Pruning young trees( before fruiting)
Pruning of young trees( according to BN Anzin)
Pruning of these trees should begin immediately after the planting of seedlings. To restore the balance between the above-ground part and the root system, one-year-old must be cut off leaving 70-80 cm of shoot, and on two-year-old seedlings - to shorten shoots by 1/3 or 1/2 length.
In the future, the task of the gardener is the formation of a strong tree crown and the promotion of rapid entry into fruiting. The wood stab should not be more than 50-60 cm, and the crown should be formed from 2 tiers, so that the total tree height does not exceed 2.5-3 m. At the same time, the skeletal branches should have acceptable divergence and divergence angles.
The height restriction may not be extended to trees yielding small fruits intended solely for processing purposes( they should be harvested by shaking).
Young trees can not greatly shorten annual shoots, because immediately begins thickening of the crown and the beginning of fruiting will slow down. It is necessary to shorten only powerful shoots( longer than 50-70 cm), taking into account the awakening of the kidneys of a particular variety. When shortening, the pruning is done on the outer kidney, then the shoot will grow sideways, and not in the center of the crown( the exception is the Cinnamon striped variety, in which the shoots are shortened to the kidney directed inside the crown).
It must also be ensured that the lateral shoots, the future skeletal branches, do not move away from the trunk at an acute angle, otherwise their fractures are possible.
During this period, it is necessary to maintain the central conductor and monitor the subordination of branches. But at the same time, it is necessary to prevent "competitors" from leaving only one of the two upper shoots. Competitors and strong branches with sharp corners of the cut are cut "on the ring".Skeletal branches on two-year-old wood for subordination to their conductor are better cut off by "translation on lateral fork".On the tree, it is necessary to preserve all the emerging fruit branches( rings, spear, fruit twigs).
Many gardeners often complain that their trees do not go into fruition for a long time. This is in most cases associated with plant fattening and severe improper pruning. Such trees can be helped by two methods, One of which is ringing. Due to the ringing, the outflow of nutrients along the cortex is delayed, they accumulate in the branches, which contributes to the formation of the fetal kidneys.
The second method is the bending of the branches, because, according to the biological law, the more horizontal the shoot is, the sooner and more abundantly it will bear fruit. In addition, the bent branches are at a lower height than the erect ones. The translation of the branches into a horizontal position should be done during the bookmarking of flowering buds, at the beginning of the shoots' lignage( in the apple tree - from the middle of June to September).
In varieties with a high awakening of the kidneys and well branching for weakening and inducing fruit bearing, it is also necessary to change the slope of the branches and tie them in a position close to the horizontal or drooping position.
Branch response to position in space
Some devices can be used to move the branches to the horizontal position. So, fixing the wooden clothespin on a 1-year-old shoot over the kidney that has started growing will give the right direction a lateral shoot. To correct the direction of young shoots apply also special flexor branches. The horizontal position of thicker branches can be achieved by pulling and pulling them to the trunk of the tree or to hooks fixed in the ground. It should be ensured that there is no arcuate position of the branch, otherwise it may appear tops.