And shrubs need some care, including not only timely watering and fertilizing, but also correct pruning. Pruning is understood as a special agrotechnical procedure involving the partial or complete removal of branches and elongated shoots. It is aimed at regulating the growth, development and fruiting of trees and shrubs. In this article, we will talk in detail about how to prune trees in the spring correctly and what tools you need to prepare for this. We hope our tips will help you in the difficult task of growing a garden.
Types of tree pruning
Depending on the goals, four types of pruning are distinguished - rejuvenating, shaping, regulating and restorative. Let's look at them in more detail. Anti-aging pruning is designed to restore the growth of old fruit trees, stimulate the laying of generative buds, increase fruiting and improve their decorative appearance. It is necessary to renew the crowns of unkempt shrubs and rejuvenation is first performed after the first two or three years of fruiting or with a decrease in flowering activity. At the same time, old and too elongated branches are shortened and young and healthy shoots are left. Repeat the procedure after three years. Formative pruning speeds up flowering, increases yields and gives trees and shrubs a well-groomed appearance. decorative look. It is produced in the first three to five years after planting a young plant and is designed to create a strong and well-lit crown that is easy to care for.
We adjust and restore the decorative appearance of the crown
Regulatory pruning is carried out to limit the volume and height of the crown. It improves the penetration of light rays and allows you to increase the fruiting of fruit trees. As a rule, it is carried out in industrial gardens. Recovery pruning is designed for neglected shrubs and trees that have not been given due attention for a long time. It allows you to form a crown of normal size, normalize the number of shoots and improve lighting. Restorative pruning involves removing diseased, broken and unusable branches. It is also important that it can be applied to frozen and mechanically damaged fruit trees. Next, we will tell you how to prune trees, what you need to prepare for this, and what time of the year is best to carry out this important procedure.
Do we remove branches in winter or spring?
Determining the right time for this agrotechnical procedure is extremely important. It is worth remembering that any removal of shoots and branches is an operation after which the tree will heal wounds for a long time, and for this it needs as much as possible favorable conditions. Therefore, March and April are considered the most suitable time for pruning, that is, the period until sap flow begins. Some gardeners offer to remove the shoots fruit trees starting from January - February. Such a recommendation can only be justified for the southern regions of Russia, where winters are warm and short. For the middle zone, including the middle Volga region, this proposal is not suitable - there is a high risk that the trees will suffer from frost in places of cuts. But it is not advisable to postpone the procedure for removing extra branches until the summer. When to prune fruit trees? It is advisable to do this in early spring so that they are strong and develop well. Usually in the first half of April, the trees "wake up" - that is, sap flow begins and active growth kidneys. Late pruning of the upper branches with the removal of large apical buds can lead to a decrease in yield. Yes, the trees will not stop growing, but the remaining dormant, weaker buds will develop worse, the shoots will be frail, and flowering will be later.
Is it possible to prune trees in summer and autumn?
In some cases, later pruning is also undertaken. In summer, it is allowed to thin out a too dense crown. By July, the spring shoots are growing enough, which will make it possible to draw an objective conclusion about the excessive number of branches. If necessary, they can be thinned out by opening access sunbeams in the middle of the crown. It is important to remove powerful vertical shoots and twigs that do not bear fruit. Can trees be pruned in autumn? Yes, you can, but you need to choose the right time after the end of the harvest and before the onset of the first frost. Autumn pruning is advisable in the south of the country, where there are no severe frosts. IN middle lane In Russia, it can lead to freezing of the bark at the cut site and to the subsequent death of the tree. In autumn, it is necessary to remove broken, shrunken, growing at right angles or upward branches. Remember that cut diseased shoots must be removed from the site and burned. Now you know if trees can be pruned in summer and autumn. Next, we will talk about what garden tools you will need and how to carry out this agrotechnical procedure correctly.
