Correct pruning of bushes and trees. Pruning fruit trees: purpose, timing and methods

Caring for trees in the garden is very important, because if you let this process take its course, no good harvests, and the aesthetic beauty of the garden is out of the question. Crown formation, directly affects fertility, and appearance... Autumn pruning fruit trees the most important, and a lot depends on how you spend it. They begin to form the crown with early age, thus the summer resident determines the strongest branches, which are given priority in development. The tree does not waste energy in vain, so the yield is the maximum for this or that variety. In addition to weak branches, it is necessary to remove old, dry ones, to carry out sanitary pruning of the tree.

What is cropping, why is it needed?

Removal of shoots, branches or parts of it to form a crown for preventive or sanitary purposes, rejuvenation is carried out for old plants. This procedure is used not only for fruit trees, but also for shrubs, ornamental plants... As a rule, work in this direction is carried out either in autumn or spring, but sometimes, for a number of reasons, a tree can be cut in summer. Autumn pruning is advisable only in regions with a rather mild climate, for residents of the northern regions, it would be best to postpone work in the spring. Why is that? It's simple, immediately after you remove the branches or shoots, a wound is formed at the cut site, and if a sudden cold snap occurs, then the bark suddenly begins to freeze and the wood deteriorates. Thus, the plant may die.

It should be noted that not all plants need frequent pruning, there are crops in which this happens once every few years, while others are pruned every season. Therefore, further, we will talk about the features and nuances when processing a particular tree.

Apple tree pruning.

When:

The apple tree is pruned in the spring and less often in the summer (with a very thick crown that interferes with the development of fruits). Sometimes this procedure is carried out in the fall.

Spring... It is important to get to work even before the juice movements on the plant begin. First of all, branches are removed, which are frozen and dried up in winter, then they begin to form a crown.

Fall... It is necessary to reorganize the crown, suitable for this month - November. Don't start pruning the branches before the apple tree has shed its leaves.

The columnar apple tree is pruned either at the beginning of summer, or already before winter.

Autumn pruning of apple trees

The goal is to eliminate the weak, dry, with signs of decay, black cancer, and other dangerous conditions. Do not worry, you will not bring harm, because during this period the plant is already at rest.

Action plan:

• Start with old, large branches that are withered or severely damaged.
• Proceed to remove branches that grow at an acute angle.
• All places of the cuts are covered with a garden varnish, if it is not there, then use paint on drying oil. Young branches are not processed immediately, but after a day.
• Burn all cut off shoots and twigs.

Young apple trees are processed very carefully, while using a secateurs. The shoots that have appeared this year are shortened by a quarter, and then they are not touched for 3-5 years. However, this rule should be neglected if the tree is growing rapidly upward. A plant older than 5-6 years is pruned on a more serious scale, but still, in moderation. Leading, strong twigs are shortened by a third.

Rejuvenation of old apple trees takes place in three phases:

1. The first year, we remove a third of the old branches, select the old and damaged ones.
2. In the next season, we repeat this procedure, with the same outcome.
3. In the third year - the final phase, we delete all the old branches that still remain.

When rejuvenating, it is unlikely that a pruner will help you; it is best to use a saw. The blade should be disinfected before use.

Columnar apple tree.

In this case, there is a direct relationship between the pruning intensity and the growth intensity of the remaining shoots. Boldly remove a third of the branch, three or four buds will remain, from which powerful and healthy shoots will appear already in the graying year. Otherwise, if you leave more buds, the shoots will be of medium strength, and quite weak if you leave the tree alone and remove a small part. Do not cut off the center section, otherwise the crown will start to bifurcate.

If you decide to achieve a columnar shape, you need to begin to form it from the very moment of planting the seedling. To do this, the crown shoot is tied to a support, and fruit links are formed from the lateral ones. If the shoots are too powerful, they are cut into a ring, since they can begin to retard the growth of the conductor. The frame is formed from grown young shoots.

How to prune an apple tree in spring.

The first procedure is carried out in the first year after planting, even if you acted carefully when planting, root system it was damaged anyway, since it is very fragile in apple trees. Therefore, cutting the seedling is necessary to distribute the movement nutrients and juice, only to the desired branches. In the photo, you see the processing scheme after planting, with the help of this instruction you can form the correct crown.

A year later, next spring, the second pruning of the apple tree is carried out. This time we leave only 4-5 branches, the strongest and growing at an obtuse angle - these are skeletal branches. But they also need to be trimmed to form a tiered structure. To do this, leave more length at the bottom than at the top. The conductor (trunk) is also trimmed, it should be no more than 25 centimeters higher than the rest of the processes. In the event of a bifurcation of the conductor, one of its parts is cut off.

Third - fifth year.

This is a very important period for crown formation, so you need to act very carefully. The main thing is not to harm future fruiting, act carefully, and do not remove too zealously.

The growth of the conductor must be regulated every year and not allowed to grow too rapidly.

Pear pruning.

Pear pruning has its own characteristics, this procedure is not carried out annually, but regularity is still necessary. Sanitary procedures are carried out during the warm season. With the onset of cold weather, they become impossible, and they are transferred to the warm season. The best period is spring, when the temperature crosses the + 8C mark. In autumn, pears are pruned only in September. The pyramidal shape of the tree is a reference in which the collection of fruits is greatly simplified, so it is best to follow this tradition when forming the crown.

They begin to form the crown almost from the very beginning, but before doing this, it is necessary to select the branches that will form the base of the pear. An annual plant is pruned at a height of about 45 centimeters from the ground. In two annual trees, half of the lateral shoots are removed, the rest will form the basis for a powerful tree. They are cut at the same level, but the conductor is 20 cm higher than the rest.

In autumn, the pear is pruned only in order to remove diseased, dry, damaged branches, as well as unnecessary ones in the crown that are not useful. You can shorten young shoots by a third, as well as the crown, but only if necessary, the main thing is not to harm the shape of the crown, leave it pyramidal. Further areas damaged by pruners or saws, as well as cuts, treat with garden pitch. As we said earlier, lubricate young shoots only after a day has passed from the moment of work.

Pruning pears in spring.

In the spring, it is best to carry out rejuvenation procedures. To do this, you must first trim the top, but this is only if you have not performed the correct pruning procedures before, and if you did everything correctly, then the crown will be of optimal height, and you can only thin out the density, remove the weakest, dry and damaged branches ... Cut the rest by a quarter, cover the cut points with garden varnish or varnish-based paint. Perform the manipulations before the kidneys awaken, but not too early, the mark on the thermometer should step over the mark at + 5C.

How to prune a plum.

When the plum is cut.

This procedure is carried out as needed.

Spring:

In the spring, the plum is pruned before the buds open. First of all, remove the frozen branches, then the phase of preparation for active growth begins. In this case, start forming a crown: remove weak shoots that make it too thick, and damaged and dry branches should be removed.

In summer:

It is carried out only when a bountiful harvest threatens to break the branches, remove or shorten unnecessary ones.

Fall:

How to form a plum crown, diagram

Pruning plums in autumn solves two problems at once: preparing the tree for winter, as well as increasing yields in the next season. After leaf fall, all processes in the plant slow down or stop altogether, it prepares for sleep, right now all the manipulations need to be carried out. It's time to remove damaged, dry and diseased branches. The top is shortened if the drain is higher than 2.5 meters in height. Then the moment comes when it is necessary to shorten the shoots that grew faster than the norm. Also, shoots that in the future may make the crown too thick are also removed. Young trees are not subjected to rigid pruning, shorten the shoots by no more than one third, but you should not stand on ceremony with branches that will grow inside the crown, they are cut off entirely. Old branches are removed in the spring, but those that have not borne fruit at all can be removed in the fall.

