Japanese-style pine pruning. Pruning conifers or how a beautiful evergreen crown is formed

Prune conifers at the end of winter, or in early spring. In general, conifers should be pruned in late winter or early spring to stimulate lush, healthy new branches and foliage in spring. There is also a lower risk of fungal infections at this time of year because the bark is more easily damaged as the trees grow.

Choose spicy, correct size tools. The tools used to prune conifers should always be sharp, as this is safer and more efficient. You can determine which type of tool to use based on the size of the branches you cut.

• If the branches are less than 1.25 cm thick, use a hand-held pruner or a sliding-blade pruner that includes scissors. If the branches are more than 1.25 cm thick but less than 3.8 cm in diameter, use a delimber or delimbing shears.
• When the branches are over 3.8 cm in diameter, use a file. Hedge shears or shears can be used to shape conifers that are hedged or to keep them in shape.

Foreword

Pruning conifers is a popular trend among those who prefer topiary art. And all due to the fact that it is easy to care for such plants - it does not take much time and does not require special investments. Moreover, conifers normally tolerate a haircut, they do not need careful care, since they grow rather slowly.

Required tools

Pruning rules: learning from the pros

Pruning conifers is also attractive because it allows you to create real works of art on your site. But if this is your first time taking a pruner, you do not need to set yourself the main goal of creating an intricate object from juniper, you need to start with simple forms: cones, balls, pyramids. And over time, the rest will come, and the cutting process itself will become interesting and creative.

Basic Rules:

• You need to start work the next year after transplanting or planting a seedling;
• When pruning, be guided by the design of the crown, because sometimes it can simply be trimmed with the most minimal work;
• In one pass, the cut mass should not exceed 30% of the total green mass of the tree;
• After pruning, you should not leave bare branches, since conifers, unlike other plants, whose shoots are covered with greenery, will simply dry out;
• Do not forget that some types of these plants are poisonous, and therefore, when working, use gloves and clothes that you do not mind throwing away, because if resin gets in, you cannot wash it;
• It is important that the tool for work is well sharpened and clean, do not forget to wipe it also after cutting each tree, so as not to "pick up" the infection.

Pruning conifers: timing and technique

A lot depends on the timing. By choosing the time, you can stimulate the growth of branches, their maturation, the laying of fruiting buds. Most often, work is carried out in the spring (March-April), which is correct for most fruit specieshowever, for decorative types this schedule is not suitable. Suitable dates trimming:

• Spring is considered the most favorable period, since the growth of new shoots is stimulated at this time. Plants that undergo "processing" include juniper, thuja, dwarf pines.
• Summer pruning is suitable for all conifers (to provide sunshine), as well as varieties with spring flowering, which leads to the establishment of new buds and shoots. If you carry out the work in March-April, you can cut off future buds, which will lead to "spoilage" of the appearance. In addition, such works restrain vegetation and are carried out when removing old branches and thinning bushes.
• Plants characterized by early growing periods (larch, cypress) are best pruned in November.

But timing is not the most important thing key point is the pruning technique, on which both the appearance of the shrub and its normal development depend... That is why you must firmly follow all the rules regarding this issue... The most famous method is considered to be a "cut to the kidney", which we will tell you about in detail.

Highlights of work:

• A correct cut should have a 45 degree slope to the kidney, and its lower edge should be at most 2 mm higher than the base.
• If you cut too low, the "wound" will heal for a long time, because of which the kidney will either give a small and weak shoot, or dry out, and too high a cut will cause the shoot to deviate greatly to the side, the bacon will dry out and become an obstacle to rapid overgrowth " wounds. "
• A branch in a raised position is cut to the outer bud, in an oblique view, the cut is made to the inner bud, a side cut is carried out only if it is necessary to turn the branch in the tier.
• If you are going to shorten the shoots, it is advisable to leave spines up to 2 cm long, since they will "protect" the kidney from the process of tissue death.

But with old and thick branches, there is another work to be done. Firstly, you should not cut them off with a knife or secateurs, as there is a great chance of leaving a "laceration" that will heal for too long. It is best to use a file and make the cut along the top of the "ring". Be sure to hold on to the branch as you remove it so it doesn't break off and damage the bark. After work, walk through all the cut points garden pitchhelping plants to recover faster.

Taking care of plants before and after cutting

Pruning conifers and plants is a huge stress on trees. That is why a lot of attention should be paid to the care and condition of the tree before work is done. So, for example, if your thuja or juniper looks "not very" healthy, you should definitely strengthen the plants. For this, there are various fertilizing, mineral and phosphorus fertilizers. Also, we must not forget about high-quality watering, without going "beyond", because many conifers have enough two or three waterings per month, and an excess of moisture will negatively affect their root system.