Preparing tools for work
How to prune trees and shrubs? First you need to prepare the tools. You will need a sharp garden knife (to cut thin and small tree branches) and a pruner (for thicker shoots). You may also need hand saw for removing thin trunks and a saw for large ones. If you plan to cut prickly branches of shrubs, you need to prepare a lopper with long handles. All prepared tools must be put in order - clean the blades, sharpen and disinfect. In addition, you will need a chisel, stepladder and metal brush to clean the cuts. And, of course, do not forget about the means for covering up fresh wounds. We advise you to use garden pitch, natural drying oil or oil paint.
How to prune young trees?
So, choosing the right time and armed with the necessary garden tools, get to work. First, remove dry, broken, diseased, damaged by pests and frail branches. Then remove the root growth that interferes with the care of the soil under the tree.
Having carried out a standard procedure that is suitable for all trees without exception, you can proceed to direct pruning, which has its own specific features for trees different ages. Young specimens generally require shortening of shoots. During the period of active fruiting, thinning will be required, and during the aging period, the removal of a significant number of branches and shortening of the shoots. How to prune young trees? First, several powerful skeletal branches (3-5 pieces) are selected. It is desirable that they depart from the trunk at an obtuse angle and be at a sufficiently distant distance from each other. The selected branches are shortened a little in order to allow the lateral branches to form. At the same time, they are guided by the rule: the lower shoots are cut to a shorter length, the upper ones to a longer one. The remaining branches are shortened by 10-15 cm. The main vertical shoot is cut 35-40 cm above the uppermost shortened skeletal branch.
We will tell you how to care for the crown of actively fruiting trees
As a rule, caring for them, in addition to watering and feeding, comes down to thinning the crown in places where the branches are intertwined or heavily thickened. How to prune trees in spring? An overgrown crown should be thinned out gradually, over two to three years. So the tree is less damaged and suffers. In this case, it is necessary to remove those shoots that are intertwined and grow inside the crown. Small branches are removed with a knife or secateurs, thick ones with a saw. The basic rule for pruning a large branch is this: you need to remove it in three approaches, without leaving a stump, that is, “on the ring”. The ring is the boundary between the bough and the trunk or between the large and small branches. The following figure shows how to do this correctly.
Actively fruiting trees also need to shorten their branches to resume their growth processes.
Pruning old or neglected trees. Processing cut points
Old and neglected trees need more serious care. They should not be heavily pruned and try to thin out the crown in one season. In old trees, it is necessary to shorten the shoots greatly. This will rejuvenate the plant and start the growth mechanisms. The launched crown is thinned out as follows. One or two strong skeletal branches with a large number of small branches are selected and removed. The following spring, one or two more large branches are selected and removed again. The rejuvenated crown requires care - extra shoots should be removed and growing branches should be directed in the right direction. An important point pruning branches is the treatment of wounds. Cuts made with a saw usually have roughness and irregularities. To prevent wood decay, the surface is cleaned and smoothed with a metal brush or knife. After that, the wounds are covered with garden pitch, oil paint or natural drying oil. It is important to cover the cut points with an even and thin layer. Small wounds (less than 1 cm in diameter) do not need to be covered with garden pitch.
Instead of a conclusion
If you know the technology of shortening shoots of fruit trees and ornamental shrubs, it will not be difficult for you to answer the question of how to cut
As in the case with garden plants, you will need to prepare a knife or pruner. First, you should examine the plant and mentally imagine its desired shape. Then you need to carefully cut the side branches and upper shoots. Gradually, you form a crown, giving it a beautiful spherical shape. It should be remembered that the cuts should be located above the sleeping kidney. This will help stimulate the growth of the succulent. Slices of decorative money tree must be processed, but not with garden pitch, but with crushed activated carbon.
Pruning trees is a mandatory procedure necessary to better endure the cold winter period.
It provides:
- Elimination of new shoots in need of nutrition. Unnecessary branches consume the crop's nutrient supply, depleting it and causing a decrease in the number of fruits during the next season.
- Reduced chance of branch breakage during heavy snowfall in winter.
- Saving time spent on the care and treatment of plants in the summer.
