Apple tree pruning plan for beginners in autumn

Timely pruning of fruit trees together with top dressing Ensures longevity of the plant and high yields. To ensure proper pruning, apple trees must be pruned in the fall according to a schedule. Otherwise, nutrition can be significantly reduced, which will directly impact fruit production. The trees will also be unprotected from pests and other insects. diseasesFailure to comply with deadlines will result in irreparable damage to the bark.

The need for pruning

It's quite common to see trees in gardens that aren't pruned. Owners don't consider this necessary, and then end up with a poor harvest. Ultimately, to increase fruit production, they have to prune large branches, which seriously damages the apple tree.

Pruning is a necessary procedure. It's best to do it regularly, starting from planting. The purpose of such an event is:

• Adjusting the height of an apple tree.
• Forming the tree crown to the required shape.
• Strengthening branches.
• Increasing winter hardiness.
• The fruits become better quality.
• Adjusting the number of apples.
• Plant rejuvenation.
• Increasing the duration of fruiting.
• By pruning, you can create the necessary illumination of the crown.
• Relief during care, as well as during harvesting.
• Removing unnecessary branches, such as diseased ones.

It's also possible that there will be a lot of fruit, but all of them will be small. Without sufficient sunlight, the apples won't be able to ripen to their full sweetness. Excessively shaded areas are a breeding ground for all sorts of pests. The tree will waste all its energy on useless shoots.

The best time

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It's important for any gardener to know when to prune apple trees, and in which month—fall or spring? This is still a matter of serious debate among various experts. Some believe the procedure is best done in the fall, while others prefer spring. Both offer a number of compelling arguments in support of their theory.

Proponents of spring pruning say that doing it in the fall will weaken the tree. Only winter-hardy varieties can be pruned in the fall, as they tolerate frost well and are not susceptible to freezing.

The best time for spring pruning is considered to be very early spring. It must be done before the sap starts to flow.:

• The most appropriate period is to choose one in which a minimum amount of time passes between the beginning of sap flow and pruning.
• During pruning in the spring, the apple tree's defense mechanisms are already activated, but various pathogens are not as active.

Pruning apple trees in autumn must be produced on timeAt this time, the body's defense mechanisms begin to slow down, and various harmful microflora are still abundant. If you delay intervention, the wounds won't have time to heal. During the winter, the cambium begins to collapse.

Required tools

To ensure quality pruning, you need to use the right tool. It's best to avoid using old, dull tools. Safety precautions should also be followed.

For the haircut you will need the following::

• A pruning shear with a ratchet mechanism. It's essential for trimming branches of medium thickness—20 mm in diameter.
• A regular pruning shear for cutting young shoots.
• Long-handled pruning shears. These eliminate the need for a stepladder when removing branches above human height.
• A garden saw. It's used to cut old, thick branches that can't be cut with pruning shears.
• Garden knife. Designed for stripping bark or wood.

Cuts with a diameter of less than 10 mm generally do not require any treatment. Large exposed wood surfaces should be sealed with regular oil paint or a mixture of clay and mullein. If a thick, skeletal branch was cut, the area will need to be treated regularly until it heals. It's important to remember that garden pitch should not be used in low temperatures.

Carrying out the procedure in autumn

For beginners, pruning an apple tree in the fall can be quite a difficult task. But that's not the case at all. You just need to have a theoretical basis. There are different ways to thin the tree.

Depending on the task, they are used:

• Light pruning. Branches that have grown over the past year are shortened by 25%.
• Medium. A third of the length that has grown over the season is cut off.
• Strong. Branches are shortened by 50%.

Branches of young saplings less than 5 years old are pruned by a quarter. A medium pruning is used when it is necessary to shape the crown of mature trees (5-7 years old). Old apple trees are pruned heavily to rejuvenate them. This helps the fruit on the remaining branches ripen.

It is necessary to prune the apple tree correctly in the fall. The scheme includes the following:

• Removal of damaged and dry shoots.
• Creating a more sparse crown. All weak branches and those growing at a very sharp angle to the apple tree trunk should be pruned. All competing branches should also be removed, leaving only one.

It's best to burn the cuttings. This will kill any remaining pests.

Apple tree pruning is most often done by cutting the ring. A ring is a woody growth located near the base of a main branch. The cut should be made along the outer edge. This will make it much easier for the tree to heal. If the shoot is cut close to the trunk, the wound will take a very long time to heal. There's a risk of a cavity or even a hole developing in the area. This will harm the apple tree. The bark will gradually begin to peel, and the wood will rot.

If two shoots emerge from the same spot, they form a fork. One of them needs to be removed. To do this, prune the lateral branch. If the branch is not thick, use regular pruning shears.

Rejuvenation of apple trees

Rejuvenation pruning should only be performed on mature trees over 20 years old. Before beginning this procedure, ensure the trunk is fully viable and the main branches are free of disease and rot. The crown should be divided into zones. Rejuvenation is carried out over several years, with one zone pruned per season. This allows the tree time to recover from this rather traumatic operation.

The cutting of branches must be done according to the following rules::

• In the first year, removal is carried out on the south side.
• The following year, branches are cut from the other side. New shoots that have formed on the first side during the season are also pruned. Only vertically growing shoots are removed.

All branches growing inward and vertically should be pruned. Dead, diseased, and non-fruit-bearing branches should also be removed. This promotes crown growth. It's important to remember that when rejuvenating, it's better to prune one large branch than many small ones.

Next, the center of the crown opens up:

• The trunk is shortened. This should be done at a height of 3 m from the base.
• Branches growing above young shoots are removed.
• Everything growing toward the center is cut off, leaving about 10 branches extending outward from the center.

Dwarf varieties

When a dwarf apple tree is planted in the fall, pruning is done at the same time. This is necessary to shape the crown.

You need to prune the top branches by approximately 25-35%. This depends on the size of the root system. Smaller roots require more pruning.

Next year, the primary branches need to be thinned out. These will then produce shoots that will become secondary branches. Care must be taken to ensure these are located only on the outer side of the crown. Shoots unsuitable for crown formation are pruned back to 30 cm from the pole.

Dwarf varieties are characterized by a large number of fruits, but only on shoots no more than four years old. Therefore, pruning is essential. If after five years the number of apples has decreased and the fruits themselves have become smaller, rejuvenation will be necessary.

Help for beginners

For Beginners pruning apple trees is quite a challenging task. If you lack experience, difficulties or errors may arise.

It's important to remember that young apple trees (approximately 3 years old) should not be pruned heavily. Only formative and regulating pruning can be performed. If the tree is pruned too much, new shoots will begin to grow vertically, significantly thickening the crown. This will result in fewer apples, and the quality will also decline.

During a good fruiting season, the main fruiting branches in the crown area should be replaced every few years. If there are too many, the tree is at risk of being attacked by various fungi, diseases, and parasites. This will significantly reduce the yield and quality of the tree's fruit.