It is also necessary to monitor the condition of the plants after removing the branches. For this, special stimulants are suitable - adaptogens, which strengthen and support trees and shrubs after such a stressful "operation". The main thing is to carefully read the instructions so as not to "overfeed" the plants.

You can stimulate root growth with the help of zircon, but epin is perfect for the crown - the price of these "drugs" is quite low, and they have an excellent effect, which has been proven by many gardeners.

Such pruning of conifers will allow you not only to beautifully decorate the crown of plants, but also make them even stronger - pests and, conifers and fruit trees will not be able to hinder growth and development.

Our native pine ( Pinus sylvestris)- a grateful and wonderful tree in all respects, quite suitable for shaping and shearing. Its main advantage is its rapid growth. For three to four years, the appearance of the formed pine changes significantly, which cannot be achieved from spruce or, say, fir in such a period. And after five years, from three-year-old seedlings, you can get a lush, stocky and almost mother hedge.

In order to restrain the growth of the pine and form a dense, compact crown, it is only necessary to break off young growths by 1/3 - 2/3 of the length every year.
Usually, best time for this - May, the main thing is that the shoots do not have time to woody and are flexible enough.

Breaking is preferable to trimming, since in this case the young needles remaining below remain intact.
And when pruning, these needles are inevitably injured and, growing up, their tips will be brown, as if burnt. This is not critical and is only noticeable at close range. It does not harm the pine tree, but for the owner it is a psychologically uncomfortable look.

If you decide to break off - do not forget about gloves! After this procedure, it is very difficult to wash your hands from the tar juice.

If you are ready for a simple but annual procedure for breaking a pine tree, then in the same way you can short term to form a fluffy compact Christmas tree for a small garden.

We must remember that you cannot skip the pinching. One year of admission, of course, will not make the weather, but in the future, starting the molding, you can get a long unintelligible evergreen freak.
However, having cut off all the lower "formed" once branches, the freak can eventually turn into a slender fire-barrel ship pine, provided that he has a strong central conductor that has escaped from captivity.

It is just as simple and quick enough to form an ordinary bonsai tree from a pine tree. To give a wild natural look and a characteristic "curvature" of the trunk, that is, imitate a tree that adapts to natural adversity and cataclysms (winds, hurricanes, droughts, rockfalls, etc.), you can do this:
1. Initially plant the seedling at an angle. You can put a stone next to it, that is, to give the appearance that the pine had to free itself from under the stone.
Then, gradually, as the branches grow (but when they are still quite flexible - without waiting for their final lignification), shape the curvature of the trunk: either by tying the branches to the supports, or by hanging a load from the branch to bend it in the right place.
It is better to do this during the period of least sap flow - in winter or in March.

To restrain growth and give splendor to the needles, pinch or break off young shoots, as described above.

Extra branches that interfere with the desired image - remove, guided by common sense, intuition and your ideas about the beauty of a crooked pine tree.
Search and see how you can more pictures on the Internet, books, go to an exhibition of bonsai, - do not be lazy to work not only with your hands and pruning shears, but also with other organs - with your eyes, head, soul ...

All this will take from 6 to 8 years, but as a result it will be possible to get a real "wild" bonsai-like tree, which can be admired all year round and proudly show to guests.
Example 1. Hedge

We planted the same Scots pine saplings along the road on both sides. On the one hand, the pines were allowed to grow freely, without touching them, and on the other, they annually broke off young growths by 2/3. Four years later, the intact pines were twice the height and width of those that were formed by breaking off. Formed pines became dense, compact, low.

The initial growth of pines during planting was about 1 m. After 4 years, untouched pines grew up to 4 meters, freely spreading branches up to 2 - 2.5 meters wide.
Formed pines rose to 1.7 - 1.9 m, while forming a dense and dense crown, remaining within 1 - 1.5 m in diameter.
Example 2. Pine is a tapeworm.

On the site there were several pines - self-planters. One of them began to pinch every year.
The owner Ekaterina Moskaleva (Kirov) tells:

We do the pinching at the beginning of June, when the growths are already beginning to stretch, but are still quite soft. I pinch with my hands; if the husband is taken, then he cuts off with a pruner (but then it is very difficult to wash him). Throughout the crown, each candle grows by about 2/3 or even more - I leave no more than 3 cm. It turns out quickly, about an hour. This year (that is, already in the past, in the 14th) they put a ladder - right on top of a pine tree to pinch the top. And before that they got it. Here is our “plucked” pine tree (for the last three years), and next to it is the one that we did not touch. And this is how the branches of plucked and not plucked pines look like.