- Obtaining a plentiful harvest with high-quality healthy and large fruits.
Circumcision Features
Pruning of fruit crops occurs in the fall, when the entire possible harvest for this year has been harvested. The basic rule of this procedure is to reduce the possibility of harm to the fruit tree.
Incorrect pruning can result in:
- to a decrease in fruiting;
- to improper crown formation.
In order for crop circumcision to be beneficial, you should:
- pruning should be carried out only after the onset of frost, which reduces the likelihood of injury;
- adjust the number of shoots, but you should not delete everything;
- remove all dried and diseased branches, providing a path for the growth of new and healthy shoots in the next season;
- before carrying out the procedure, familiarize yourself with the features of pruning on a particular crop.
The time when the movement of juice along the trunk and branches of the plant ends is considered optimal for pruning fruit crops. When holding an event in the summer, you can doom it to diseases, thereby reducing its fruiting rate for more than one season.
The timing of pruning fruit trees varies depending on the region of the country. For example, in the southern regions of the country, they can be cut in the fall, and in the northern regions, such an event is not recommended. This is due to the fact that freezing of the bark of the culture can occur at the site of the cut in winter. A young tree up to two years of age after autumn pruning may completely die.
Tree pruning schemes in autumn
It should be remembered that each culture has its own individual characteristics crown formation, which must be taken into account when cutting a tree and forming its crown.
At the same time, it should be borne in mind that any scheme for cutting branches is aimed at removing unnecessary branches, but in no way at destroying the main wood of the tree.
The pruning scheme depends on how old the tree is and how long ago this procedure was carried out.
For a neglected tree, the pruning plan is as follows:
- The choice of a scheme for the future crown of a tree, for its formation over several years.
- Pruning of excess branches starting from the middle of the tree, from the most dry and damaged branches.
- Young shoots in a small amount after the first pruning are recommended to be left
Pruning of hearth crops is carried out in two ways:
- shortening in order to form the height and width of the plant;
- thinning.
When thinning branches are removed, starting from the middle part of the crown at their base. This scheme allows you to increase the access of air and sunlight to the trunk and the remaining branches.
Shortening carried out for crops whose age does not exceed 2 years. In this case, both the central trunk and the side branches are pruned at the level of the kidney. This cutting scheme allows you to:
- control the growth of branches and crown size;
- promote the development of lateral branches;
- increase productivity due to the appearance of new young branches.
Slicing types
When cutting a plant, it is important to cut it correctly without damaging the tissues of the stem part of the crop.
You should remember the main rule for making cuts- the main fabric of the tree, namely wood, cannot be damaged. If the procedure was carried out without unnecessary damage, then the cut on the tree will quickly drag on.
- cutting live branches. In this case, the wood of the main tree trunk must not be touched. Initially, they find a pocket that forms under the place to which the branch is attached. The two main objectives of keeping the culture healthy are not to cut off the excess part of the pocket and not to touch the wood in the area of \u200b\u200bthe upper fold.
- Cutting dry branches. In this case, the pocket and fold are quickly determined, after which an incision is made.
There are several types of cuts:
Dates
Correction of the state of culture depends on:
- on the degree of its neglect;
- from damage to its crown and branches by diseases;
- from infection and the degree of damage by pests.
The timing of the restoration of the plant, depending on the prevailing various circumstances, is different:
- If fruit crop has not previously been cared for and has an outwardly neglected appearance, then it should take at least 5 years to restore it to a normal well-groomed and healthy appearance. It is impossible to bring her back to normal in one year due to the need for circumcision in this case. a large number branches, which can significantly reduce yields for several years.
- When a crop is affected by pests or disease, the affected branches are removed in one pruning. However, this procedure will reduce fruiting for many years. For this reason, in such situations, the feasibility of restoring a diseased tree should be assessed. In some cases, a new plant can grow faster than an old one can recover.
The frequency of pruning depends on the age of the plants:
- On old trees, it is recommended to carry out circumcision (often rejuvenating) 1 time in 3 years.
