Autumn pruning of fruit trees: goals, methods and deadlines

Autumn pruning of fruit trees helps them safely survive the harsh winter. As soon as leaf fall began, every self-respecting gardener arms himself with a pruner and actively works. The trees have already fallen asleep, the juices have slowed down, the garden has calmed down after a plentiful harvest. At this time, you can’t lose a minute, you need to have time to prune the branches until the first frosts come.

The objectives of autumn pruning fruit trees

Pruning trees is a way to remove part of the branch or the entire shoot. This is a special method of caring for trees and shrubs, including fruit. With its help regulate the growth of plants, their development, productivity.

Pruning is carried out in order to increase immunity, rejuvenate the plant - to relieve it of diseases, pests, dry branches and those shoots that can harm the tree, dragging out nutrients. Form a crown so that the sunlight is evenly distributed throughout its volume, which, of course, will increase fruiting. Yes, and picking 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 garden 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 cropping

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 time they increase the green mass.Blossom, bear fruit, go into a state of sleep and rest.

 

Much depends on the age of the plant, its health. Sometimes a tree is required to help get rid of diseases, extend the life span, set the direction of growth, remove excess, distribute forces so as to increase yield. All this can be done with one method - cropping. Much depends on the goals that need to be achieved. Therefore, there are different types of pruning of fruit plants.

1. Sanitary - relieves of diseases and pests, dried and excess branches.
2. Formative - controls the growth and development of the crown.
3. Anti-aging - extends the life of the tree.
4. Regulatory - enhances productivity.
5. Restorative - boosts immunity.
6. Supporting - helps to be in good shape, gives strength.

Event Dates

The timing of autumn pruning of trees depends on the climatic zone. The main criterion is to catch up to the first frost, otherwise you can involuntarily harm your garden. Therefore, in the northern regions of Russia, such events should be carried out only in a rather warm autumn. Because the wounds on the trees must have time to heal before the frost breaks out. Otherwise, the slices will freeze, the bark will begin to dry around them. In the spring there will be no young shoots, this is at best. At worst, a tree will die.

In autumn, it is worth trimming only trees that have reached adulthood. Young seedlings should not be touched.

The movement of juices in the plant organism is significantly slowed down from the end of October to the beginning of November in the Central zone and in the south of Russia. It is at this moment, experienced gardeners believe, 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, then the wounds on the branches heal much faster.

Choosing a tool for forming a crown

The main tools for pruning branches are pruning shears, hacksaws and saws. With the latest tools, everything is more or less clear, the main thing is to sharpen the tool well. Secateurs are of different types, intended, respectively, for different purposes. You need to know which pruner to use during the performance of a particular job.

 

Tools should be sharp and durable - this is a guarantee of accurate trimming, which will not cause plants injury. Secateurs blades must be narrowed towards the end. Since it will be easier to get those branches to which it is not easy to get close. The very configuration of the tools is safe, convenient. Weight - light, handles made of rough, non-slip plastic, so that they are easy to use. It is better to choose a pruner with brightly colored handles to quickly find them in the grassy litter of the garden.

Secateurs come in different classifications - professional and amateur. It is easy to distinguish them to a layman, the price is different. A professional tool is two to three times more expensive than usual. Of course, such a pruner will last a long time, it will be easy to work with it. However, garden "helpers" for lovers also come across a very decent quality. Therefore, sometimes it makes no 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 it’s quite realistic to choose a tool “for yourself” so that your hands do not hurt from too much work then.

Here are some types of secateurs today:

1. Bilateral - they look like small and very sharp scissors with the same short and narrowed to the tip of the blade. Suitable for trimming thin branches, up to ten millimeters in diameter.
2. Bypass is a classic instrument that is familiar to so many. This secateurs have two different blades that resemble a parrot's beak. One blade is sharp and straight. The second is sickle-shaped, wide, intended for support. A branch lays well in the recess of this blade.Another, upper working blade cuts it off. Keep the bypass pruner while working with the crescent blade down.
3. 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 secateurs, do not cut, but break off. Therefore, this cutting tool is used exclusively hard dry branches. Live shoots can be completely destroyed by such a pruner.

