Regenerative pruning of an apple tree

It often happens that trees have not been cut for a long time for a variety of reasons. As a result, the trees grow in height and breadth, are exposed in the middle and get very sick. In such deplorable situations, the "Restorative Apple Pruning" method is used. In this article, we will take a closer look at how to make regenerative pruning of apple trees in order to return them to health and their original majestic appearance.

Pruning a neglected apple tree

Situations often occur that trees that have not been cut for a long time begin to be exposed to various viruses and diseases, and generally lose their attractive appearance. As a result, they grow very much in breadth, are exposed in the middle. This interferes with other plantings and the grower himself from harvesting. There are also situations when the gardener took a very responsible approach to caring for the plant, but still, due to frost, some branches froze and died. Some trees lose branches due to their age. As we can see, there are many reasons. In such situations, the most appropriate and optimal option is to carry out restorative pruning.

The task of restorative pruning is that the tree needs to return to its original volume, restore growth rates, and also replace dead branches with new ones that will be ready to enter the fruiting stage. Although the purpose of restorative pruning is the same, there are still pruning methods that are appropriate for a particular case. In this article we will focus on two main ones - restorative pruning of neglected trees and restorative pruning of frozen apple trees.

At absolutely any age, we can observe a neglected tree. For example, if the foundations of the crown were not laid for a tree at a young age, then in the spring you can see how some branches became powerful conductors, and some withered, stopped in their development, because all the energy is absorbed by the conductor branches. It is necessary to coordinate them with each other as quickly and correctly as possible and cut them in such a way that they are evenly spaced. As a rule, in this case, if necessary, it is best to prune the older buds, and then move on to the side branch.

It is also necessary to take into account that the stump remains, and it does not work out so that the base of the branch is cut, to which the transition will then be made. In this case, as practice shows, it is necessary that the growth axis of the trimmed main branches does not change very much during pruning. In the future, the plant must be developed from the very beginning so that the need for emergency pruning disappears.

Once a year, the tree should be very carefully looked after using pruning shears. This will prevent the plant from starting, and, accordingly, it simply does not need strong pruning. It is important to remember that a strong pruning of an apple tree can cause some damage to the plant, especially if we are talking about young trees, because this has a strong effect on fruiting - its processes and speed noticeably shift, so the fruits can be expected not in 3-4 years, but much later ... Such pruning for an apple tree is a severe stress, so you should pay attention to this and be more attentive and loyal in such matters.

There are also those trees in which the skeleton of the crown was already initially laid, but at the same time, due to lack of care, this tree was in a state of neglect, in which case it is best to use some other methods of pruning the tree.If the crown exceeds the permissible dimensions, has noticeably thickened, especially inside, then it is better not to undertake the restoration of the main conductor or other branches that are considered leading. In this case, it is better to trim them in the spring for a wellness cleaning. In this case, the cuts are best done on long-term wood, just in the place where abundant branching begins. The crown can be thinned out a little if, even after these manipulations, it turns out to be too thick and dense.

As a rule, it takes a lot of time to prune mature trees, the crown should be made more accurate, its height should be lowered after the gardener removes the diseased, old infertile and damaged branches. So that pruning the apple tree does not lead to even greater losses, it is necessary to reduce the height so that less than a third of all branches that grow around the crown are formed. As a rule, this is the most difficult stage in pruning, and the rest of the manipulations will be a little easier if you cope with the first step.

Of course, pruning is simply necessary for plants, especially those that are in an extremely neglected state. One way or another, it is best for a gardener to consult with specialists, and also be more careful about the possibilities of pruning your apple tree. It should also be borne in mind that pruning a young tree is significantly different in technique from pruning an older tree. If from the very beginning you are attentive to the state of the plant, as well as to form its crown, then in the future such pruning of the apple tree may not be required at all. You need to spend a significant part of your time, finances and your own physical strength on this, so it is necessary to take into account pruning based on personal capabilities.

Thus, in this part of the article, we analyzed the technique of pruning a neglected apple tree. The next part will be devoted to how you can cut frozen trees, taking into account their age and neglect of the crown. As a rule, there is absolutely no point in restoring a tree at the expense of branches that are not yet fully preserved.

Pruning a frozen apple tree

If a young tree that is less than four years old is frozen to the level of snow, then it should be cut exactly to the level where the healthier and more normal wood begins. In addition, experienced gardeners emphasize that there is simply no point in restoring incompletely preserved shoots.

When the cut is located slightly above the grafting site itself, the branches that will appear further will correlate with the cultivated varieties. The gardener needs to select the strongest shoot among the available ones and leave it in order for it to give shoots for a new crown. Everything else can be simply broken. There is another option - to leave all the available shoots in the crown until next year, and in the spring just cut out all unnecessary. The chance that sprouts will grow both from the root and to the rootstock is increased. You should get rid of them immediately, since they can lead to even greater growth of the crown, and this is a dubious option. But, nevertheless, let's take into account that this may be necessary so that the tree no longer uses organic components and substances, does not waste them in order to give growth to new, but completely unnecessary shoots.

Adult plants, which are also slightly frozen, must be processed and pruned in the same way as those trees that have not been frozen, that is, healthy. Although here you should resort to a lower level of pruning, and the situation is best corrected not for the current year, but for the next year. Do not rush to prune trees if they are too cold and stressed. It is best to wait a little while the buds begin to grow.After that, it will already be more clear whether it is worth cutting out whole branches, or if it is worth cutting them exactly to the level of healthy wood. If you do not wait, then you can damage the tree, and completely weaken its stress resistance and vital activity.

Thus, pruning is a necessary process, and it is done either in order to improve the appearance of the plant, or in order to enable it to start new shoots to increase yields. In any case, pruning should be approached with all responsibility and seriousness, clearly aware of the reasons for pruning, and whether it will be repeated in the future. Gardeners emphasize that the formation of the crown should be carried out when the plant is still young, because it will be much easier to create the necessary forms without much damage to the tree itself.