A step-by-step guide for beginner gardeners: how to prune apricots correctly in spring
Apricot is a fruit tree of the Plum genus of the Pink family. The harvest of juicy and soft fruits is harvested from each tree for 30-40 years. Fruits contain magnesium, potassium, iron, vitamins A and group B, are useful for anemia, anemia, heart and vascular diseases, improve digestion, have a beneficial effect on vision, increase hemoglobin levels.
Like all fruit trees, this crop requires proper care, including spring pruning. We will tell you how to properly cut apricots in the spring so that they give a rich harvest.
The content of the article
Purposes of Spring Apricot Pruning
Spring pruning rejuvenates and refines the apricot tree... Old dry branches prevent it from developing, insect pests settle under the bark, which cause irreparable harm to the plant.
Pruning forms the crown of the tree, but its most important task is to increase yields.
Advantages and disadvantages of conducting procedures in the spring
Key benefits of pruning in spring:
- stimulation of early ripening of fruits;
- increasing the frost resistance of the tree;
- correct crown development.
The only drawback of this procedure is that when it is carried out, the plant begins to wake up early and bloom. If you do not have time to carry out all the stages of care in time, there will be no good harvest.
What will happen if you do not cut the apricot
You cannot ignore plant pruning... The crown will grow strongly, fruiting will be early, but after 3-4 years the condition of the tree and the quality of the crop will deteriorate. The branches will grow long and thin, begin to break under the weight of the fruits, they will begin to shrink and lose their taste.
When to prune in spring
The manipulation is carried out during the period of the least activity of the tree, until the sap flow has begun... For this, a stable positive air temperature must be established.
Important! If you remove too many branches, the tree dies, so pruning is done in moderation.
In the southern regions, the procedure is carried out at the first warming (in the first decade of March), in regions where the climate is unstable - in early April, in the northern regions - not earlier than the second half of the month.
Auspicious days
Plants are affected by lunar cycles, therefore, many gardeners adhere to the recommendations of the lunar calendar. Apricots are cut during the waning moon, in its third and fourth phases.
Auspicious days for pruning in March: 3, 4, 11, 18, 19, 22, 23, 28, 29. In April: 1, 4, 5, 14, 15.
Types of trimming
Apricots are pruned in different ways depending on their age.... Distinguish between forming, rejuvenating and regulating pruning.
Formative
The procedure is carried out to form a powerful and well-lit crown, stimulating the growth of branches. Mainly young trees form until they have entered the fruiting period. For plants that are more than 5 years old, this procedure is not carried out.
Anti-aging
This method applies to old trees., in which there is a reduction in the growth rate of shoots in order to extend their fruiting period.
Regulatory
This type of pruning is used for mature fruiting trees.... It is carried out to maintain an optimal ratio of fruit branches and deciduous ones. Trees are thinned out by removing 1-2 large branches in the middle of the crown, lower lateral shoots and shoots on the trunk.
To clean trees from dry, frozen and diseased branches, sanitary pruning is carried out in the spring.
How to prune an apricot
Pruning looks difficult for novice gardeners, but if you know the rules and order of the procedure, then it is easy to cope with it.
Required materials and tools
You will need special tools to trim apricots... In order not to harm the tree, they must be well sharpened and disinfected with a 1% solution of copper sulfate in order to avoid the spread of diseases.
Required tools:
secateurs for removing small shoots;- lopper for pruning tall branches;
- garden saw for cutting powerful branches;
- file for cleaning saw cut places;
- sharpening tool.
Also use a special paste to disinfect the slices ("RanNet", "Farmayod", "Zhivitsa") and garden pitch for their closure.
Step-by-step instructions and pruning schemes
Different pruning methods are used for trees of different ages.
Pruning young trees
The basis for the crown of the tree is laid when planting seedlings... The ground section is shortened to a maximum of 80 cm in height. If there are shoots on the seedling, they are shortened by 1/3 of the length. During the first 4 years, the crown continues to form.
