Fruit trees and shrubs need some care, including not only timely watering and top dressing, but also proper pruning. Pruning is understood as a special agrotechnical procedure, involving 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 pruning trees
Depending on the goals, there are four types of trimming - anti-aging, shaping, regulating and restorative. Let's take a closer look at them. 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 for updating the crowns of groomed bushes and garden trees. Rejuvenation is first performed after the first two to three years of fruiting or with a decrease in flowering activity. At the same time, shorten old and too elongated branches and leave young and healthy shoots. Repeat the procedure after three years. Forming pruning accelerates the beginning of flowering, increases productivity and gives trees and shrubs a well-groomed 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, convenient for care.
Adjust and restore the decorative appearance of the crown
Regulating pruning is done 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. Restoration pruning is intended 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. Restoration pruning involves the removal of diseased, broken, and unusable branches. It is also important that it can be applied to fruit trees that have frozen and received any mechanical damage. Next, we will tell you how to prune the trees, what needs to be prepared for this, and at what time of the year this best procedure is best carried out.
Do we remove branches in winter or spring?
Determining the right time for this agrotechnical procedure is crucial. 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 the most favorable conditions. Therefore, March and April, that is, the period until the sap flow begins, is considered the most suitable time for pruning. Some gardeners suggest removing shoots of fruit trees from January to 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 great risk that the trees will suffer from frost in the places of cuts. But to postpone the procedure for removing excess branches until the summer is not advisable. When to prune fruit trees? It is advisable to do this in early spring, so that they are strong and well developed. Usually in the first half of April the trees "wake up" - that is, sap flow and active growth of the buds begin. Late pruning of the upper branches with the removal of large apical buds can lead to lower yields. Yes, the trees will not stop growing, but the remaining sleeping, weaker buds will develop worse, the shoots will be frail, and the flowering will be later.
Is it possible to prune trees in summer and autumn?
In some cases, later pruning is undertaken. In summer, it is allowed to thin out a crown that is too thick. By July, 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, providing access to the sun's rays in the middle of the crown. It is important to remove powerful vertical shoots and twigs that do not bear fruit. Is it possible to prune trees in autumn? Yes, it is possible, but it is necessary to choose the right moment after the end of the harvest and before the first frost. Autumn pruning is advisable in the south of the country, where there are no severe frosts. In central Russia, it can lead to freezing of the bark at the cutting site and to the subsequent death of the tree. In autumn, it is necessary to remove broken, shrunken branches growing at right angles or upwards. Remember that cut diseased shoots must be removed from the site and burned. Now you know whether it is possible to prune trees in summer and autumn. Next, we will talk about what garden tools you will need and how to implement this agrotechnical procedure correctly.
Cooking 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 the branches of trees thin and small) and a pruner (for shoots thicker). You may also need a hand saw to remove thick trunks and a saw - for large ones. If you plan to trim the thorny branches of shrubs, you need to prepare a delimber 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 sections. And, of course, do not forget about means for glossing over fresh wounds. We advise you to use garden var, natural varnish 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 maintenance of the soil under the tree.
Having carried out the standard procedure, suitable for all trees, without exception, you can proceed to direct pruning, which has its own specific features for trees of different ages. Young specimens mainly require shortened 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 shoots will be required. How to prune young trees? First, several powerful skeletal branches (3-5 pieces) are selected. It is advisable that they move away from the trunk at an obtuse angle and are at a fairly distant distance from each other. Selected branches are shortened a bit to allow lateral branches to form. In this case, they are guided by the rule: the lower shoots are cut to a shorter length, the upper ones to a large 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 top dressing, comes down to thinning the crown in places of interweaving of branches or severe thickening. How to prune trees in spring? An overgrown crown should be thinned out gradually over a period of two to three years. So the tree is less damaged and suffering. 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 trimming a large branch is as follows: you need to remove it in three approaches, without leaving a hemp, that is, “on the ring”. A ring is the boundary between a female and a trunk, or between a large and a small branch. The following figure shows how to do this correctly.
Actively bearing trees also need to shorten the branches to resume their growth processes.
Pruning old or neglected trees. Slicer processing
Old and neglected trees need more serious care. They can not be heavily trimmed and try to thin out the crown in one season. In old trees, shoots need to be shortened greatly. This will rejuvenate the plant and trigger growth mechanisms. A running crown is thinned out as follows. Choose one or two strong skeletal branches having a large number of small branches, and remove them. The following spring, another one or two large branches are selected and again removed. Rejuvenated crown requires care - remove extra shoots and direct the growing branches in the right direction. An important point in pruning branches is the treatment of wounds. Slices made with a saw usually have roughness and roughness. To prevent rotting of the wood, the surface is cleaned and smoothed with a brush for metal or a knife. After this, the wounds are covered with garden varnish, oil paint or natural drying oil. In this case, it is important to cover the places of cuts with an even and thin layer. Small wounds (with a diameter of less than 1 cm) should not be coated with garden var.
Instead of a conclusion
If you know the technology of shortening the shoots of fruit trees and ornamental shrubs, it will not be difficult for you to answer the question of how to prune a money tree.
As with garden plants, you need to prepare a knife or pruner. First, you should examine the plant and imagine mentally its desired shape. Then you need to carefully trim the side branches and upper shoots. Gradually, you form a crown, giving it a beautiful spherical shape. It should be remembered that the places of the slices should be located above the sleeping kidney. This will help stimulate the growth of succulents. Slices of a decorative money tree must be processed, but not with garden varieties, but with crushed activated carbon.