All waste after work is burned, and the cut sites are treated with garden varnish, or with paint based on drying oil.

Old trees are not pruned in autumn; this procedure is transferred to spring.

Cherry pruning.

When pruning cherries:

It makes no sense to carry out this procedure annually. The formation and rejuvenation of the tree occurs in the spring; in the fall, the tree is cut only if it is necessary to remove dry, damaged or diseased branches. IN southern regions with a mild climate, you can cut cherries in October, but in the northern ones - in September. After the tree has thrown off the leaves, work can begin. But be sure to look at the weather forecast, if you see that frosts will begin very soon, then postpone this procedure for the arrival of spring.

Autumn cherry pruning:

In the autumn period, work with trees that are one year old is not carried out, since they will not have time to heal their wounds before the onset of cold weather. In grown plants, branches are shortened and removed carefully, while leaving the most powerful processes sticking out in different directions intact. The distance between them should be at least 10 centimeters. We remove all the growth, as it makes the cherry weak and serves as a shelter for small rodents. In a self-rooted plant, the shoots can be used for transplantation, but in a grafted plant, it is useless.

Spring Cherry Pruning:

At this time, young trees are formed, and the old ones are also sanitized. The most favorable moment for this will be the beginning of March, and it will last until the end of April. At this time, the buds have not yet blossomed, and the movement of juice along the trunk has not begun. Young trees that have recently begun to bear fruit are pruned very carefully and minimally. If you planted a tree in the fall, it is only in the spring that you can start pruning it.

Formation of the young:

1-3 year-old cherries form in spring. It is very important to form the crown correctly. Select successfully growing skeletal branches (the distance between them is 8-15 centimeters, they should not grow from adjacent buds). Remove the lowest shoots on the ring, you need to raise the stem by 30-50 centimeters, then remove the weak and dry ones, as well as those growing at an acute angle.

Working with old trees:

Caring for 10-15 year old cherries is quite difficult and will require certain knowledge and skills from you. Since fruiting at this age is abundant, the trunk must be made more stable; for this, old, diseased and dry branches are removed. It is also necessary to first thin out the crown, if it is very thick, and then proceed to the rejuvenation procedure.

The total number of branches of the first order is from 8 to 12 (bush-like), and up to 8 (tree-like). The second order is not taken into account, they are removed only in the case when they begin to grow inward and thicken the crown. To change directions, branches are cut off to 1-2 buds. If the cherry is over 2.5 meters high, it is shortened by cutting off the center conductor.

Pruning apricot:

When and how the apricot is cut.

Spring, summer and autumn are considered suitable for this procedure. The most thorough and thorough is the spring one; in the summer, only branches overloaded with fruits that threaten to damage the tree as a whole are removed. In autumn, they carry out sanitary work and prepare for the winter.

Fall.

Prune branches very carefully during this period, and only remove old, dry and damaged ones. Do not leave deep wounds, and those that remain must be treated with garden varnish, if the cut is deep, then first apply copper sulfate on the wound, and then the garden pitch. You can also remove shoots growing inside the crown.

Spring.

This is the optimal season for starting work. Start pruning apricots around April when the cold has receded. During this period, the tree itself is formed, preferably in a cup-shaped form, and also sanitary pruning is carried out, and a too thick crown is cleared. Strongly growing shoots from skeletal branches are also removed.

Summer.

At this time, the procedure greatly affects the future harvest. At the very beginning of summer, last year's shoots are pinched, the length of which exceeds 20 centimeters. Already after 10 days, the number of shoots will increase significantly, which will positively affect the yield. But do not forget to regularly water the apricot, especially if the weather is dry, hot, otherwise all activities will be wasted without giving the desired effect.

How the apricot pruning process works:

It should be said that in different age groups, different tasks are solved, so it is advisable to break this issue into several points, by age.

Young .

When pruning young tree, it is very important to look after correct formation trunk, as well as behind the location of skeletal branches. The shoots must be greatly shortened so that the young apricot can easily bear their weight and can develop calmly.

Sequencing:

1. One year after planting, it will be around September, the whip from the tree must be shortened by 1/4.
2. A year later, three large branches will grow in that place, they should also be cut off, at the very beginning of autumn. Pruning is not carried out in early spring, otherwise there is a risk that the tree will die.
3. In the third year of growth, the apricot will acquire a spherical shape, at this moment it will be necessary to cut off the growth shoots if they stick out and stand out from the rest of the mass.
4. Small, weak branches are pinched at the point of growth.
5. Beginning in the fourth year, the grower needs to regularly prune stem shoots that grow faster than others.
6. Fruit branches are removed every few years.

Old:

The apricot rejuvenation procedure is very important if you want to preserve or even increase its yield. When is the procedure needed? In the event that the annual growth of shoots is less than 20 centimeters.

Algorithm of actions:

1. Branches that are 5 years old or more must be sawed off at an angle.
2. When a powerful shoot appears in the place of the saw cut, then the branches above it, or grow in different directions, are removed, thus the new sprout gets more strength and nutrients.
3. Radical removal does not occur, do this procedure gradually waiting for the appearance of new shoots, and only then remove the old ones.

Peach pruning.

When:

As in most cases, this procedure is carried out with a peach three times a year: in autumn, spring, and summer. In spring, they form a plant, and also remove branches damaged by cold weather. You can also rejuvenate the peach in the spring. In the summer, manipulations are carried out only if necessary, and in the fall, they are prepared for winter.

Fall.

We carry out sanitary removal of unnecessary branches, damaged and sick. We incinerate waste, away from orchard, treat the wounds with a garden varnish, or paint based on drying oil.

In the spring.

The most suitable moment for this procedure is the period between the beginning of the swelling of the buds and flowering. As a rule, it does not last long, a maximum of three to four weeks, during which time you need to have time to hold all the events.

• Increase the fruiting interval.
• Formation of a decorative look.
• Sanitary.
• Acceleration of flowering and the beginning of fruiting.

Peach pruning by age.

1. The first year after planting, it is necessary to form a crown in the form of a vase. To do this, the plant is shortened by 20 centimeters, at a height of about 65 centimeters. The upper growth should have a wide angle of discharge. Next, select two more gains that will be below, and have the same parameters as the top one. They need to be shortened by 10 centimeters. Shoots that started on the trunk at the shortening point near the trunk should be removed as soon as the buds open. Those shoots that grow inside the crown must be removed in the summer.
2. In the second year, it is necessary to form correct angle slope and growth of skeletal branches. New growths shorten to 65 centimeters... Strong growths growing above or below are removed. Side - it is necessary to thin out, leave every 15 centimeters, and the length is removed by 2 buds. In the summer, fatty shoots growing inside the crown are removed.
3. Third year. At this time, you should select two powerful branches on the skeletal branch at the top, and cut them 60 centimeters from the fork. Remove the main part of the conductor above the top branch. The most powerful shoots are removed from above and below on skeletal branches. In the case when the length of young, one-year-old growths exceeds the length of 80 centimeters, they must be thinned out, cut into 2 buds. Thus, a new fruit link begins to form. The rest of them are used on temporary fruit branches, which must be shortened by eight buds. In order for the lower shoot growing before pinching to develop as efficiently as possible, the shoot located on top must be cut to 50 centimeters. On those branches where last year they were shortened by two buds, the growth that grows upward must be shortened for fruiting, and the lower one - by two buds. This is how the fruit link is formed.
4. it last year peach growth, therefore, in the fourth year, the formation of a vase-shaped crown is completed. And so, at the top of the skeletal bifurcation of the 2nd order, select 2 branches of the 3rd order. We shorten them by a third of their original length. It is necessary to remove strong growths in the upper and lower surfaces of the branch, which are located at the base of the trunk. On the 2nd order forks, finish shaping the fruit links. On 3rd order divisions, thin out the growths, sometimes cutting hard enough, up to the second bud. The rest are left for 7-8 kidneys. These will be fickle fruit-bearing branches. In the first row, remove the twigs that are no longer bearing fruit. And also the branches of the lower growth, which were cut earlier last year. On top growths, remove about seven kidney groups

Cherry pruning.

