Novice gardeners often ask themselves the question: when to prune an apple tree. It should be noted that the main goals of this procedure are to regulate the growth of the tree, increase its yield and form a crown for more controlled and compact growth. There are several ways of pruning apple trees, of which gardeners usually distinguish two: thinning and shortening.
When thinning, the gardener usually removes branches that affect the density of the tree. First of all, attention is drawn to the parts of the apple tree that are shrunken, broken or damaged by various diseases or parasites. At the same time, they try to make hemp from the branches as short as possible. There will be several answers to the question of when to prune an apple tree, but all professionals agree on one thing: it is always necessary to wait until the growth phase of the tree ceases and only after that make manipulations with it. Thinning has a beneficial effect on the productivity of apple trees and allows you to increase the size of the fruit.
Everyone who is interested in when to prune apple trees knows the way to shorten them. There are several types of this procedure, depending on the degree of impact on the branches:
- weak shortening, in which approximately 25% of the branch length is removed;
- medium - when they cut about a third;
- strong - when 50% or more of the branch length is cut off.
Cut apple tree branches to the kidney located on the outside. This will make it possible to develop new branches in the horizontal direction and reduce the possibility of increasing the density of the crown. In addition, this method affects the development of more fruits and increases their size.
Any gardener who was interested in the question of when to prune an apple tree knows that not only time is important, but also the degree of impact on the tree. You need to carry out the procedure in late autumn or early spring before the onset and development of the buds, however, you can not remove too many branches. A tree always weakens when its parts are removed, and the loss of a large number of branches can inhibit its development for a long time. That is why apple trees with a very dense crown are cultivated by gardeners for several years. In addition, both in autumn and spring, it is imperative to rid the tree of damaged branches, as they turn into parasites that suck healthy juices and minerals from the body and do not bring any benefit.
Most gardeners know that young trees need to be pruned several times a year, but many answer negatively to the question of whether the apple tree is cut in summer. The fact is that at this time the plant is in a phase of rapid development and growth, and any intervention can greatly slow down this process. As a result, an unlucky experimenter can get small, acidic fruits that in their texture resemble wild varieties.
Anyone who is interested in when to prune an apple tree should remember that a tree always undergoes such a procedure either in late autumn, before the first frost, or in early spring, after the first thaws. However, dried branches can be removed at any time of the year. This action will not only heal the plant, but also give it additional resources for the development of the fruit. If you carefully monitor the apple tree and not let its crown thicken, then for a very long time it will be able to delight its owners with strong and tasty liquid fruits, which are loved by both children and adults.