- Young crops should be pruned regularly in order to form the correct crown.
How to increase productivity?
Plant fertility is directly related to:
- With the freedom of space. It is believed that the more branches - the less space for fruits. Therefore, you should regularly monitor the density of the branches with the help of their timely pruning.
- With tree health. Various diseases crops contribute to disruption of the function of nutrient supply to the branches where the fruits should be located. The presence of pests can jeopardize already set fruits, which is guaranteed to prevent the owner of the crop from using them as food.
Additional measures
TO additional measures increasing yields can be attributed to the fertilizer of the roots of trees. Fertilizers are of two types:
- natural, such as manure and ash from burned dry twigs;
- artificial manufactured at the manufacturing plant as a result of certain chemical transformations.
Important factors affecting the yield of a crop are:
- influence of drafts;
- wind protection;
- exposure to sunlight;
- watering regularity.
Autumn pruning of fruit trees helps them survive harsh winter. As soon as the leaf fall begins, every self-respecting gardener is armed with a pruner and is actively working. The trees have already fallen asleep, the juices have slowed down, the garden has calmed down after a bountiful harvest. At this time, you can’t lose a minute, you need to have time to cut the branches until the first frosts come.
Tree pruning is a way to remove part of a branch or the entire shoot. This is a special method of caring for trees and shrubs, including fruit trees. With its help, they regulate the growth of plants, their development, productivity.
Pruning is carried out in order to increase immunity, rejuvenate the plant - rid it of diseases, foci of pests, dry branches and those shoots that can harm the tree, pulling on nutrients. Form a crown sunlight evenly distributed throughout its volume, which, of course, will increase fruiting. Yes, and harvesting the fruits will be much more convenient.
Fruit trees originally came to our garden from different climatic zones. Accordingly, they do not have the same life processes and cycles. Therefore, not all types of horticultural crops should be cut in the fall. For example, it is not recommended to carry out autumn pruning of cherries.
What are the types of pruning
Plants, like all living organisms, change all the time. Grow faster or slower, depending on external conditions. At a certain time they give their strength to the development of the root system, at another period they increase the green mass. They bloom, bear fruit, go into a state of sleep and rest.
Much depends on the age of the plant, its health. Sometimes a tree needs help getting rid of diseases, extending its lifespan, setting the direction of growth, removing excess, distributing forces in such a way as to increase the yield. All this can be done with one method - cropping. Much depends on the goals to be achieved. Therefore, there are different types of pruning fruit plants.
- Sanitary- eliminates diseases and pests, dried and extra branches.
- Formative- controls the growth and development of the crown.
- Anti-aging- increases the life of the tree.
- Regulatory- enhances productivity.
- Restorative- increases immunity.
- supportive- helps to be in good shape, gives strength.
Event dates
The timing of the autumn pruning of trees depends on climate zone. The main criterion is to be in time before the first frost, otherwise you can unwittingly harm your garden. Therefore, in the northern regions of Russia, such events should be held only in a fairly warm autumn. Because the wounds on the trees must have time to heal before the frost hits. Otherwise, the slices will freeze, the bark around them will begin to dry. In the spring there will be no young shoots, this is at best. At worst, the tree will die.
In autumn, only mature trees should be pruned. Young seedlings should not be touched.
The movement of juices in the body of plants slows down significantly from late October to early November in Central Russia and in the south of Russia. It is at this moment that they consider experienced gardeners, it is better to carry out all the work. In the southern regions, even at the end of September, the plants still do not sleep, so it's worth the wait.
When pruning coincides with the period of the growing moon, the wounds on the branches grow much faster.
The choice of tool for crown formation
The main tools for pruning branches are a pruner, a hacksaw and a saw. With the latest tools, everything is more or less clear, the main thing is to sharpen the tool well. There are secateurs different types designed for different purposes, respectively. You need to know which secateurs to use during the execution of a particular job.
