Schemes and timing for pruning garden trees in autumn

Trees

Garden trees require care throughout the year. Their productivity and longevity depend on it. One such care method is autumn pruning, which shapes the crown and removes old and diseased branches. Crown formation is essential from an early age, stimulating the growth and fruiting of desired branches. Pruning, fertilizing, and pest control allow the tree to distribute its energy, resulting in improved yields.

General principles

Pruning is the partial or complete removal of branches and shoots, a type of maintenance for fruit and ornamental trees and shrubs. This activity regulates growth, development, and fruiting. However, there is another side to pruning—sanitary pruning, which removes branches that pose a significant risk to the health of shrubs and trees.

Even if a tree is old, pruning it can safely be beneficial for its longevity. It's worth noting that pruning can be done in the fall, spring, and even summer. However, fall pruning is best in regions with mild and warm winters. In harsh climates, it's best to prune trees in the fall to prevent frost from damaging the bark immediately after pruning, drying out and "killing" the tree.

Different trees require different pruning methods. Some species require pruning once or twice a year, while others require pruning every few years. Fall pruning, like any agricultural activity, has its own specific requirements that must be followed. Procedure:

Diseased, damaged and pest-attacked branches are cut off.
Water shoots and shoots are removed.
Then the tree is freed from shoots growing inward, at an acute angle and competing with each other.
If the operation is rejuvenating, then the old parts are sawed off.
The cut areas must be treated with garden pitch or another agent.
All cut parts must be burned.

Young trees need pruning to shape the crown. There are several types of such an operation:

With a leading conductor.
Cup-shaped.
Changed-leading.

Mature trees are pruned more intensively. Some parts are cut off completely, while others are shortened. All this helps increase yield and strengthen the crown. Here's a fall tree pruning plan for beginners:

Advice!

Old trees need to be rejuvenated. Pruning involves removing most of the inactive, unproductive branches. The first year after pruning, the yield may decrease, but the tree will then begin bearing fruit with renewed vigor.

Techniques for pruning trees and shrubs in autumn and spring:

Ring cut. This type of cut helps direct shoot growth in the desired direction. On a one-year-old tree, select a bud growing in the correct direction and cut a branch near it at an acute angle. Make sure the stump isn't too large—no more than 1.5–2 mm. A high stump can dry out, and the bud simply won't regenerate in the spring.
Ring pruning. To remove an abnormally growing branch that is draining the tree's resources, a ring pruning is performed. This involves cutting the defective shoot almost at the very base, at a distinctive ring-shaped growth.

The layer of garden pitch applied to the cut should be at least 4–5 mm thick. In addition to pitch, paints containing copper salts and artificial bark, a special compound that accelerates healing, are also widely used.

Increasing crop yields

Beginning gardeners often ask how to increase the yield of their garden trees. In this case, professionals have noted that horizontal branches produce the greatest harvest. Furthermore, fall pruning is partly aimed at increasing fruiting.

When performing this procedure, avoid removing any incorrectly growing scaffold branches, otherwise there won't be a harvest for a long time. They can be stretched and secured with rope. This is easy to do: stretch the branch in the desired direction with rope, to the maximum possible angle without breaking, and secure it. After two weeks, untie the rope.

The operation is performed on all the main branches that form the crown. This ensures the crown grows properly by the following season, resulting in a higher yield.

Pruning an apple tree

Apple trees are most often pruned In spring, less often in summer if the crown is too dense and the branches don't receive enough sunlight, and also in autumn. In spring, post-winter pruning is performed, i.e., frozen branches are removed. This is done before the sap begins to flow.

As for autumn, trees are pruned in November, after all the leaves have fallen. This allows for the removal of old, rotten, and broken branches. Since the tree has already fruited and shed its leaves, it should tolerate pruning well. Fruit tree pruning scheme in autumn:

Large broken and dried branches are removed first.
Of those branches that grow too close to each other, the weakest one should be cut off.
You should also remove branches from the tree that grow at an acute angle.
All cut areas should be treated with garden pitch or drying oil paint.
Cut branches should not be stored near trees; it is better to burn them.

Healthy!

Young apple trees are pruned with pruning shears, thereby reducing the current year's growth by about a quarter. They are then left undisturbed for 5–6 years, periodically removing broken and dead branches.

Around 5 years of age, apple trees are pruned moderately, cutting back strong branches by a third of their length. Heavy pruning is only performed if the crown becomes very dense.

Old trees can be rejuvenated: in the first year, a third of the old branches are pruned, and the remaining two-thirds are pruned in the following two years. All pruning should be done with a hacksaw, after sharpening and disinfecting it.

How to properly process a pear

Inexperienced gardeners think that pear pruning It's no different from the same procedure on an apple tree, but that's not entirely true. A comparative analysis can be done to identify the differences.

It's not recommended to prune pear trees every year. A sanitation procedure should be carried out in the fall, before frost sets in. If frost strikes unexpectedly, pruning should be postponed until the following spring. In severe cold, the wounds don't have time to heal, and the tree freezes and may die.

The optimal temperature for the operation is about 8 degrees CelsiusAvoid pruning in late autumn; September is the best time. Since fruit is easier to harvest from a pyramidal crown, this should be taken into account when shaping it.

Working with plums

Plum, like many garden inhabitants, needs year-round care, therefore it is pruned at different times of the yearIn the spring, frozen branches are pruned, preparing the tree for the active season. In the summer, if there's been a bountiful harvest, some branches that are about to break under the weight are removed.

Autumn pruning is aimed at preparing the tree for winter and increasing fruit yield. After the leaves have fallen, branches affected by insects and diseases are pruned. The top of the tree is also cut off if it has grown taller than 2.5 meters. Next, actively growing branches that compete with each other are pruned. Such shoots can thicken the crown in the spring, blocking sunlight from penetrating them.

Branches remaining to survive the winter should also be given attention; on young trees, they should be shortened by a third. Inward-growing shoots should be removed completely. All cut shoots should be burned. It is not recommended to prune very old plum trees in the fall, as the wounds take a long time to heal and may simply not survive the frost.

Cherries and sweet cherries

Cherry is a plant that does not require annual treatment, but if such a need arises, then most often aboutpruning is carried out in the springIn the fall, only sanitation is performed. The exact time varies by region. In warmer climates, this is October; in colder climates, it's September. The benchmark for pruning is when the leaves fall. However, if frost is forecast for the near future, it's best to play it safe and prune the cherry tree in the spring.

Avoid pruning one-year-old cherry trees in the fall, as they may not survive the cold. Mature trees should be pruned using standard procedures, removing old, diseased, and damaged parts. Any undergrowth that could harbor small rodents and insects should also be removed.

As for cherry trees, then pruning them It's not much different from pruning a cherry tree. However, it's important to know that intensive pruning in the fall reduces the yield. You can experiment a little with this rejuvenating procedure and prune in the fall. If the results aren't satisfactory, it's better to do it again in the spring.

Experienced gardeners recommend shaping cherry trees into a cone-shaped crown—this allows the tree to receive more light and allows for more air circulation between the shoots. Cone-shaped crowns aren't the only option; bowl-shaped or tiered crowns can also be used.

Other garden plants

It's impossible to say exactly when it's best to prune trees—fall or spring. Generally speaking, sanitary pruning is most often performed in the fall, formative and restorative pruning in the spring, and corrective pruning in the summer. Apple and pear trees tolerate branch pruning well at any time of year. Other garden trees tolerate spring pruning better. But everything depends on the region where the pruning is being done.

As for less common garden plants—sea buckthorn, quince, viburnum, mulberry, and others—it's best to play it safe during autumn pruning and remove only the essentials.