When:

A tree is formed in spring, sanitary measures are carried out in autumn and, according to tradition, cherries are prepared for winter, but even in autumn, on the recommendation of many gardeners, rejuvenation can be carried out. But, of course, it should not be heavily pruned in anticipation of cold weather, it is better to combine sanitary procedures with rejuvenation, and remove damaged, weak and diseased branches. If you did not dare to rejuvenate cherries in the fall, you can do it in the spring.

Crohn, according to experienced gardeners, cherries should be in the shape of a cone, with a wide base. Thus, the tree receives the maximum amount of heat and sun, while ensuring good air circulation inside the crown.

Fall.

After all the leaves have fallen off, start removing dry, diseased, and damaged branches. The rejuvenation procedure requires the removal of old branches, older than 6-7 years, under the ring. Repair the wounds with garden varnish and varnish-based paint.

Spring.

Early March best time for spring pruning of cherries. At this time, she has not yet left the sleep phase, so all procedures will be less traumatic. But wait for the end of the night frost. To prevent the branch from drying out, you should not remove its tips and growth buds. Too dense deciduous crown is removed not in one fell swoop, but in tiers. Thus, you stimulate the emergence of side shoots, which in turn will have a positive effect on future yields.

Summer.

Cherries are pruned in summer, those who do not like to do this in spring, due to stress on the tree. You can also carry out sanitary work at this time.

Pruning garden trees.

As you can see, there is a lot in common in pruning all fruit trees. The main activity in this matter falls in the spring, during this period, as a rule, they form a tree, rejuvenate it. But in the summer and autumn, they carry out additional procedures and sanitary measures, removing sick, dry, and weak branches. But, as an exception, you can imagine an apple and a pear, in this case autumn is considered the main season of work.

How to prune, techniques:

• Kidney cut: It is carried out in order to change the direction of growth of the branch, you can choose the vector that suits you. To do this, on the annual shoot, find a bud that would be directed in the direction you need. Near it, you need to cut a branch at an angle of 45 degrees, but make sure that the stump opposite from the bud is not too long (about 2 centimeters). Because if the stump is longer, then most likely it will dry out, and the kidney will not wake up.
• Ring cut... When you remove an unnecessary process, it must be removed completely, right up to the outer edge of the ring. Thus, you can make the main one, the branch that grew next to the unnecessary one.

Caring for wounds is very important, so do not be lazy to apply garden varnish or varnish-based paint to the cut site. Recently, many similar drugs have appeared that are more effective in their action, you can clarify this information in your nearest specialized store.

Pruning trees is the key to any gardener's success. Fruit trees need constant and careful maintenance. Only in this case will they give a regular and bountiful harvest. Surely many gardeners have come across such a phenomenon that a neighbor in the country collects more fruits from one plant than you from the entire plot. This suggests that your neighbor is exercising proper care behind your trees, which you unfortunately neglect. In this article, you will learn what pruning fruit trees is for and how to do it correctly.

Tree pruning goals

This procedure is carried out with the aim of prolonging the life of plants, stimulating their growth and obtaining big harvest... After all fruit trees they are planted on a personal plot precisely for the purpose of obtaining fruits. Moreover, Pruning your garden helps protect trees from pests and possible diseases.

In general, plants need complex care, one pruning will not be enough to get a bountiful harvest. It is necessary to fertilize, water and spray the garden. And then your fruit trees will be beautiful, healthy and, most importantly, fruitful.

The fact that tree pruning plays a big role in harvesting does not mean that this event should be carried out when you want. There are certain terms and methods for carrying out this procedure. Failure to comply with these rules will have the opposite effect on trees and you risk instead blooming garden get a bunch of stunted plants.

Types of trimming

By removing unnecessary branches from the crown of a tree, you greatly slow down its growth. Experienced gardeners have long noticed this feature: the larger the tree, the smaller its fruits. The following types of plant pruning are currently practiced:

Shaping crown

This is done to obtain a bountiful harvest by forming the correct crown of the fruit tree. Typically, such pruning is carried out in the period from 2 to 4 years of the life of the seedling in your area.

The branches are pruned in such a way that the stronger shoots form a secure frame that protects the weaker and thinner branches. This should be done in such a way that the branches inside the frame receive a sufficient amount of sunlight. It has been noticed that trees with a properly treated crown begin to bear fruit earlier and give more yield.

Regulating fruiting

The regularity of the harvest depends on this procedure. The essence of such pruning is as follows: depending on the type of seedling, the shoots are shortened by a certain number of buds. This number can range from 3 to 12.

Restorative

It consists in removing old, broken or diseased branches.

Anti-aging

This type of pruning is only relevant for mature trees. Old branches are removed or shortened, only young shoots remain. It is recommended to carry out this procedure approximately every four years.

Cutting methods

Novice amateur gardeners are concerned with the question of how to properly prune trees? We have already told you about the types of this procedure. Now it is worth talking about the methods. Currently, two such methods are known. Let's talk about each of them in more detail.

Shortening

The bottom line is to cut off young shoots. This is done in order to prevent the growth of the shoot outside the crown..

This is done like this: choose a shoot that grows outward and has more than one bud. For example, if there are three buds on the shoot, it is recommended to cut one off. The next year, the pruned branch should give three young shoots. One of them will definitely grow in the direction the gardener needs, that is, not outward from the crown, but parallel to the ground. This shoot is left, the other two are cut off.

Thinning

Such pruning of fruit trees is considered the safest for plant health. In this case, the branches are not pruned, but deleted completely.

It is necessary to remove the branch at its very base. Usually a subtle fold of the bark is located in this place. This crease must remain intact. Then the bark will quickly tighten the cut site, which will significantly reduce the risk of disease.

Tool selection

The choice of tools for pruning fruit trees plays an important role. Tools should be not only comfortable, but also well sharpened... This will allow not only to quickly carry out the necessary work, but also bring less discomfort to the seedling.

Here is a list of tools that must be present in the arsenal of any gardener:

Secateurs

Probably the most popular and commonly used tool in gardening. When buying such garden shears, you need to pay attention to the following points: weight, sharpening and operation of the mechanism.

If you get a tool that does not fit your hand, or is difficult to work, the work of pruning fruit trees will take a lot of time and effort.

Hacksaw

Not experienced gardeners often use ordinary carpentry tools for gardening. This is fundamentally the wrong approach. A construction saw, although it will provide a faster process of work, will cause irreparable damage to the tree. Therefore, it is best to purchase a special garden hacksaw.