Tools must be sharp and durable - this is a guarantee of accurate pruning that will not cause injury to plants. The blades of the secateurs are necessarily narrowed towards the end. Since it will be easier to get those branches that are not easy to get close to. The configuration of the tools itself is safe and convenient. The weight is light and the handles are made of rough, non-slip plastic to make them easy to use. It is better to choose pruners with brightly colored handles so that you can quickly find them in the grassy garden bed.
Secateurs come in different classifications - professional and amateur. It is easy for a non-specialist to distinguish them, the price is different. A professional tool is twice or three times more expensive than a regular one. Of course, such a pruner will last a long time, it will be easy to work with it. However, garden "helpers" for amateurs also come across a very decent quality. So sometimes it just doesn't make sense to pay more. Spare parts are usually included with each tool so that it can be easily repaired on occasion.
In addition, for the convenience of gardeners, secateurs are made in different sizes - for small, medium and large hands. So picking up a tool “for yourself” is quite realistic so that your hands do not hurt later from too intense work.
Here are the types of secateurs found today:
- Bilateral - they look like small and very sharp scissors with the same short and tapered blades towards the tip. Suitable for cutting thin branches up to ten millimeters in diameter.
- Bypass is a classic tool familiar to many. This pruner has two different blades that resemble a parrot's beak. One blade is sharp and straight. The second is sickle-shaped, wide, designed for support. A branch fits well into the recess of this blade. Another, upper working blade cuts it off. Hold the bypass pruner while working with the sickle-shaped blade down.
- With an anvil - such a pruner looks unusual. Its lower blade is somewhat reminiscent of a small flat anvil, and the upper one is sharp, working. It moves down towards the anvil, resting against it. Branches, when working with such a pruner, are not cut, but broken off. Therefore, this tool is used for cropping exclusively hard dry branches. Live shoots can be completely destroyed with such pruners.
Methods and schemes for pruning fruit trees
There are the following basic rules for pruning trees:
- Be sure to cut those branches that grow towards the inside of the crown.
- Minor branches are removed to strengthen the main ones.
- If the crown is too branched, then you need to remove those shoots that thicken it.
- Also remove annual shoots.
- Cut branches that grow down.
- Wild shoots that stretch from the stock are cut without fail.
- The central trunk is pruned only in dwarf fruit varieties; all other fruit-bearing trees cannot be pruned in this way.
Each plant requires only individual approach. Therefore, before starting work, you should carefully examine it and determine what kind of trimming it needs.
Anti-aging pruning- perform only for those trees that have already been bearing fruit for several years. Here only long branches are shortened. They will no longer grow too much, this will shape the crown correctly, heal the tree as a whole. After all, usually very long branches have dried sections. It is important that adnexal buds are activated in spring.
Formative- here is the modeling of external outlines. The load on the main branches that make up the "skeleton" of the plant is removed. This will help the tree grow evenly in the future. Work with the crown begins five years after planting the seedling. Such pruning is carried out in stages, year after year. The crown is formed in several tiers, the distance between which should be at least half a meter. The lower tier is made up of the thickest branches, located at an angle of forty-five degrees. Completely remove the shoots that grow perpendicular to the main, skeletal branches. Those processes that prevent others from growing and developing are removed by one third.
Regulatory- here the main goal is to maintain the balance of the finished, formed crown. Remove extra young branches that block sunlight from others. Harmonize growth and productivity. Focus not only on fruitfulness, but also on the renewal of wood.
Restorative- when a tree is sick, it is necessary to support it not only with top dressing, but also with competent pruning. Correct the crown so as to return the uniformity of its development, adjust the size. This is achieved by controlling the growth of new shoots, first of all. Enhance the illumination of all major skeletal branches. The result is that the crown returns to its original harmonious state, before it was damaged. Gets the opportunity to actively grow again and bear fruit.
Differences in pruning old and young trees
When pruning your favorite garden, consider the age of the trees. Since fruitful buds age with plants, losing their yield.
In autumn, anti-aging pruning is usually carried out. This is very important for old trees over four years old.