Sparse-tiered crown shape
In the 1st year, the trunk of the seedling is cut to 1/4 of the lengthleaving 2 skeletal branches on opposite sides. 2-3 branches should remain on the branches.
The next year, these 2 main branches shorten... The crown should have 5-6 skeletal branches 50-60 cm long. For 3 years, the length of the skeletal branches is cut to 30 cm.
Note! Semi-skeletal processes in such a crown should be spaced at intervals of up to 50 cm. Weak lateral shoots are pinched until they get stronger.
Bowl shape
In the 1st year, plants in one tier choose 5 main branchesgrowing in different directions. All other shoots are removed.
At 2, 3 and 4 years, these branches are shortened to 40-50 cm from the main trunk. Young shoots on the trunk are removed to form rosette bifurcation.
Reference! Each tier is formed shorter than the previous one.
When the crown takes the shape of a bowl, the central trunk is cut off.
Leader form
This is an arbitrary crown shape... Branches are formed evenly along the length of the entire trunk at equal distances.
In the 5th year of life, the plants are cut off the central trunk.... Such a tree has an average height and a thin crown, which makes harvesting easier. Young shoots are cut off at least 0.5 cm from the buds.
Pruning mature trees
Mature trees are regulated by yields... For this, the growth of young shoots is provided. First, 1-2 side branches are shortened. In strongly branching trees, 5 cm long knots are left, in weakly branching trees - 15 cm.
The next year, the strongest shoot is cut to 10 cm... Other shoots are shortened by 1/3 of the length. During the season, fruit branches with flower buds are formed on them, and new shoots are formed on the knots.
The next year, the fruit is harvested from the branches. Once harvested, they are trimmed to the lowest bifurcation.
Pruning old trees
Older trees have their fruit-bearing capacity extended with anti-aging pruning. The procedure is performed every 10 years.
On skeletal branches, secondary shoots are cut off, after which new ones begin to form. Among them, fertile branches are chosen, and all others are removed.
During the growth period of young shoots, excess growth is thinned out... 2-3 skeletal branches are removed at a distance of 30-40 cm from the main trunk. When shoots form on them, the most powerful branch is left, the rest are removed.
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Features of the procedure in different regions of cultivation
Abundance of apricot varieties allows you to grow them in different regions... Special climatic conditions require a different approach to growing and pruning.
It is easier to cultivate apricots in the southern regions, Crimea, Kuban, Ukraine.
In the middle lane and Siberia, where the climate is more severe, the requirements for crop care are stricter. The main difference between regions is in pruning timing. The warmer the climate, the earlier pruning is done.
In the southern regions, spring pruning is complemented by summer. The procedure is carried out in the third decade of June. A prerequisite for summer pruning is abundant watering.
Many gardeners in Siberia and other regions, where severe winters prevail, recommend not carrying out the procedure in the fall in order to prevent freezing. For the same purpose, branches are not cut under the base.
Nuances for columnar apricot
Columnar apricot is called for its appearance.: the tree has practically no side branches, and the fruits are located along the entire length of the main trunk. The fruits themselves are fragrant and large.
To trim the columnar apricot, the main shoot is shortened to 90 cm... Leave 2-3 branches directed upward. Half of them are cut off. Lateral shoots are annually shortened to 20 cm, leaving at least 3 buds on each.
Dried branches and without ovaries are removed. Plants are pruned in autumn, in October, and in spring, at the end of March.
Care after pruning
Trees require special care after the procedure:
- The cut points must be covered with garden pitch. If the surfaces of the slices are large, they are disinfected with a solution of copper sulfate.
- They monitor the moisture content of the soil, preventing drying out.
- To provide oxygen access to the roots, the trunk circle is loosened.
- To restore and adapt trees, nitrogen fertilizers are applied under the trunk.
Conclusion
Spring pruning of apricot trees is a must. It is carried out to increase the yield and improve the health of the tree. For plants of different ages, they apply their own pruning methods, taking into account the climatic conditions of the region. If the procedure is carried out in a timely manner and in accordance with all the rules, the tree will bear fruit abundantly, and the quality of the fruit will improve.