Air secateurs

This tool does not differ in principle from conventional garden shears. The only difference is the telescopic design of the fixture. Thanks to her, without using a ladder, branches located at a decent height can be cut from the ground.

Gasoline saw

This tool is used to cut thick branches from old trees.

How to prune properly to increase tree yield

Many novice gardeners do not pay due attention to this procedure. Why bother with pruning, if the tree bears fruit so well, they think. But high yield will be only in the first three years, then it will sharply decline.

The crown plays an important role in the fruitfulness of the tree. It is recommended to prune and form it from the beginning of planting the seedling in the ground. The crown should not be very thick and high. Otherwise, the abundance of branches will not let the sun's rays through, which will hinder the development of fruits. In addition, it is very problematic to process and spray heavily thickened trees. Accordingly, the plant will often hurt.

Pruning a garden is also needed so that the branches grow in one direction. Chaotic clumping of branches not only reduces yield, but also makes it difficult to harvest. Therefore, all shoots that grow straight up or down are recommended to be completely removed.

Horizontal branches should not be removed; it is on them that the most fruits are formed. In extreme cases, you can cut them slightly so that the branch does not break from the abundance of fruits.

Dried, broken or frozen branches should not be left behind. They affect not only the yield, but also the life span of your garden.

IN winter time, especially with the onset of severe cold weather, it is recommended to prune the crown. This will allow the plant to recover faster after frost and, accordingly, give more yield.

When to trim

Why you need to prune fruit trees and how to do it correctly, we figured it out. Now we should talk about what time of year it is better to do this.

Pruning garden trees held at any time of the year. But it is worth considering some factors. For example, the region of the country where your garden is located. Considering the vast expanses of our Motherland, each of its regions has its own climatic conditions.

For example, in the south, it is recommended to do this, because there are no very coldy... In central Russia, and in the north of the country, you should not cut fruit trees. Otherwise, during severe frosts, the tree may get sick and die.

Given these features, we can conclude that the optimal time for cutting branches is early. Until the kidneys begin to swell. Therefore, first of all, attention is paid to old trees. Buds are formed on them much earlier than in young plants.

It also has its own characteristics. In general, experienced gardeners and biologists are advised to choose for pruning, the period when the garden is resting.

It only at first glance seems that haircuts are invented exclusively for people. no less need such a procedure, and not only for the sake of beauty, but also for health.

A beautiful and well-groomed garden cannot be created without a competent one. But to get the desired result, it is important to answer on three main questions: what to cut? when? and for what?

This is what we will talk about today, because autumn is the most the right time for a similar topic.

Garden Barber Secrets

Indeed, the field of activity opens up very extensive, because almost every gardener needs, if not a haircut, then at least a minimal trim. Some plants should be correct, others have to be deprived of their "hair" in order to save them from enemies (and pathogens), others managed to suffer from the intrigues of the elements during the growing season and they urgently need the intervention of a "traumatologist".

Advice: start autumn pruning after leaf fall, when sap flow stops and for plants there comes a dormant period... Well, it is necessary to complete the process before frost... Only in this case, the haircut will not weaken the plants, but, on the contrary, will strengthen their immunity. And don't be too zealous - pruning should be gentle so that your pets don't get too stressed.

Wintering with an injured or thickened crown is dangerous for plants, therefore, in the fall, first of all, it is necessary sanitary and thinning pruning of all cultures.

In the first case, trees and bushes get rid of broken, non-fruiting and dried branches. Special attention should be given to branches affected by pests and diseases. Such areas are especially noticeable after the trees have parted from their foliage.

Pruning inside the crown often call thinning out (cut branches that obstruct the access of light or cross and rub against each other, damaging the bark). The shoots extending upward from the trunk at an acute angle can also be called superfluous. And don't forget to cut mercilessly spinning tops - shoots that grow on the central conductor and skeletal branches.

Another type of autumn pruning can be safely called targeted, that is, acceptable for a specific group of plants. And here, as usual, there are as many groups as there are subtleties of the process. Let's take a look at everything possible options.

Pruning berry bushes

Harvest largely depends on regular pruning, which forms the bushes, relieves of aged and sick branches, opens the crown to light. This work should be done in the fall, since in the spring these plants wake up very early, and you risk not having time to finish the preventive haircut before the sap flow and the buds swell.

Operating principle approximately the same for all representatives of this group: remove aged branches of shrubs "on the ring" at the very root, without leaving stumps, close to the ground, or even a little underground. Read more about this method in the article. Likewise, get rid of unripe green and weak shoots that are unlikely to overwinter (in cold weather, they tend to freeze out and reduce the winter hardiness of the entire plant).

Advice: the number of ripe young shoots left should be equal to the number of removed ones, then the necessary balance will be observed.

Important: during autumn pruning, do not shorten healthy shoots of berry bushes, postpone this matter until spring, because not only the cut site can freeze, but also a significant part of the shoot.

Sanitary pruning is relevant for any woody plantTherefore, in the fall, trees and shrubs need to be removed from dried and broken branches to help them get through the winter easier.

Pruning ornamental shrubs

Many in autumn they need sanitary pruning and thinning. But if the first process is mandatory for everyone, then certain problems may arise with the second, because not everyone can shorten the shoots in the fall. So when can you create beauty? The answer to this question depends not only on from the characteristics of the species, variety, but also from the time of their flowering.

Remember: at the end of the season, only shrubs that bloom on the shoots of the current year should be cut. Plants that delight with their lush color already in early spring, it is strictly forbidden to touch in autumn - here flower buds are formed on the growths of last year, therefore all "hairdressing procedures" should be performed in the summer, immediately after the end of flowering.

In the fall (or early spring), prune shrubs that bloom from mid-summer to fallforming flower buds on the growths of the current year. This and, blooming in summer, brilliant cotoneaster, fieldfare and others.

In the fall, it needs preventive pruning to free the plant from the unnecessary burden of dry, diseased, and non-fruiting branches.

in the fall, it only needs sanitary pruning, and it is better to leave dried inflorescences on the bush until spring.

You will learn how to properly trim hydrangea from the article. In autumn, doing sanitary and thinning pruning, you can also remove or shorten the summer growth - in the spring new shoots will grow.

The trimming of decorators, whose branches adorn the fruits in autumn, is often postponed until early spring. For example, it blooms from July to September, and in August and September fruits appear that can persist on the shoots all winter.

By the way, the snowberry perfectly tolerates the rejuvenating autumn pruning "under the stump" 40-60 cm high - next summer young shoots will grow from dormant buds.

Needs both sanitary and thinning pruning. Plan these jobs for the fall.

Queens of our gardens - - very demanding on wintering conditions. Proper pruning helps them to endure natural disasters. Almost all representatives of this family need a sanitary and thinning haircut in the fall.

• According to the weather (usually at the end of October), remove unripe shoots directed inside the bush, old, broken, diseased and pest-damaged branches, cut off the remaining flowers, buds, leaves.
• Get rid of the grafted roses from the root growth, which constantly grows throughout the season, otherwise the rosehip rootstock will crush the grafted variety.
• A comfortable wintering for varietal roses (floribunda, hybrid tea, polyanthus) will provide a water-dry shelter, before the device of which all branches will have to be significantly shortened.
• Before proceeding with the "hairdressing procedures", install a frame over the bushes for shelter, on which you need to temporarily throw a film from the rain on top - it is contraindicated for roses after an autumn haircut.
• Do not shorten the shoots to the height of the shelter. This is not necessary, since for the winter the plants are removed from their supports and covered in a horizontal position. They need sanitary pruning: removing the remaining flowers, buds, leaves, injured, sick or pest-infested lashes.