Example 3. Single pine, from which the molding was abandoned.

About 12 years ago, a 3-year-old Scots pine seedling was planted at the western wall of the house. For several years, it was regularly plucked in the above way, because of which the pine remained low - up to 2 m. A few years later, as a result of an unfortunate (for a pine) incident, its lower branches were broken off on one side. Then we decided to stop pinching. We cleaned the trunk from the bottom to the height of uniform branching and let it grow freely as it pleases. For three years, it has grown to 3.5 m, while maintaining a rather narrow crown. For comparison - pines as a loved one pet... And secondly, as in the case of a haircut / pinching, it is a kind of stress relief and nerves calming! I'm telling you exactly!

Text: Natalia Melnikova, with the participation of Ekaterina Moskaleva and Alexander Sapelin (illustrations)

Cultivation of conifers implies constant care for their health and beauty. Pruning pine and spruce is a useful operation that has a positive effect on the condition of the tree.

Why cut pine and spruce?

There are several types of pruning of popular conifers.

• Sanitary pruning.

This is the most common way to help the plant. Broken, weak and damaged branches are removed regularly. They pose a danger to the plant itself, as they sometimes cause fungal diseases. Such branches can come off and damage the surrounding objects or bystanders, especially when strong wind or other unfavorable natural phenomena... Sanitary pruning can be done on a large specimen if the tree is too shaded. In this case, the lower branches are completely removed - after that, other plants can be planted with a pine tree.

• Anti-aging haircut.

Spend on an adult pine tree and ate with big amount bare and dry branches to stimulate the growth of new shoots.

• Decorative trimming.

The most popular type. The procedure is carried out on conifers, which act as a hedge, and when grown using the bonsai technique. When cultivating pine and spruce in their usual form, they also carry out regular pruning. The procedure improves the shape of the crown, and, if necessary, inhibits the growth of the tree, which is especially important for tall varieties.

When is the work done?

Sanitary pruning is carried out at any time of the year. Work is performed urgently if an emergency situation arises, for example, a large branch is broken and poses a threat to the surrounding people, animals or buildings.

In spring, they form a crown, create a compact top and give pine and spruce decorative view... Time spring pruning depends on climatic and weather conditions.

Young shoots of the current year are called candles. Works are carried out when they reach maximum size, but the needles have not yet begun to bloom. This usually happens in June.

In the summer, it is appropriate to prune young shoots that extend beyond the crown. In young plants, you can remove excess branches until the end of summer. It is not recommended to do this later: before the cold weather, the cambium, which “heals” fresh wounds, will not have time to stand out.

A rejuvenating haircut is carried out in the fall. The main growth zone is located at the ends of pine and spruce shoots, therefore, over time, old trees lose their lower leaves, lose their attractiveness. The ends are cut off on bare old shoots, leaving a part of the needles on them. In the spring, dormant buds will awaken on the shortened branches and new young branches will grow.

Pruning in late autumn and winter time not recommended: the cuts become vulnerable, the wood may freeze.

The pruning result depends on the condition of the tree. A healthy and vigorous plant will tolerate the procedure easily. In a very weakened pine or spruce, dormant buds may not wake up, therefore, no work is carried out on such a plant.

Features of crown formation

Conifer tree - wonderful decoration any garden. Along with ordinary pine (green), varieties with a grayish, silvery and even yellowish shade of needles have become widespread. When regular pruning the decorativeness of the tree increases without deteriorating its general condition.

Pine and spruce pruning tactics depend on the growing method. Necessary work differ depending on whether the plant has the traditional shape of a common fluffy tree, is used for hedges or is cultivated in japanese style... Each trimming has its own goal, the main task is to imagine in advance what result should be obtained.

• Traditional form.

Many conifers beautiful crown is formed independently. For example, usually does not need cropping blue spruce, acquiring a thick evergreen cap with age.

With the help of decorative trimming, the tree can be given its original shape. A beautiful pyramid, even hemisphere, cone or cylinder - the option depends on the skill and imagination of the author, as well as on the type of wood. You can create coniferous masterpieces in the form of animals and people, but only very skilled craftsmen can do this on spruce and pine trees.

More often, the usual planned pruning is carried out, its scheme depends on the desired shape and condition of the plant. Only trees older than two years can be subjected to this procedure.