Use a similar garden rejuvenation technique once every three years.
Pruning of fruit trees in autumn is carried out in order to remove excess branches in the crown that interfere with each other. First, dry, broken, diseased shoots should be removed, and only then healthy ones. As a result, the forces of the plant are redistributed. Nutrients are better supplied to the old branches, from which it will later be possible to obtain a high yield. In addition, this type of pruning helps the plant to prepare well for the winter, get rid of potential foci of disease and insect damage.
Young trees are pruned in autumn.
Thin out the crown, revealing its depth to sunlight. In this case, the extra branches are cut off completely. Shoots are shortened so that new ones form in the places of cuts in the spring. They try to shape the plant so that the crown looks airy.
Common gardening mistakes
When pruning fruit trees, unforgivable mistakes can be made, which will subsequently cause the plant to become infected with diseases and even die.
Here are typical common mistakes:
- Hemp is the most common problem. Instead of removing the entire branch, the grower leaves a small stump. After a while, he begins to grow young shoots. It turns out that instead of one branch, four or five grow at once. As a result, the crown of the tree is damaged, it becomes like a broom. Sometimes the stump dries up, but at the same time the bark slides off it, the core is exposed. And this is bad, because unprotected tissue is easily affected by necrosis, various diseases, especially pests.
- crown thickening- when, instead of a cut off branch, after a couple of years, several new ones grow from one place at once, which grow very quickly. Usually these are large shoots, they pull nutrients from other branches. Their further development must be stopped. Remove them under the ground.
- Bark scuffs- occur most often when rather thick branches are cut down. A wound near a tree after such a mistake does not heal for a long time. Accordingly, the plant becomes ill. A large branch should be removed in parts. First, they file it from below, observing an interval of forty centimeters from the base. The next cut is made from above, moving even closer to the base - up to five centimeters. A branch sawn in this way is easy to break, and the resulting stump is carefully cut off.
Processing and care of fruit trees after pruning
When pruning, wounds always appear that must be properly treated to avoid infection. In addition, from these open wounds too much moisture valuable for the plant evaporates.
Small cuts may heal on their own. However, large volumes must be lubricated. All wounds with a diameter of more than two centimeters must always be treated.
In young fruit trees, especially southern ones, such as apricot, absolutely all cuts, even the tiniest ones, should be protected. Only when the plant gets stronger, becomes more mature, it will be possible to ignore small wounds.
Any cut, no matter what tool it was made, must first be cleaned with a sharp knife. Next, the cut point is treated with garden pitch, oil paint. In no case should paint based on other solvents be used, because this way you can destroy the entire garden, in fact, poisoning the trees.
Apply the wound treatment with a spatula or brush. Gradually, a bark roller forms on the cut, it grows very quickly, at a speed of up to three centimeters per year. If the wounds are not treated, then they close slowly - a centimeter per year.
The main thing to always remember is that a tree is a living being, do no harm. To possess knowledge about the vital processes that occur with this organism. Always clearly imagine what the consequences of artificial intervention in the life of a particular plant will be.
When caring for a garden plot, autumn pruning of trees is also an integral part of this process. After all, starting from spring, the plants grow intensively, and throughout the entire sunny summer period, a lot of extra branches grow on the trees.
In autumn, pruning is carried out to thin out the branches, so that the more necessary shoots will grow better.
In cases where you refuse such pruning, your garden plot will have a neglected appearance, and even worse, the yield will drop sharply.
Before touching on the very topic of autumn pruning, let's talk about when it is still best to carry out this procedure.
When to prune trees?
Many of you have known from school that plants “sleep” in the winter, that is, the movement of water and juice along the trunk and branches stops, and at first autumn period they gradually begin to prepare for it. Therefore, pruning of trees is desirable to carry out in the fall.
But this does not mean at all that autumn pruning can be carried out in all latitudes. For example, for the southern regions, this period is more favorable for pruning, but not for the northern ones.