A series of articles will help you to understand in more detail the intricacies of the "decorative" images:

Pruning climbing plants

quickly spread in all directions, without taking a definite form. If you leave them at the mercy of nature, they will crawl along the ground, and from and will move to neighboring trees. To prevent them from strangling in the arms of their neighbors, allow these climbers to climb the wall or fence.

(, and) it is recommended to crop only in autumn - in spring, haircut is harmful to health, because in the stems "juice seethes". Remove old, weakly branching, unripe, withered, weak and excess lashes, and necessarily - unripe shoots, otherwise they will freeze and reduce the winter hardiness of the whole plant.

Pruning time depends on how long they bloom. If the buds appear on the shoots of the last year, cut them immediately after flowering: completely remove the weak and dried shoots and shorten the faded ones, then before the onset of cold weather the plant will have time to grow shoots and lay new buds.

Clematis, which bloom twice (at the beginning of summer - on the shoots of the previous year, and then from July to autumn on the shoots of the current year), are also cut twice per season. After the first flowering, shorten or even cut out some of the shoots of the last year to stimulate the growth of new ones, and in the fall, remove the weak and diseased shoots, leaving a few of the strongest ones.

Clematis blooming from July to mid-September on the shoots of the current year, in the fall, cut "on a stump" 20-50 cm high above the second or third pair of buds.

Hedge trimming

cut to make it thick and even.

• Deciduous fences are recommended to be cut in the first year after planting, best in late autumn.
• Fast-growing crops (for example, or) are trimmed as the shoots grow back throughout the summer.
• Shrubs that are not in a hurry to grow are cut 2-3 times per season: in autumn and early spring, and, if necessary, in summer to maintain a given shape.
• Fences from tree species are not cut before winter. If formative pruning is needed, do it either in early spring before new shoots begin to grow, or in late summer, but no later than mid-August. At the same time, carry out sanitary pruning: remove dried and damaged branches. Take your time to prune young conifers - they will need at least two years to fully acclimatize.

Advice: cut off bare branches devoid of needles - they will still dry out, since most of these plants do not have dormant buds on old shoots and new needles will not grow instead of fallen ones. By the way, it is for the same reason that the crown of conifers cannot be restored after strong pruning, so limit yourself to removing dying and dead shoots.

Important: not all conifers welcome pruning. They tolerate the haircut well

Planting a garden is only the first step to harvesting. In order for it to bear fruit well and not get sick, pruning of fruit trees is needed. Do it in spring and autumn. Let's talk about spring.

ABOUTby cutting a plant, you injure it. Therefore, it is very important to choose the type and quality of the instrument that you are using. It depends on them whether the tree will recover quickly.

You will need:

• garden knife;
• hacksaw.

It is recommended to cut the branches with a knife. The pruner is lighter, but it does more harm: it compresses the wood strongly, and then the wound heals longer. In order for the garden to recover faster, the cut must be even. This can only be achieved with a garden knife.

Amateur gardeners often have a question: when to prune fruit trees in spring, is it possible after the start of sap flow? It all depends on the state of your garden. The trunk split, branches broke under the weight of the snow? Of course, cropping is inevitable. When there is nothing like this, then you should not injure the trees. After all, pruning is not an end in itself. If you form trees according to the rules, you only need a minimal corrective operation, which can be completely dispensed with.

Pruning fruit trees - important factor for a healthy and fruitful garden. And you need to do it skillfully. First of all, you should remove the shoots:

• which depart from the trunk at an acute angle;
• directed to the center of the crown;
• which do not bear fruit (tops).

There are several rules that professional gardeners always adhere to:

1. Pruning should be started as soon as the big frosts have slept (most often this is the end of January, beginning of March). Thus, the wounds will not freeze, and when the sap flow begins, they will heal quickly. The cuts should be even, smooth. They must be lubricated with garden var.
2. You need to cut the shoots above the eyes that grow outward from the crown. A cut is made from the inside out.
3. Branches that are an extension of the trunk should be longer than the rest.
4. On weak trees, short pruning is done. Cropped over the second or third eyes.
5. With strong growth, medium pruning is done. The branches are cut over the fifth eye.
6. For vigorous trees, a long pruning is carried out, leaving eight or more eyes.

Crown formation

You can start forming the crown of a young tree in the second year of its life and continue for several years. Fruits on apple and pear trees appear on perennial shoots, and plums and cherries bear fruit the next year after planting. Knowing this, spring pruning of fruit trees can be done without much damage to the future harvest. Widespread non-tiered and sparse-tiered systems of crown formation. The latter is ideal for cherries, plums, cherry plums. The basis of such a crown is a trunk and up to a dozen lateral branches, which grow from the trunk in tiers at a distance of up to twenty centimeters from each other.

And so, how to properly prune fruit trees in the spring and form a crown? Proceed as follows:

1. The guide is the center shoot, cut about 80 cm from the base. The main thing: up to a dozen kidneys should remain on the conductor. New shoots, side branches will go from them. This is the first tier.
2. Next year, remove the branches damaged during the winter, choose three or four strong ones. Delete the rest. This is the second tier.
3. Therefore, to the same principle, form the third tier already in the fourth year.
4. The tree has reached a height of four meters (undersized fruit trees - maximum), remove the conductor above the upper branch. Thus, stop the growth, completely form the crown of the tree.

You need to prune trees regularly: once a year or in spring and autumn. At any time, as needed, make sanitary or corrective pruning.

Pruning fruit trees in spring; the timing is late winter or early spring. This is especially important for apricot, cherry, peach, cherry plum. In summer, pruning is done only to remove tops, branches that contribute to unnecessary crown density.

Description: a - shortening of shoots in the first year; b, c - shaping pruning of crown shoots along a given contour; d - sanitary pruning (removal of dry branches); e - pruning and thinning in order to improve aeration (before and after); e - rejuvenation of old trees.

Pruning mature fruit trees

Your garden is already bearing fruit. But he, like young trees, requires maintenance and removal of dried or diseased branches. How to prune fruit trees correctly in spring?

The thickened crown of a fruit tree must be thinned out. After five years, the conductor is removed. This will limit upward growth. Delete a branch in whole or in part. Partial removal will encourage the growth of the branch that is next to it. It is necessary to cut off diseased, dried branches - the illumination of the crown improves, the fruits are distributed evenly.

Pruning is best done when the tree is at rest before sap begins to flow.

If the crown is pyramidal (pear - branches grow up), the growing branches must be lowered down: those that are directed down are left, and those that are up are cut off. In other fruit trees, the branches are pointing downwards - they need to be lifted: remove the branches pointing downwards.

To rejuvenate a tree, you need to cut upper part trunk and thin out the crown. To do this, remove the old, inside the crown, branches that are intertwined. A very dense crown, in order not to severely injure the plant, should not be thinned out overnight, stretch the operation for two to three years.

Schemes for pruning pear, cherry, apple trees

Pruning fruit trees in the spring diagram for pears:

1. In winter, the branches freeze and tops appear. They are completely removed or trimmed.
2. Pruning too much will weaken the tree and produce much later than expected. It is best to do moderate pruning.
3. It is useful to shorten the tree branches slightly. This will only strengthen them.