Methods and schemes of pruning fruit trees

The following basic rules for pruning trees are:

1. Be sure to cut those branches that grow towards the inside of the crown.
2. Minor branches are removed to strengthen the main ones.
3. If the crown is too branched, then you need to remove those shoots that thicken it.
4. Annual processes are also removed.
5. Cut branches growing down.
6. Wild shoots that stretch from the stock, prune without fail.
7. The central trunk is cut exclusively from dwarf fruit varieties, all other fruiting trees cannot be cut in this way.

Each plant requires an exclusively individual approach. Therefore, before starting work, you should carefully examine it and determine what kind of trim it needs.

Anti-aging pruning - perform only for those trees that already bear fruit for several years. Only long branches are shortened here. They will no longer grow too much, this will form the crown correctly, improve the tree as a whole. After all, usually very long branches have dried areas. It is important that in the spring, the accessory kidneys are activated.

Formative - here is a simulation of the external shape. The load on the main branches that make up the "skeleton" of the plant is removed. This will further help the tree grow evenly. They begin to work with the crown five years after planting the seedling. Such trimming 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. The shoots are completely removed that grow perpendicular to the main, skeletal branches. Those processes that prevent others from growing and developing, are cleaned 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 to others. Harmonize growth and productivity. Focus not only on fruitfulness, but also on renewal of wood.

Recovery - when the tree was sick, it is necessary to support it not only by feeding, but also by competent pruning. Correct the crown so as to return uniformity to its development, adjust the size. This is achieved by controlling growing new shoots first of all. Enhances the illumination of all major skeletal branches. Result - the crown returns to its original harmonious state, before its damage. Gets the opportunity to actively grow again, and bear fruit.

Differences in pruning of old and young trees

When pruning your favorite garden, consider the age of the trees. As fruitful buds age with plants, losing their productivity.

In the fall, anti-aging pruning is usually done. This is very important for old trees that are over four years old.

Use a similar technique of rejuvenating the garden once every three years.

Pruning 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 go better to the old branches, from which later it will be possible to get 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.

In the fall, young trees undergo shaping pruning.

Thinning the crown, revealing its depth to sunlight. In this case, excess branches are cut off completely. Shoots are shortened so that in spring new ones form in the places of cuts. They try to form the plant so that the crown looks airy.

Common mistakes gardeners

When pruning fruit trees, you can make unforgivable mistakes that will subsequently cause plant damage by the disease and even its death.

Here are some common common mistakes:

• Hemp - This is the most common problem. Instead of removing the branch completely, the gardener leaves a small stump. After a while, he begins to overgrow with young shoots. It turns out that instead of one branch, four or five grows 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 crust slides from it, the core is exposed. And this is bad, because unprotected tissue is easily affected by necrosis, various diseases, especially pests.
• Thickening of the crown - when instead of a cut 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 on themselves from other branches. Their further development must be stopped. Remove them under the base.
• Bully bark - arise most often when pretty thick branches are cut down. A tree wound after such an error does not heal for a long time. Accordingly, the plant becomes ill. A large branch should be removed in parts. First file it from the bottom, 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. It is easy to break the sawed-up branch in this way, and gently cut the resulting stump.

Processing and care of fruit trees after pruning

When pruning, wounds always appear, which must be properly treated to avoid infection. In addition, too much moisture valuable to the plant evaporates from these open wounds.

Small sections can heal themselves. However, large in volume must be lubricated. All wounds with a diameter of more than two centimeters are always required to be processed.

In young fruit trees, especially southern ones, such as apricots, peaches should be protected absolutely all cuts, even the tiniest. Only when the plant grows stronger, becomes more mature, it will be possible to no longer pay attention to small wounds.

Anyone saw, no matter what tool he was made, must first be cleaned with a sharp knife. Next, the cut site is treated with garden varnish, oil paint. In no case should you use paint based on other solvents, because you can destroy the whole garden, in fact, poisoning the trees.

Apply the wound care product with a spatula or brush. Gradually, a crustal roller forms on the cut, it grows very quickly, with a speed of up to three centimeters per year. If you do not treat the wounds, then they close slowly - by centimeter per year.

The main thing to always remember is that a tree is a living creature, do no harm. To have knowledge about the vital processes that occur with this organism. Always clearly imagine what the consequences of artificial intervention in the life of a plant will be.