This can be explained by the fact that at the place where the cut was formed, with the onset of frost, the bark begins to freeze, and therefore the cut will gradually dry out.
It is possible that even the tree itself will die, although the opinions of professionals differ on this issue. If your seedling is only a few years old, then it is better not to manipulate autumn pruning.
How to prune trees in autumn?
A more favorable period for autumn pruning is the end of October - November, but depending on the climatic conditions of your region, this period may change slightly.
young trees
In the case of young plants, the aim is to form a crown.
The formation of the crown can be done in several ways:
- shortening method
- thinning method
When shortening, we need to remove some part of the branch, and when thinning, the entire branch is completely cut off.
When using the shortening method, new buds around the cut will begin to sprout new shoots. But, and if you need sunlight to reach your fruits, so that they become more juicy and beautiful, use the thinning method.
The only condition that you need to adhere to is to give the seedlings time to get stronger, which takes several years.
In cases where you find a branch that will interfere with others in the future, then it must be carefully deleted.
old trees
In cases with an adult tree, carry out annual pruning not recommended, that is, in the fall for old fruit trees, pruning should be done no more than once every two years, or even three years.
What does it have to do with ? And this is due to the fact that fruiting buds become infertile over the years. There may even be not so few of them, they can even be tied with fruits, but a little later they will begin to crumble.
For very old fruit trees, rejuvenation pruning is necessary, that is, with this pruning, branches that are four years old or more must be pruned.
At the same time, one should also not forget that the remaining lower branches should be slightly thicker than the upper ones.
Not infrequently, in this situation, shoots that grow into the inside of the crown or intertwine with each other are also removed, since such branches will only interfere with the rest.
In addition, the trees will have to spend more on them. useful material and strength, which of course can be avoided.
Fruit and ornamental trees and shrubs are pruned mainly in early spring. However, some types of pruning can and should even be done in the fall. Is it possible to prune apple trees, pears and others in autumn fruit trees? How to prune grapes in autumn? When are currants and gooseberries cut? We list the main types of pruning that are carried out in the fall.
Pruning apple, pear and other fruit trees in autumn
Formative pruning of fruit trees - apples, pears, cherries, plums - in amateur gardens is carried out in early spring. In industrial gardens, the amount of work is too large, and it is difficult to complete it in a short time. Therefore, pruning often begins in winter during thaws.
Why is this pruning order adopted? The fact is that when branches are removed from an apple tree and a pear, wide sections are formed, which in winter become conductors of cold. The living tissues surrounding such a cut may be damaged in frosts.
And yet, some branches on apple and pear trees can be pruned in late summer and autumn. When you harvest, pay attention to which branches are heavily shaded and have no fruit. In order not to forget about them by spring, it is convenient to cut them off immediately, but not on a ring, but on a spike: they leave a protective stump 15 cm high. Then the cut in winter will be at a distance from the branch and promising buds on it, and in the spring the stump is cut off already as usual, on the ring.
Autumn pruning of grapes and other fruit vines
fruit and decorative creepers: grapes, actinidia, lemongrass and others - pruned in the fall or only after the foliage has fully bloomed (in late spring - early summer).
You can not cut them in early spring. During sap flow, even single cuts and broken shoots are applied to curly fruit plants damage. Cell sap flows out of the damaged areas, with it the plants lose not only water, but also physiologically active substances. This phenomenon is especially well known to winegrowers, it is called. The intensity of crying depends on the weather. In some years, the plant can lose up to 15 liters of fluid.
In the middle lane, pruning of grapes is carried out in the fall before shelter, it is convenient to cut other woody vines along with it. The grape pruning scheme is chosen at your discretion.
This is the easiest and most common cropping method in the middle lane. It makes it easy to shape the grapes and cover them for the winter.
If you have chosen a fan pruning scheme, then you first need to form a young seedling.
An improved method of autumn pruning of grapes in the middle lane is a horizontal cordon. For this formation of grapes, more experience is needed and the plants will take up more space in the garden, with fan formation. But this scheme of pruning grapes allows you to increase the yield of many valuable varieties, contributes to good ripening of the vine and favorable overwintering.