For cherries, cherries:

1. In young trees, five to seven strong branches are left, "looking" in different directions. The distance between them is up to 10 centimeters.
2. All weak branches are removed.
3. The guide should be 20 centimeters longer than the rest.
4. Cherries and cherries are cut only in spring.

For apple trees:

1. Before you start pruning, you need to clear the trunk, main branches from shoots.
2. It will rejuvenate the old plant, increase the yield by removing a third of the branches and shoots - the main thing is not to overdo it.
3. It is necessary to carry out pruning for several years.

When working in your garden, consider the experience of other gardeners and do not forget:

1. When removing branches, do not leave hemp, cut off at the very trunk.
2. A properly made cut leaves a trace of a neatly overgrown “ring”.
3. When removing thick branches, first cut from the bottom and then from the top. Thus, the bark will remain intact if the branch falls.
4. The shoot was removed incorrectly, there is damage - clean it, process the cut with a pitch.
5. It is better to wait until next spring with pruning of frozen trees.
6. Seal the hollows, you cannot drill drainage holes.
7. If there is a danger of the branches breaking off under the weight of the fruit, do not put props. It is better to partially cut off the fruit. Otherwise, the plant will get used to it and will not be able to hold the branches on its own.

You will learn how to properly cut the plant and not damage it by watching the video at the end of the article.

1. When trimming, the pruning shears must be held with a narrow part towards the branch.
2. If you want to form a lush crown of a young tree, shorten the guide by ¼.
3. There should be only one conductor. There are competitors - liquidate.

A year after planting the plant, shorten its trunk by 20 centimeters, and the branches to 7 centimeters. Please note: the branches at the bottom should be longer.

Spring pruning fruit trees video

Pruning fruit trees in the photo

A lot of light is needed for the normal development of fruits, the fruit must literally "bathe" in the sun. Otherwise, the crop will be concentrated only on the periphery of the crown, and in the center there will be only foliage on weakened and dried up branches. In addition, for diseases and pests, the poorly ventilated crown is just paradise, where all the conditions for their rapid reproduction are created. That is, pruning fruit trees is also an important disease prevention measure.

There are 11 basic rules for pruning fruit trees.

1. Measure seven times - cut one. With regard to pruning, the proverb can be paraphrased: Measure seven times - cut one. It is impossible to "glue" back the deleted branch or part of it. If you have the slightest doubt - don't cut! And remember that illiterate "circumcision" is even worse than no cutting at all.
2. If you hurry, you will make people laugh. Take your time, pruning doesn't tolerate fuss. This is a meticulous and painstaking work that can be compared to a surgical operation. You are unlikely to trust the ever-rushing and fussy doctor - and during pruning, you are the doctor for your plants, and also to some extent a teacher, because with the help of pruning you direct and regulate their growth and development. Perhaps you will drag out the pruning process for several days, especially if you are just mastering this art, because the eye is "blurred", gets tired - there is nothing to worry about. Impact tempos are not suitable for cutting, but for harvesting firewood. In the case of older trees, it is perfectly normal for it to take several seasons to reach the goal.
3. There are no universal recipes. Each tree and even each cut needs an individual approach.
4. Another rule of thumb for pruning fruit trees is always start with sanitary pruning. It is possible that this pruning will be completed before next season.
5. Pruning the crown of fruit trees is a regular activity. If you have started pruning trees and shrubs, you will have to do it year after year.
6. Slices are made per ring or kidney(more often outdoor), and not in an arbitrary place, which is described in more detail in the corresponding section of the article.
7. Another principle of pruning fruit trees is to make the sun's rays penetrate into the middle of the crown. A sparrow should fly through a properly trimmed crown. This is what the pruning masters say. Typical mistake - a thickened crown, in the center of which branches devoid of the sun begin to die off and become an easy prey for pests and diseases. And then the gardener complains - there are many branches, a lot of foliage, and the harvest is small. The fruit growers believe that from the point of view of productivity, a sufficient height and diameter of the crown is 3-3.5 m, only such a volume is well illuminated by the sun, and all "surplus" is unproductive.
8. In the process of pruning fruit trees, remove no more than a quarter of the living branches in one year. Of course, the tree will always try to restore balance and build up the above-ground part, but too radical pruning weakens the tree, can reduce its winter hardiness and even lead to death. Pruning in the "high stump" style, which is often used in cities to combat poplar down, is unacceptable for fruit trees, moreover, it can be disastrous. Plants of the willow family, which include poplar, have many dormant buds and a high shoot-forming ability, so they quickly recover and build up a crown. In fruit trees (all the most common fruit trees belong to the Rosaceae family, with the exception of sea buckthorn from the Loch family), the shoot-forming ability is many times lower.
9. As practice shows, it is necessary to properly cut fruit trees according to the principle "less is more, but better." That is, it is better to remove one large branch than several small ones - it is physically easier for you and easier for the tree. The total area of \u200b\u200bthe cuts is smaller, and it is faster and easier for the tree to heal the wound.
10. If you need to remove at least two large branches located close, it is better to cut one branch into a ring, shorten the other, and finally remove in a year or two. This is especially important when it comes on skeletal branches, large cuts can weaken the tree and dry out the part of the crown above the cuts.
11. Disinfection of the instrument and covering the wounds is mandatory, especially if the tree is not entirely healthy. Ideally, after each cut, the tool is disinfected, and all sections with a diameter of more than 1 cm are covered with garden varnish or similar compounds.

The scheme of pruning fruit trees in the photo

After reviewing general rules pruning fruit trees, it is important to know which branches must be removed.

How to properly prune the branches of fruit trees?

There are 8 types of branches that must be deleted:

A weak branch of two located side by side and going in the same direction:

• Approximate large branches going in the same direction interfere with each other. To make the pruning of a fruit tree properly, you will have to leave only one - which is stronger.
• If the branches are approximately equal in strength and you still need both, you can redirect them, "spread" in different directions by pruning for translation.

Branches that pose a threat to the safety of people and property.

Root growth and all shoots growing below the grafting site :

• Root shoots must be cut out in a timely manner, without waiting for the apple tree to turn into a multi-stem tree

Branches extending from the trunk at an acute angle:

• These are potential fault locations, and the sharper the angle, the more dangerous. Optimal angle the branch of a fruit tree from the trunk is about 60 degrees, the permissible range is -45-80 degrees
• The consequences of sharp corners. Such a huge wound will remain until the end of the tree's life.

Branches directed downward, that is, attached to the trunk at an obtuse angle. The exception is branches of weeping forms:

• Downward branches receive less nourishment and are in poorer lighting conditions. And although at a certain stage, the branches directed downward can give more yield, they die off faster, thicken the crown and are loosely attached to the trunk.
• Sharp corners in the crown. Despite the fact that the branches look strong and durable, a rift can occur at any time

All intersecting branches rubbing against each other or one of them:

• With constant friction of the branches, significant damage is imperceptibly formed
• Interlaced and intersecting branches interfere with each other. They need to be "untwisted" by cutting off one or more branches

Branches growing inside the crown. Weak branches. Tops:

• Weak branches, branches growing inside the crown, several tops. Pruning of such a neglected tree should not be done in a "short time", it is better to stretch it over two or three seasons. And you will avoid many mistakes, and you will have to injure the apple tree less.
• Tops. It is impractical to get rid of all of them, of those that are relatively well located, you can try to form fruiting branches by systematic pruning.

