A step-by-step guide to pruning sea buckthorn in the fall
Sea Buckthorn is a powerful shrub with thorny branches that is planted for the sourish berries of bright orange color. It can grow up to 6m in height if left uncut. The branches are also prone to overgrowing and tangling - it is difficult to harvest in such thickets, so sea buckthorn needs constant pruning.
A step-by-step guide on how to make it in the fall, as well as the nuances of pruning, will be discussed in the article.
The content of the article
Why prune sea buckthorn in autumn
Harvesting sea buckthorn berries is a painstaking process that is difficult due to the height of the bush. One of the main tasks of cutting sea buckthorn in autumn is the formation of an open crown, its reduction, and easier access to the crop.
The trim functions are as follows:
- maintains plant health;
- prevents diseases caused by thickening of the branches;
- improves appearance;
- regulates productivity;
- prolongs life.
What happens if you don't
If pruning is not carried out in a timely manner, then, in addition to the difficulties in harvesting, the overgrown sea buckthorn will look untidy, root growth will appear around the trunk. Without pruning, the plant will not receive enough light, so it will ache and produce small berries.
Types of trimming
There are several types of trimming - let's consider each in more detail.
Formative
To give the sea buckthorn the shape of a tree or a bush, from the first year of life it is subjected to formative pruning, which is done annually throughout the life of the plant.
Regulatory pruning of sea buckthorn
Held annually, keeps the crown neat, includes thinning and lightening.
Anti-aging
Rejuvenating pruning is necessary to restore the fruiting of an aging bush, carried out on adult plants over seven years old. Stimulates the growth of young healthy shoots.
Old non-bearing branches are replaced with lateral shoots. Choose the strongest of them, growing on the outside of the bush, and replace them with up to three old branches.
Timing of pruning
Autumn pruning is carried out after harvest, when the sap flow of the plant slows down. Approximate terms - from the beginning of leaf fall to frost. Do it on a dry sunny day.
By pruning immediately after picking the berries, you can notice diseased and dried out, poorly fruiting branches, which are immediately removed. Plentifully fruiting shoots are also noted, on the basis of which the further formation of the bush is carried out.
Attention! Watch out for the sea buckthorn as it ripens. If you notice branches with lightening and falling fruits, cut them out immediately, otherwise the disease will spread and destroy the bush.
How to properly prune sea buckthorn in autumn
Cut out excess growth at soil level. Dig up carefully and cut into a ring where the growth is growing.
Attention! Sea buckthorn is painful to any violation of the root system and can dry out.
Gardeners make sure that the crown does not thicken. First cut dry, broken and severely sagging branches. If the crown remains poorly translucent, some of the strong branches are cut out, giving thickening.
Cut branches that have stopped growing and have become less fruitful. Replace them with new ones based on strong, even topping branches. The plant is rejuvenated gradually, several branches annually.
If the tree is badly damaged, they cut it down to the root and form a new one from the undergrowth. The strong roots of the sea buckthorn remaining in the soil will allow the new tree to grow quickly and begin bearing fruit in the third year.
Required materials and tools
For the procedure, you will need a garden pruner for cutting thin branches, a garden saw for thicker branches and a garden knife for making bevel cuts. A lopper and a ladder will be needed for a tall tree.
Sea buckthorn wood is brittle, therefore they use high-quality tools, pre-sharpened. Before pruning, tools are treated with a disinfectant solution to prevent infection.
Read also:
How to prune carrots for winter storage and why you need it.
Why cut the onion when planting before winter and whether it needs to be done.
Schemes
The pruning scheme in the fall is quite simple. It doesn't matter whether it is formed by a bush or a tree - in the fall, all damaged, diseased and dried branches are cut out.
From the seventh or ninth year, anti-aging pruning is carried out, which will improve the crown and increase yields. In this case, a complete replacement of skeletal branches is carried out once every several years.
Pruning instruction
Procedure:
- Remove any shoots growing inside the bush. They worsen the illumination, can cause poor ventilation, which causes fungal infections, and yields are reduced.
- Shorten the side shoots a little bit, otherwise there will be no harvest next season - flower buds are laid on them.
- Cut old and diseased branches into a ring (without stumps).
- Disinfect the sections with copper or iron sulfate. When the wound dries up, treat with garden varnish or oil paint on linseed oil. Alternative - preparations "RanNet", "Blago Sad".
Sea buckthorn does not tolerate simultaneous multiple pruning, since the cuts heal slowly due to the peculiarities of the wood composition. Healing a large number of wounds may not be within her reach.
How to form sea buckthorn
The form does not affect fruiting and has an exclusively decorative function.
Depending on preferences, the plant is formed in two ways:
- Wood (on the trunk). A decorative way to form sea buckthorn, which saves space on the site. The plant grown in this way is durable and beautifies the garden. Some sea buckthorn varieties are genetically tree-like. These are tall plants, therefore the growth process is controlled by shortening the central trunk at the desired height and carrying out a regulatory crown pruning.
- The bush. The simplest form - the three strongest shoots are left at the sea buckthorn seedling, and the rest are removed. The left skeletal branches are shortened to a height of about 25 cm from the soil surface. On own-rooted sea buckthorn, shoots can be formed that have grown from the root, shortening all shoots to a height of 20 cm from the soil.
In the future, caring for the formed tree or bush consists in maintaining the resulting shape and transparency of the crown.
Features of the procedure for pruning sea buckthorn, depending on the region
The main thing in autumn pruning is to do it 2-3 weeks before frost, so that the plant has time to prepare for winter. In northern regions with harsh winters in the fall, it is advisable to carry out only sanitary pruning, removing damaged and diseased branches if necessary.
It is better to postpone other types of pruning until spring, so as not to weaken the plant before winter frosts.
Is it possible to cut the top of the tree
Sea buckthorn grows rapidly upward, so the top is cut off several times during the life of the tree.
In the first year, to form a bush, remove the top, leaving 5 buds. Starting from the fourth year of sea buckthorn growth, in order to reduce the growth in height, the upper part is cut annually to the height of a three-year-old tree.
It is interesting. A low, compact crown can be formed without cutting off the top.To do this, bend the top of the young sea buckthorn to the ground and fix it in this position. Over time, dormant buds will awaken along the length of the bent trunk, shoots will grow from them, forming a lush crown.
Is it possible to cut branches with berries
You can not cut the branches of the sea buckthorn along with the berries ripened on them, if you remove them not because of a plant disease. Otherwise, the next season can be left without a crop.
Important! Since flower buds are laid on the growth of the current year, sea buckthorn will bear fruit on the growth of last year.
Care after pruning
Sea buckthorn is a plant that is not too demanding to care for. If the pruning is done according to the rules and the sections are processed, it is enough to whitewash the trunk with lime, apply fertilizers - 35 g of superphosphate and potassium sulfate per 12 liters of water. In spring, sea buckthorn is fed with organic matter: 0.5 buckets of rotted manure per 1 m².
It is interesting:
Instructions for pruning chokeberry in the fall.
Why do you need pruning grapes in the fall and how to carry it out correctly.
How to properly prune an apricot in the fall and why you need it.
Conclusion
Autumn pruning of sea buckthorn is a responsible and laborious task. But this procedure is necessary for the plant to be healthy and bear fruit abundantly. A beautifully formed sea buckthorn bush covered with bright orange berries will decorate the site.
If you form sea buckthorn correctly, it will delight you with a rich harvest of useful berries and a pleasant appearance.