Since on the territory of most of our country, due to climatic conditions, the possibilities of growing fruits are very limited, gardeners with special attention and trepidation relate to apple, pear, cherry and plum trees. For them to enjoy good harvests, they need careful care, including pruning.
Why should you selectively remove plum branches
With natural growth in these trees, negative phenomena are often observed. Among them:
- the formation of a fork and breaks of large branches;
- the appearance of tops on young trees inside the crown, as a result of frost damage to the wood of skeletal branches, which leads to its excessive thickening;
- cessation of renewal of new fruit wood;
- early exposure of branches, due to the fact that fruit twigs are short-lived and often freeze out;
- the occurrence of frost-holes in the sharp corners of the outflow of large branches.
Pruning young plum in spring
Such a procedure should be started immediately after the threat of severe frost disappears. Proper pruning of plums in spring should be done at the seedling stage. The fact is that the roots of the plum, regardless of the variety, are quite hardy, so they quickly recover, and in the first year the trees are pulled up and give a strong branching. Thus, the answer to the question of whether pruning of plums in the spring after planting is acceptable is yes. The only warning is that you should not get too carried away, as you can remove the necessary shoots.
How to produce
Pruning plums in spring (the scheme is shown in the photo below) is as follows:
- the lower branch is shortened to the level of a good kidney, for which the upper part is cut off, where the underdeveloped ones are located;
- all branches, except the conductor, are cut to the bottom cut level;
- cut the conductor so that it is about 25 cm higher than all the other branches, if you want to give the crown a pyramidal shape, or lower to form a spreading, but sparse crown;
- continue the formation of the skeleton of the crown, cutting branches that grow in the wrong direction, either stronger, or tilting them so that they take a semi-skeletal position;
- repeat these actions until all branches of the forming crown of the plum tree are laid.
Pruning old plums in spring
The selection of the main, the so-called skeletal branches can be completed by 5-6 years. Next, you need to wait 2-3 years. Then it is necessary to cut the conductor at a height of about 2-2.5 m above the lateral branch, although often by this time it itself deviates naturally. From this time, shaping pruning should be performed, which is to protect the crown of the plum from the formation of forks and thickening. To this end, only branches extending at a slight angle are cut, and the center of the tree is kept open. Also, in order to limit the growth of plum tree in height, periodically translate to lateral branching, thereby contributing to the growth of the crown in breadth.
How to form a crown depending on the variety
Pruning pruning in spring should take into account many factors. Among them is the variety to which the tree belongs. In particular, those of them that bear fruit on short fruit twigs (spurs) eventually acquire a powerful crown. For example, "Zyuzin" plums should be formed according to a sparse-tier system, leaving a greater distance between the branches and ensuring the subordination of minor branches to the conductor. As for varieties such as Skorospelka red, Spark or Pamyat Timiryazev, in which lateral buds on growth are fruiting, their crowns are shaped by means of an improved bush system. It allows you to leave smaller distances between two skeletal branches. Varieties Skorospelka red or Spark and others like that need to shorten only growths longer than 70 cm. To do this, the top is trimmed with undeveloped kidneys.
How does the anti-aging procedure of part of the branches on productivity
Pruning may have an effect on the number of fruits that grow on the plum during the season. In particular, in Stepnyachka and Kulundinskaya varieties obtained from Karzinsky plum, shortening of all branches often leads to a significant decrease in yield. However, at the same time, Chemalskaya, Poniklaya, Altai anniversary plum did not observe changes in this parameter.
But anti-aging pruning is absolutely necessary for Siberian varieties, which are aging by the seventh year, and their productivity is sharply reduced.
When to produce
Gardeners believe that pruning plums in spring is most effective. This should be done as early as possible, at least before the start of sap flow. However, one should not be in a hurry either, since frosts (below -10 degrees) can damage the wounds and lead to weakening of the tree as a whole. Sometimes, due to circumstances, pruning is done in summer or autumn. In the first case, you need to try to ensure that the procedure is carried out no later than the beginning of July, and in the second - no later than the end of September. At the same time, the autumn procedure can dry out the tree, so it should be done after consultation with specialists. In winter, pruning is prohibited, since it can only do harm.
How to crop
Removing unnecessary shoots of plum trees at different periods of their development has its own peculiarities, therefore, in order to avoid mistakes, you should listen to some tips from experienced gardeners:
- when the crown is at the initial stage of formation, strong pruning of the plum in the spring is not recommended, it is better to limit yourself to laying the main branches;
- in varieties with weak branching, extra shoots up to 50 cm long are removed, and in varieties with strong branching, up to 60 cm;
- after the tree begins to bear fruit in full, pruning of the plum in the spring should be done using the “branch” method - at a height of 3 meters;
- the most suitable shape for the crown is in the form of a cup; to obtain it, it is necessary to select 3 branches with an angle of 120 degrees between 2 neighboring branches during its laying, and remove them in steps along the trunk (approximately 50 cm).
Colon plum pruning
Sometimes the size of the garden does not allow you to grow a tree with a spreading crown. In such cases, a good solution would be to plant a colon-shaped plum, on which the fruits do not grow on branches, but along the trunk. Since in this case, the lateral branches do not contribute to fruiting, they can and should be trimmed. This is done in a special way. At the same time, it is strongly not recommended to touch the central conductor. The only exception is when it does not grow very well. Then the conductor should be cut to 2-3 kidneys. In fairness, it should be said that pruning a plum in spring, when it comes to a columnar tree, is almost not used, since with a healthy upper bud a single main shoot develops each year, continuing the conductor. Problems can arise if the winter was fierce and it was damaged by frost. Then, with the onset of warm days, 1-3 additional shoots are selected on the sink. The gardener needs to leave the one that is the most developed, and cut off the unnecessary. This should be done with a length of 15-20 cm. Moreover, these high-quality young shoots should not be thrown away, since they can be used for vaccination.
Wound healing
Any pruning of plums in spring (photos of the process are less informative than diagrams) leaves wounds on the trees. If you do not cover them, then the trunk will dry out to a greater depth, or even a defeat of white rot may begin. It is especially necessary to carefully treat wood, which was exposed to severe frosts for a short while. As a putty, asphalt varnish, petrolatum and nigrol putty, which accelerates the healing of wounds, are well suited. If you do not take care of them, then gum therapy will be observed. This unpleasant pathology plum suffers quite often due to the proximity of groundwater, with excessive fertilizer by manure, and also if it grows on dry skinny sands or excessively moistened clays.
Now you know how to prune plums in spring. A diagram of this procedure at different stages of tree development is shown in the photograph above. Using it, you can easily form a crown of such a shape that will contribute to better fruiting of the plum and increase its productivity.