The photo "Pruning fruit trees" shows which branches should be removed:

Fruit tree pruning technology

There are two main methods of pruning fruit trees - pruning (shortening) and cutting (removing). When thinning - removing a certain number of branches - the volume of the crown changes little, but in appearance it becomes more delicate. As a result, the illumination of the crown improves, and, consequently, more generative buds are laid. In many cases, when deleting a branch, you have to think about replacing it. Deleting a large number large branches upset the balance between the aboveground and underground parts, the tree seeks to replenish the lost volume and reacts with rapid growth, most often with the formation of tops, and if the situation gets out of control, then after a couple of seasons the crown will be even more thickened than before pruning. It is wiser to stretch radical thinning over several seasons, or shorten the branches first and then gradually cut them out.

You need to be very careful when pruning fruit trees correctly. The more the shortening, the more branching in the next year. If the tree is prone to branching strongly (it depends on the variety), it is not recommended to shorten it, it is better to cut the whole branch. With a short pruning (approximately 1/3 of the branches removed), few shoots will grow in the upper part. With a strong pruning of fruit trees (1/3 of the branch remains), few shoots are formed in the remaining part of the branch, they will be powerful and will diverge at sharp angles. In most cases, growths less than 40 cm long are not shortened. On the other hand, if it is necessary to stimulate growth, then you have to prune strongly.

Some varieties have long annual increments, but low bud awakening - branching occurs only in the upper part, and the lower buds remain in reserve, as a result the crown becomes "ankle" and bulky. In this case, strong shortening stimulates branching and makes the crown more compact.

Observing the technology of pruning fruit trees, it is important not to overdo it when shortening the shoots from a young tree. Excessive zeal can delay the entry into fruiting - the tree will need to restore the lost shoots, spending a lot of energy on this.

The video "Pruning fruit trees" clearly demonstrates how pruning and cutting of branches is performed:

Tools for pruning fruit trees in the photo

Choosing a tool for pruning fruit trees should be carefully and meticulously, like a cold weapon. A considerable part of the price is the cost of metal, so a quality tool is never cheap. Buy the most expensive one that you can afford to buy. Saving will do more harm than good. A quality pruner cannot cost as much as a kilogram of apples. A hacksaw for pruning, a grafting knife, a pruner must have bright details so that it is easy to find it, leaving it in the grass or in the snow. Another useful detail is the loop that fits around the wrist and prevents the pruner or hacksaw from falling if you accidentally unclench your fingers.

For pruning fruit trees, when choosing a tool for novice gardeners, you can give the following advice: in the store, take the tool in your hand, listen to your feelings - does it fit comfortably in your hand? If not, give up the purchase right away - during the season you will make at least several hundred cuts a day, and you can wipe your hands bloody, working with an inconvenient pruner, in literally ten minutes. If so, move your hand as you would during work, squeeze and unclench the handles several times, make several imaginary cuts on different heights... Did you have the feeling that you were born with this instrument in your hands, that it is an extension of your hand? Take it without hesitation!

Bar Loppers exist for work at height, if there is no possibility or desire to climb stairs. In the recent past, the lopper was put on a stick on the farm and pulled by the rope, now there are comfortable and light telescopic rods... Have modern models you can adjust the angle of installation of the cutting part.

A hacksaw is necessary for working with branches large diameter (Photo)
Hacksaws in the photo

Some hacksaw models may also have a telescopic handle. A hacksaw is necessary for working with large diameter branches. For trimming, you cannot use tools from the arsenal of carpenters and joiners, which are adapted to work with building materials. Hacksaws should be designed for live wood and have smaller teeth, sharpened on both sides, which ensures a smooth cut - and the higher the quality of the cut, the faster it will overgrow. Foldable models are very convenient, besides, they are safer in work and storage. And it is categorically impossible to use a chainsaw for trimming - making an accurate, neat and smooth cut with this worthy unit is absolutely unrealistic, and the cuts made with a chainsaw, in the overwhelming majority of cases, will remain huge non-growing wounds until the end of the tree's life.

You will need a garden knife to clean the cuts. It must be perfectly sharpened - after all, you have to cut wood. Old masters skillfully cut branches with a garden knife, but the pruner for these purposes is much more convenient and safer.

To keep your garden tree pruning equipment lasting, pay attention to it after work. Wipe the blades with a soft cloth, if necessary, lubricate and check the quality of sharpening. Many pruning shears have blades that are removable for easy sharpening. If the pruner is biting into the cut, it is likely that the blade gap needs to be adjusted.

To cover the cuts and wounds, a garden pitch is needed (photo)

To cover the cuts and wounds, you need a garden pitch or similar compositions (for example, Ranet paste). Material costs are small, and you need to make a pitch yourself, as recommended by the old manuals, when current state industry is unnecessary. In extreme cases, you can use oil paint (strictly on natural drying oil, all other substrates will not "stick" to living wood).

The right pruning shear for garden tree crown pruning

Pruner for pruning fruit trees in the photo

The fruit tree pruner is the safest and most convenient tool. It appeared only two hundred years ago, but now it is in the arsenal of every gardener. Some manufacturers claim that they can cut fairly large branches with their pruners - up to 3 cm in diameter, but for a woman's hand this is almost always an impossible task, so it is better to use a hacksaw. A good and properly sharpened tool makes smooth cuts, the pruner equally easily, smoothly and evenly cuts both the branch and the paper (of course, it is more convenient to cut paper with ordinary scissors, but you can make a couple of cuts to check).

There are also pruners for left-handed people, special pruners for florists, for those who practice the art of bonsai, and so on. If you only need one pruner for all occasions, take a look at the versatile models.

If several family members use the same pruner, it makes sense to pay attention to models with adjustable opening widths of the handles (you can turn the adjustment knob only when the pruner is closed!).

Bypass secateurs are the most common curved blade models. They work like scissors. The upper sharp blade is working, cutting, and the lower one is supporting, it is offset relative to the upper one. The pruning shears' blades are designed to minimize damage to plant tissue and are optimal for working with live wood.

Anvil pruning shears are easy to recognize by their straight blades, the working blade falls directly onto the anvil blade like a guillotine knife. They outperform bypass pruners in terms of accuracy, but they gain in strength - they can remove thick branches, and they are optimal for removing dead branches. Some pruning shears have a ratchet mechanism or gear train - they reduce muscular effort and are much easier to work with. The pruner with long handles (including telescopic ones) is convenient for working with thorny bushes.

What else does a gardener need to prune fruit trees

Before properly pruning fruit trees, prepare the following clothing and accessories:

• Comfortable clothes for the weather, which do not restrict movement and do not cling to branches.
• Comfortable, low-heeled shoes with non-slip soles.
• A headdress, preferably with a visor.
• Gardening gloves (knitted or leather) for a tight grip on the tool.
• Goggles or a mask that you use, for example, when working with a saw or lawn mower. They will protect your eyes from accidental movement of branches or sawdust.

Also for pruning fruit trees on summer cottage you need a stepladder that stands firmly on the ground, or a stable and sturdy table.

And last but not least, in such a responsible matter as pruning garden trees with your own hands - this is a reliable assistant!

How to properly prune fruit trees: safety precautions

To comply with safety precautions when pruning fruit trees, the tool must be well sharpened. Paradoxically, when working with a blunt instrument, the likelihood of injury is incomparably higher.

From the moment when at least one of your feet lifts off the ground, you need an assistant who will insure you when you are on the stairs or table, and serve you everything you need. Again, one head is good, two is better.

