Summer peach pruning
Most gardeners will prune the peach in the fall. The autumn formation of the crown of the tree is irrational. In the summer, the peach spends a lot of nutrients in the formation of shoots and vegetative buds, most of which are removed during autumn pruning. As in the case of pruning all fruit trees, in the fall, remove all the crowns growing inward, dried, frozen and diseased branches. After pruning in this way, the peach will not form a large number of fruit buds, as it will spend a lot of nutrients to recover from autumn pruning.
Proponents of this theory carry out peach pruning in the summer, when the soil temperature rises to +20ABOUTC. At the same time, the crown of the tree is formed so that the branches can withstand more fruits.
Crown formation can be done in three ways: high stamp, low stamp and bowl.
A special case of the formation of a tree with a bowl is the formation of a crown by a bush. Consider the pros and cons of each type of crown formation.
Low die shaping
When forming the crown with a low stamp, up to three tiers of skeletal branches are left. For the most part, the upper branches are pruned. With a low stamp, the leading shoot is shortened to 1.5 m. This pruning method is suitable for dwarf peach varieties. The bulk of fruit buds are formed on the second tier of skeletal branches. The tree does not grow above 2 m. The disadvantage of this pruning method is the small amount of fruit. With this method of crown formation, the peach is less susceptible to curly leaves.
Forming high stamp
When forming a crown with a high stamp, the peach will form a larger number of fruit buds, since when pruning, up to five tiers of skeletal branches are left, while cutting off the first two tiers of branches. The disadvantage of this method of formation is the high susceptibility of the peach to fungal diseases and pests.
The advantage of forming a crown with a high stamp is an increase in yield.
Bowl forming
In summer pruning, the most commonly used crown formation bowl. With this formation, the branches receive more sunlight, the fruits ripen faster and gain more sweetness. For the formation of the main trunk of the peach is cut, leaving strong lateral shoots and a "stump" 3-5 cm high. With the help of clothespins, the branches are transferred to a horizontal position. The disadvantage of this formation is that the branches can break under the weight of the fruit. Bowl shaped wood is easier to handle. With this method of formation, even a five-year-old peach can be protected from frost.