If you love growing grapes and are willing to put in the extra time to get impressive results, then choose a pergola pruning scheme.
Gooseberries, currants, honeysuckle - pruning in autumn or spring?
pruning berry bushes comes down, basically, to the removal of old branches to the ground. Wide sections above the snow level, through which frosty air could penetrate to the kidneys, are not formed. Therefore, it doesn’t matter when to prune currants and gooseberries: in spring, as many manuals recommend, or in autumn.
From the point of view of convenience, autumn pruning of currants, gooseberries, honeysuckle and other berry bushes is even preferable. The buds of berry bushes wake up very early. There is always a chance that for some reason you will not have time to trim in time, before the start of sap flow. Therefore, experienced gardeners usually try to prune honeysuckle, gooseberries and currants in the fall after leaf fall.
Pruning of ordinary raspberries is not carried out in the fall, but in the summer immediately after harvest. All fertile two-year-old shoots are cut to the ground.
The ripening of the berries means that these shoots have finished their development and will die off in the autumn anyway. But before that, they only prevent new shoots from growing and gaining strength: they shade them, make it difficult to care for raspberry bushes. Nevertheless, if you did not cut off the old raspberry shoots on time, be sure to do it at least in the fall. Before shelter, it is also desirable to carry out the first normalization of young shoots that will bear fruit next year. Leave approximately 40 best shoots on running meter rows, delete the rest. After the snow melts, when you tie the raspberries to the trellis, make another thinning, leaving 15-20 shoots per meter.
Remontant raspberries bear fruit almost to the snow, so its pruning is carried out in the fall. There are two ways to crop. You can cut only two-year-old shoots or cut off remontant raspberries completely. In the middle lane, the second cropping method is most common.
Should roses be pruned in autumn?
It is necessary to form rose bushes in the spring, when you can see which buds have survived in order to count on them. But in the fall, some branches on roses have to be shortened so that the bush fits under cover.
Pruning clematis in autumn
In clematis of the I pruning group (Atragene group, or princes), only diseased and thickening bush shoots are removed. In pruning group II clematis (Lanuginosa group, Florida, Patens), shoots are shortened by about a third before shelter.
Clematis of the III pruning group (Zhakman, Integrfoliya, Vititsela group) are cut off completely, leaving 3-5 cm above the soil level - as in the photo below.
Autumn pruning of mock orange bushes (garden jasmine)
It is advisable to update the old mock orange bushes in the fall a little: remove the weak shoots that thicken the crown and cut down 1-2 of the oldest thick branches to the base.
Autumn pruning hydrangea
It is advisable to cut off the inflorescences of hydrangeas (large-leaved, paniculate and tree-like) in the fall, so that in winter the snow adhering to them does not break the branches.
Cut off the inflorescence to the first pair of buds.
Pruning and shearing of coniferous plants
Autumn - auspicious time for shearing conifers.
At all, coniferous plants can be cut at any time when the air temperature does not fall below +4°C. But in autumn it is more convenient: plants emit less resin, which sticks to tools and stains clothes. It is only important not to cut the crown too much: no more than 1/3 of the current growth is removed at a time.
When to do autumn pruning
Fruit and ornamental trees and shrubs are pruned in autumn during and after leaf fall. You can start pruning around mid-October, without waiting for the leaves to completely fall off. At the same time, there is no strictly defined time for the end of autumn pruning, it is dictated by common sense.
It is undesirable to continue any work in the garden, including autumn pruning, when prolonged rains begin and the soil gets wet to a considerable depth. By trampling down damp soil around trees and shrubs, you break its structure, as a result, oxygen access to the roots will be difficult. If it is absolutely necessary to continue working despite bad weather, then put shields or boards under your feet so that the soil is not so hard compacted.
The timing of the autumn pruning of grapes, roses and other covering crops is chosen so that by the time of shelter all work has been completed.