If the ladder legs dig into the ground, take two wide boards and place a ladder on top of them to reduce the pressure per unit area. Make sure the ladder is stable and level before climbing. Do not neglect this important measure: pruning is a combination of surgery and acrobatics, carried away and reaching for a branch, you risk falling along with the stairs. You cannot use the ladders on which the builders work - the crown of the tree is very fragile, it is not a reliable 'wall of the house.

Make sure you have a bottle of water and medicine close at hand. Keep in mind that when pruning trees, you will have to spend a lot of time with your head thrown back.

When to prune fruit trees in spring, summer and fall: optimal timing

The main rule about when to prune fruit trees and shrubs is to perform this agrotechnical technique at rest, until the crops wake up - then the wounds heal faster and the plants do not sap.

In winter, look closely at the crowns, outline the branches that need to be removed or corrected. After heavy snowfalls, shake off snow from branches to reduce the risk of fractures. Check the condition of the tool, sharpen if necessary.

When to prune fruit trees in spring to avoid damaging crops?

Early spring (before the start of sap flow) is the optimal time for pruning fruit trees. A prerequisite is a positive air temperature, since at temperatures below zero, the properties of wood change - it becomes more fragile and prone to fractures and cracks. The exact date difficult to name, because the weather can shift optimal terms pruning for two to three weeks. Depending on the weather in the middle lane, the pruning season is usually the second half of March - the first half of April. You can also take advantage of the February thaws. But this is a certain risk, since even in March there are severe frosts.

Considering when to prune fruit trees, start with sanitary pruning, then remove any weak, thickening and interfering branches, as well as branches extending from the trunk at an acute angle. In the future, proceed taking into account the purpose of pruning and the characteristics of a particular tree or shrub.

From the beginning of bud opening to full deployment of leaves and the end of flowering, fruit plants are most vulnerable. During this period, it is important to pause: put the pruner and hacksaw aside, admire the flowering. If necessary, you can only deal with sanitary pruning and normalization of flowers and ovaries.

IN summer period pruning is also predominantly sanitary. You can pinch or trim the tips of the young growths if you need to restrict their growth. It is undesirable to cut large branches, wait until spring.

When pruning fruit trees in summer, the tops that appear should be removed. Pinching (pinching) can be carried out when the length of the shoots reaches 1 5-20 cm or they have 5-6 well-developed leaves. If in two or three weeks the axillary buds awaken, then the shoots that have grown from them should be pinched over the 2-3rd leaf.

The beginning of summer is the time for pruning fruit lianas - grapes, actinidia and lemongrass. At an earlier date, they may weaken or even die due to "crying" - large losses during intensive sap flow.

And when to cut trees in the fall, and how advisable is it before the onset of cold weather? In the fall, trees are often cut in the southern regions. After the completion of the leaf fall, formative, rejuvenating and restorative pruning is carried out, but in most of the territory of Russia you will have to wait until spring so as not to risk the life of the trees, since autumn pruning significantly reduces the winter hardiness of the tree. But even in the southern regions better in autumn remove only old and weak branches, and form the remaining better in spring... It is recommended to leave the protective links - hemp 20-30 cm long, and in the spring to complete the pruning and make a cut in the right and right place.

In late autumn, if possible, remove and destroy all mummified fruits remaining on the branches and leaves left after leaf fall. Pathogens overwinter in them, which are activated with the arrival of spring heat.

Before shelter, at above-zero temperatures, you can cut off the grapes.

All year round, as needed, only sanitary pruning is carried out and branches that threaten the health and safety of people and the safety of property are removed. If, for example, you find a dried branch affected by cytosporosis on an apple tree in the middle of summer, do not wait until spring. In this case, it is necessary to shift the timing of pruning fruit trees so that the spores of the fungus do not scatter throughout the garden. Sanitary pruning is often “first aid” —for example, a rift with a gaping open wound — in which case it is also unwise to postpone it.

Sanitary pruning of fruit trees - this is the removal (cutting) of diseased and damaged branches, forming - the formation of a strong crown of a young tree in order to obtain high yields and ease of care.

Supporting (regulating) type of pruning of fruit trees - this is a limitation of the dimensions of the tree (shortening or pruning of branches), prevention of thickening of the crown, preservation of the ability for regular fruiting, thinning (normalization) of flowers and ovaries.

Formative pruning of fruit trees Is creation decorative forms from trees on dwarf rootstocks using a frame and by means of repeated pruning (cordons, palmettes, volumetric forms).

Anti-aging pruning of fruit trees - this is the return of the ability to grow by significantly shortening the branches in places where the length of the annual growth was optimal.

Regenerative pruning of fruit trees - this is the rejuvenation of old trees, the restoration of the ability to bear fruit, a decrease in the height of the tree, the restoration of a tree after severe damage, the formation of a crown or its part from tops.

These photos show you how to prune fruit trees in various ways:

Sanitary pruning of fruit trees in the photo

Anti-aging pruning of fruit trees in the photo

Additional ways to prune fruit trees

There are other techniques for regulating growth, fruiting and crown formation. These are methods that replace or are used in addition to pruning fruit trees.

Kerbovka banding, fruit belt Are special, additional ways to control the tree's traffic flows. Kerbovka is a rarely used technique, its essence lies in the removal of a small piece of bark above a bud or annual branch in order to stimulate their growth. Kidney Blinding - Removing the buds before shoots develop. Pinching (pinching) - removal of the tops of young green growths. Pinching and pulling out young shoots is also sometimes called green operations because they are performed with growing shoots.

In some cases, instead of pruning, it is advisable to fold back the branches. In the spring, at the beginning of shoot growth, the branches give the desired position and fix. To prevent the rope or wire from cutting into the bark, planks or pieces of rubber are placed. At the end of summer, the fixation is removed and, if necessary, repeated in the next season.

In practice, several types of trimming are usually combined to one degree or another.

A young tree has only growth processes. In a fruit-bearing tree, a certain balance is established between fruiting and growth, with age, growth processes diminish, the tree is overloaded with harvest, sheds a lot of ovaries, since it cannot "feed" them due to exhaustion. Anti-aging pruning helps to restore the lost balance.

The removal and shortening of branches is carried out according to strictly defined rules. Cutting in the style “as God puts it on your soul” is completely unacceptable. If the cut is made incorrectly or in the wrong place, then the wound may heal for a long time or not at all, and in the most unfortunate cases, cause the death of the tree. In other cases, when one branch is removed, a whole "bouquet" grows in the same place.

Plants have a wonderful ability to heal wounds. Wounds are healed thanks to the wound meristem - educational tissue that occurs at the site of any damage, from which all other tissues are then formed. If the cut is made too low, then the place where the wound meristem should form is removed, and the cut will take longer to grow. Too large a "stump" is also bad: it will still dry out and become an easy prey and a source of infection, after a few years a hollow may form in place of the hemp, and rot will spread throughout the tree. Nature does not tolerate "dead ends" in the plant organism, this is contrary to the anatomy and physiology of plants, therefore the cut is always done in such a way as to "redirect traffic flows" to another branch.

That is, it is performed either on the kidney, or for translation, that is, with the help of a pruner, the excess is removed and the growth of the branch is transferred to strong branches growing in the direction we need. You can compare the sap flow of a tree with the flow of water through a system of canals - where the water is running, it is clean and transparent, and in nooks and dead ends, where the water is stagnant, decay processes begin.

Watch the video on how to prune fruit trees in order to better understand the technology for doing this work: