages: first over the external kidneys from the south side, and the next year - from the north.

How to cut seedlings was mentioned above, but you have to work with one-year-olds according to more complex instructions. It is necessary to act with great care so that the plant can maintain the maximum number of shoots and recover faster... Competitive branches are eliminated completely, leaving no stumps that can form tops or buds. In the future, if a tree is 4 or 5 years old, a pyramidal shape is observed, then the shortening is carried out on the outer kidney, and if it is spreading, then on the inner one.

It is important that the central conductor is not too high: 10-15 centimeters in size for a specimen with a spreading crown, as well as 20 centimeters for a pyramidal variety. If the lower branches of a five-year-old apple tree need to be given a horizontal position, then it is allowed to hang weights on them. Fruit trees in the garden that are already yielding should be treated regularly. The processing scheme is as follows: the crown is thinned out in order to avoid thickening, after which it is limited from growing upward, tops are cut into a ring.

The processing steps for columnar apple trees are quite simple. Only competitive branches with an apical bud can be cut off from them, and the main shoot does not touch at all. Young shoots are shortened by 3-4 buds once a year, and old, thickening and weak branches are completely eliminated.

During autumn planting, the branches of a dwarf apple tree are shortened by a third or a quarter of their length. The next year, the skeletal branches are cut off already 30-35 centimeters from the stem above the selected buds. Those samples that are not suitable for the formation of second-order shoots are shortened by 25-30 centimeters from the stem.

The main thing that needs to be done after trimming is to process the opened cut... You can cover the wound not only with garden pitch, but also with a homemade mixture. It is prepared from beeswax, fat, vegetable oil, drying oil, alcohol, resin and agronomic components. In principle, it is allowed to use ocher on linseed oil or mixed with 500 grams of flaxseed oil. A good effect is obtained by a chatterbox created from a couple of parts of clay, one part of a mullein, water and a small amount of chopped straw.

To obtain a cement slurry, cement, sand, water and drying oil are combined. It is ideal for deep wounds and cracks. If the cut remains small, then it will be enough to disinfect it by combining lime and copper sulfate in a ratio of 10 to 1. It is worth thinking about protecting a weakened apple tree from all sorts of pests, after which it is imperative to feed the culture. Alternatively, about 8 kilograms of organic matter, 10 grams of nitrogen, the same amount of potassium and 6 grams of phosphorus are introduced into the trunk circle. A good substitute for the potassium-phosphorus component is wood ash in an amount of 150-250 grams.

It is useful for novice gardeners to know about the most common mistakes that occur when pruning apple trees. It is extremely important not to overdo it with shortening the branches of young specimens, otherwise new shoots will begin to develop vertically, thereby thickening the crown... Of course, too many shoots should not be removed, as any pruning undermines the health of the plant.

If there are too many problematic branches on the apple tree, then they should be eliminated in several stages. Of course, not using garden varnish or other substances for healing wounds is considered extremely unfavorable. It is not worth working after rainfall, as the swollen wood is not well exposed to tools.

Having completed the formation of the crown, it makes sense to additionally inspect the sections several times and, if necessary, use the garden varnish again. Accompanying the whitewashing procedure, chalk should be used for young trees, and lime for older trees. You can protect a weakened tree from cold weather or exposure to pests by wrapping the trunk in burlap.