Why do you need apricot pruning, its types and timing
Before the apricot gives the first harvest, you have to work hard. One of the compulsory agrotechnical techniques in crown formation is apricot pruning. It is not enough to buy a tool, you need to understand the meaning of the operation, and learn how to carry it out correctly, distinguishing between pinching, pinching, and chasing. It is important to make the right cut of the fruit branch. Sloppy, late pruning can destroy a fruit tree.
Types of pruning seedlings and fruit trees
Looking closely at the fruiting apricots, you can see that there are trees of various shapes, but they all have a sparse crown formed by special pruning techniques apricot.
The tree receives several types of pruning per season:
- formative;
- regulatory;
- restorative;
- sanitary;
- anti-aging.
Formative pruning is required for the one-year-old to start branching, forming the branches of the first tier.
Another way of shaping. In the first spring, 2 branches are left on the grown seedling, the central trunk is shortened by 30 cm, and the branches between the left branches of the first tier are pressed against the trunk, pointing down. All branches are shortened. In May, the extra shoots are removed by pinching, and during the summer they maintain the shape of the lower tier by chasing and pinching. The next year, the second tier is also formed from the upper branches by pruning the apricot. A third tier is created from the fifth branch, and the tree takes on a compact, neat shape.
All branches are annually shortened, leaving a sparse crown. A tree is formed by pruning. Reception stimulates the growth of vegetative mass and accelerates fruiting. The scheme for pruning a young apricot in spring is shown in the figure:
In the future, all types of pruning prevent overgrowing of the crown and form the tree for better sunlight.
Apricots tie fruit buds 30 cm from the top of young twigs. The fruiting branch lasts 2 years. In the future, it does not yield a crop, new fruit branches need to be formed.
Regulatory pruning preserves the crop. But the apricot ties all the fruits, no matter how many flowers. Therefore, adjusting the yield by removing excess fruit twigs does not weaken the tree.
Rejuvenating pruning of apricots is required to stimulate the emergence of new shoots, on which the crop is formed. Reception allows you to return a second youth to the old tree.
Pruning an old tree is done according to the scheme:
- remove lignified branches over 5 years old;
- shorten the stem shoot, creating conditions for the growth of young shoots;
- some of the old branches must be left until the wounds from the first cardinal pruning have healed.
With rejuvenating pruning, old wood should be removed gradually. If you carry out the operation at once, the tree will not recover, it will die.
So, whatever is called pruning, it is aimed at increasing the vitality and fertility of the tree. Therefore, it is important to carry out any pruning, guided by the rules:
- wound the tree as little as possible, covering each cut with a garden pitch;
- use summer pruning of apricot, removal of thin shoots, chasing, pinching, in order to inflict traumatic cuts on a lignified branch as little as possible;
- you cannot prune in early spring, but you need to have time before sap flow;
- autumn pruning is done only for early and middle varieties;
- know the techniques of correct pruning and own a garden tool;
- it is necessary to take into account the awakening of the kidneys, the shoot-forming ability of the apricot.
Before you start forming a tree, it's a good idea to watch the tutorial on pruning apricots in spring - video for beginners:
Spring pruning
As soon as the bark of the apricot tree changes color and the juices begin to feed the wood, it is time for spring work. Everything related to the formation of young and fruiting apricots must be done before the appearance of a green cone. At the same time, sanitary and anti-aging pruning is carried out. During the operation, all sections lead to the kidney. It is important to make the correct slope, direction of cut and distance to the kidney.
The correct cut is essential for quick wound healing. It is necessary to have a sharp tool, practice and get your hand on the branches of barren trees. At the same time, you can sanitize the crown and remove excess branches growing inward, directed towards the tree trunk.
Summer pruning
Summer apricot care includes early and late summer pruning. Early is also called chasing. Early pruning in early June. It promotes the rapid growth of greenery. On the newly formed shoots, fruit buds have time to form - the next year's harvest. The result will be a surge in yields over the next 3 years. If late summer pruning is used, foliage does not grow, and a fruit bud is formed. At the same time, summer cuts heal quickly, without subsequent gum removal.
If the tree is sick or starving, pruning will not increase the yield, but weaken the tree completely.
Autumn pruning
Pruning apricots in autumn is done in mid-October, in cool weather, when the tree is preparing for dormancy. In the fall, you can cut early and medium varieties of apricots. They carry out all types of pruning - they shape, rejuvenate, remove excess load from the tree. Pinch the main branches on 12 sheets. Long branches are trimmed 50 cm, but the cut must be perfectly smooth. Open wounds are treated with garden pitch.
In conclusion, I would like to say that the best agricultural techniques can be useless if you do not study the apricot. If the growth is weak, and the pruning should be gentle. But it is important to establish why the tree develops slowly, to examine the soil, to make sure that groundwater does not harm. Each plant is cared for, taking into account its characteristics.