• Hedge.

When growing pine in the form of a coniferous hedge, pruning is carried out annually. The top is removed for the first time when the plant reaches the required height. This will stimulate the growth of side shoots and reduce the gaps between adjacent specimens.

• Nivaki style.

This is the Japanese art of cultivation garden trees, which is often used in the cultivation of pine and spruce. It differs from the well-known bonsai style in the way it is grown. "Bonsai" is "a tree on a tray", and the roots of nivaki are not limited to a small pot, but develop in freedom, directly in the garden. Depending on the style of the nivaki, pine or spruce is formed in different ways. For example, as a straight tree with a triangular crown shape or at an angle to the ground. Moncaburi - original way pine tree formation. Such a tree is left with one very long horizontal branch, which is located above the entrance to the garden. In Japanese monasteries and temples, old Nivaki-style pines are especially revered.

It will take a lot of time and effort to create a tree using this technique; it is a long and painstaking process. They are determined with the desired plant height, regularly remove "extra" branches and form a crown. New shoots should be shortened annually by more than half their length. The creation of a pine or spruce in the niwaki style consists in pinching the candles, removing part of the needles and cutting. This is a creative process, each plant needs an individual approach.

Pine gives off a lot of fragrant amber resin. After pruning, the tree independently heals its wounds with this substance with bactericidal action... All work should be carried out with gloves, because the resin is difficult to wash. IN additional processing the slice does not need preparations.

How to trim correctly?

For work, use a disinfected tool. Depending on the age of the tree and the thickness of the branches, a pruner, garden shears, a small hacksaw or a file are used.

There are several types of pruning.

• Thinning.

They remove poorly located branches that spoil the appearance of pine or spruce. In a too dense crown, over time, some of the shoots die off due to insufficient sunlight. Too close adjacent branches can damage each other. Timely thinning helps prevent such problems.

Before work, the tree is examined, the unnecessary branch is completely removed. The cut is made short. They try to process it with a knife so that there is no hemp left.

• Pinching.

This method helps to form a thicker and fluffier crown of the plant. It is carried out when young shoots stop growing at the beginning of summer, and the needles are already beginning to separate from the stem. During the pinching, part of the candle is partially or completely broken out.

Small branches can be trimmed with a sharp pruner, and large branches with a garden saw or hacksaw. Parts of the shoots are removed carefully so as not to damage the dormant buds, from which new shoots will appear in the future. At the base of the truncated branch, 3-4 new strong shoots usually appear, on weak plants there may be less of them. The crown becomes fluffy, takes on a rounded shape.

With a late pinching (late July - August), the kidneys do not have time to form in the current season. They will appear only next spring.

• Pruning.

This is the most frequent way change external appearance pine or spruce. When pruning, part of the tree trunk is removed. The operation is performed on both young and adult specimens.

The young tree stretches quickly, adding about 15 cm annually. If desired, an adult Scotch pine over thirty years old using correct pruning can be formed up to two meters high. In nature, such plants grow above 10 meters.

The pruning scheme for pine and spruce is due to the apical type of growth of these plants. After removing the upper part, it will periodically need to remove the remaining adjacent shoots: they tend to replace the removed top over time, tend to take a vertical position. On mature wood, dormant recovery buds do not germinate, so the formation of the plant begins at young age.


Pruning tips

1. For one haircut, no more than a third of the green mass of the plant is removed.
2. Work is carried out regularly, long breaks or the termination of trimming will spoil the result of previous works.
3. Pine and spruce are pruned at a young age when they are compact.
4. When pinching, up to 2/3 of the growth is usually removed. During pruning, remove 1/3 of the branch.
5. First year after planting conifers adapt and take root in a new place, additional intervention will not be beneficial.

Post-procedure care

Pine and spruce are undemanding to soil quality, moisture and temperature. The mode of watering and feeding after pruning is not changed. It should be remembered that frequent and thoughtless cutting weakens the plant and can cause various diseases. The main task is to carry out the work correctly and on time.

The coniferous beauty will thank the neat for taking care appearance and excellent health. It will delight you with its graceful evergreen crown for decades.

Pine remains one of the most common plants used to decorate the site during landscaping. A properly formed crown will look neat, and small pine trees will turn into one of the main decorative elements, and at the same time make the atmosphere on the site pleasant and healthy. For this, pine pruning must be carried out in a timely manner: this is not very hard work, however, it will have to be done regularly.

, it is important to take care that the roots do not remain bare even for a few minutes during transplantation: because of this, they may die. A year after planting, you can start forming the crown of a young tree.

This is the name of the removal of old and diseased branches, which is necessary for the tree to remain healthy. However, in this case, there is a danger to other plants due to the shade formed due to the dense crown. From pine can be formed hedge or use it to decorate the site, timely pruning allows you to keep the plant beautiful and healthy.

If the roof grows, it will be difficult to cut it, and on the site this will lead to additional concerns... The territory should not be turned into a forest, it has many other functions, and excessive growth of green spaces should not be allowed.

In addition, in advanced cases, pruning is dangerous: it is stress for the plant, and if you remove a large number of green mass, pine may die. You should not delay the implementation of sanitary procedures, even if at first glance they seem difficult.

In order for the pruning to bring the pine not harm, but benefit, it must be carried out in accordance with the following requirements:

• The procedure is carried out when young shoots began to appear on the pine - the so-called growths or candles. When they begin to grow back, they contain the embryos of future needles, it is important to remove the growth when it has already grown to its maximum, but the needles have not yet begun to fluff. Coniferous trees wake up quite late after winter, the active growth of new shoots will begin only in May. Because of this, pruning is only recommended in June.
• For pruning, simple garden shears with a long blade are used. Processing begins from the top of the tree, the skeletal branches are cut off separately, while leaving small hemp in height (no more than 5 cm). Subsequently, they will grow, but the total annual growth will not exceed three centimeters.
• If, after the spring pruning, the candles still gave stronger growths, you cannot cut the pine branch on the needles. In this case, the green needles will quickly turn yellow, which will make the tree look sloppy. Each needle lives for more than one year, but several years, therefore, initially incorrect pruning can cause serious harm, and it will not be possible to fix it quickly.
• The cutting site is processed copper sulfate, if you had to inflict serious wounds on the plant, then they are covered with pitch. This will avoid the entry of pathogenic bacteria and the onset of putrefactive processes.

The first pruning is done in the spring, and at the end of the summer you can additional adjustment crowns.

It is important that the trimming tool is clean and very sharp for a neat cut. Otherwise, it can become a source of infection for the entire plant. In just one pruning, no more than one third of the green mass can be removed, otherwise the damage to the plant will be irreparable.

Pine pruning is carried out not only for sanitary purposes to limit the height of the crown.

Many are attracted by the neat crowns that can be achieved with the right decorative pruning. Pine trees with a decorative crown can be used to create hedges, walkways, etc.

How to choose a tree for these purposes:

• For this procedure, it is better to choose cloudy days so that brown spots do not begin to appear on the needles, which occur when the moisture evaporates.
• One of the benefits of pine is that you don't have to buy a seedling specially.
• Sometimes you can just dig a suitable sprout in the forest and plant it on the site.
• In the shadow big trees such seedlings grow slowly, and when correct transplant to a new place, they will quickly begin to develop, actively giving new shoots.
• In this case, it will be much easier to form the crown, since you do not have to remove a large number of branches.
• Usually, small pines are chosen for transplanting, the age of which does not exceed 3-4 years.

In nurseries, they cost about 300 to 1000 rubles, in the forest you can simply pick up a young plant, which will still be difficult to grow due to the shade of large trees. It is better not to choose large ones, since they do not tolerate a change of place well and can get sick for a whole year. Decorative trim usually carried out in such a way that the crown retains an even pyramidal shape, however, thanks to it, the pine tree will look more fluffy and spreading, turning into a real decoration of the site.

One of the goals of pruning is to rejuvenate the old tree, since over time, the growth zone will still tend to the ends of the shoots. If this process is not hindered, you can get almost naked long branches devoid of needles. This is done as follows:

• In the fall or winter, the ends of already bare old branches are cut to awaken the dormant buds.
• Too large old branches with no growth points left are removed.
• In the spring, new shoots will appear on the remaining part of the branch, which will then turn into full-fledged shoots.

It is important to cut the branches so that at least some of the needles still remain on them, otherwise the branch will simply dry out completely.

In this way, you can turn an old pine into a practically new tree with young bright green needles. Anti-aging pruning is carried out approximately once every three years, thanks to which the tree will look good and take its rightful place in landscape composition plot.

Pine is common in the Russian climate unpretentious plant, which is very easy to care for.

It can become one of the decorations of the yard, in addition, it can be dressed up for the new year, if you do not want to cut down a living tree to install it in your home. Taking care of the tree and its timely pruning will make the pine beautiful and well-groomed, which will allow you to harmoniously and neatly arrange your summer cottage.

More information can be found in the video.