Prune pruning in spring: tips, outline and recommendations

Since in the territory of most of our countrydue to climatic conditions, the possibilities of growing fruits are severely limited, gardeners with special attention and trepidation refer to apple, pear, cherry and plum trees. To make them happy with good harvests, they need a thorough care, including pruning of branches.

Why selectively remove the branches of the plum

With natural growth, these trees often exhibit negative phenomena. Among them:

• formation of a fork and fracture of large branches;
• the appearance of tops on young trees inside the crown, as a result of frost damage to the wood of skeletal branches, which leads to its excessive thickening;
• cessation of the resumption of new fruit wood;
• early denudation of branches, because the fruit twigs are short-lived and often freeze;
• the occurrence of frostbites in the acute angles of the branching of large branches.

Pruning a young plum in the spring

This procedure should be started immediatelyAfter the threat of severe frost disappears. The correct pruning of the plum in spring should be carried out at the stage of seedlings. The fact is that the roots of the plum, regardless of the variety, are hardy, so they are quickly restored, and in the first year the trees are stretched up and give a strong branching. Thus, the answer to the question of whether pruning plums in the spring after planting is acceptable is yes. The only warning - you should not get too involved, as you can remove the necessary shoots.

How to produce

Pruning in the spring (the diagram is shown in the photo below) is made as follows:

• the lower branch is shortened to the level of a good kidney, for which the upper part is cut off, where the underdeveloped are;
• all branches, except the conductor, are cut to the level of the bottom cut;
• cut the conductor so that it is approximately 25 cm higher than all the other branches, if you want to give the crown a pyramidal shape, or lower - to form a sprawling but sparse crown;
• continue to form the skeleton of the crown, pruning branches that grow in the wrong direction, either stronger, or tilting them so that they take a semi-skeletal position;
• repeat these actions until all branches of the emerging crown of the plum tree are laid.

Prune the old plum in the spring

Selection of the main, so-called skeletal branchescan be completed by 5-6 years. Then you need to wait 2-3 years. Then it is necessary to cut the conductor at a height of about 2-2.5 m above the side branch, although often by this time it itself deviates naturally. From this time, it is necessary to produce forming pruning, which is to protect the crown of the plum from the formation of forks and thickening. For this purpose, only branches cut at a small angle are cut out, and the center of the tree is kept open. Also, in order to limit the growth of the plum tree in height, periodically translate into a lateral fork, thereby contributing to the growth of the crown in breadth.

How to form a crown depending on the variety

Plum pruning in spring should be carried out withtaking into account many factors. Among them is the type of the tree. In particular, those of them that bear fruit on short fruit branches (spurts), eventually acquire a powerful crown. For example, "zyuzin" plums should be formed on a sparse-tiered system, leaving the distance between the branches larger and ensuring the subordination of secondary branches to the conductor. With regard to varieties such as Skorospelka red, Sparkle or Timiryazev's Memory, in which fetal growth buds are lateral buds, their crowns are shaped by an improved bush system. It allows you to leave smaller distances between the two skeletal branches. Varieties of Skorospel red or Spark and the like require shortening only increments over 70 cm long. For this, pruning with undeveloped buds is performed.

How the rejuvenating procedure of a part of the branches affects the yield

Pruning can affect the amountfruits that grow on the sink during the season. In particular, in Stepnyachka and Kulundinskaya varieties, obtained from Karzinskaya plum, shortening of all branches often leads to a significant decrease in yield. However, at the same time, Chumalskaya, Ponikla, Altai jubilee plum does not change this parameter.

But rejuvenating pruning is absolutely necessary for Siberian varieties, which by the seventh year are aging, and their yield is sharply reduced.

When to produce

Gardeners believe that the most effectiveis prune plums in spring. Do this as soon as possible, at least until the beginning of the sap flow. However, too, should not be too hasty, since frosts (below -10 degrees) can damage the wounds and lead to the weakening of the tree as a whole. Sometimes due to the circumstances, pruning is carried out in summer or autumn. In the first case, we must try to ensure that the procedure was carried out not later than the beginning of July, and in the second - not later than the end of September. In this case, the autumn procedure can dry the tree, so it should be done after consultation with specialists. In winter, pruning is prohibited, as it can only do harm.

How to trim

Removing unnecessary shoots of plum trees in different periods of their development has its own peculiarities, therefore, in order to avoid mistakes, one should heed some tips of experienced gardeners:

• when the crown is at the initial stage of formation, a strong pruning of the plum in the spring is not recommended, it is better to limit the laying of the main branches;
• in varieties with weak branching, excess shoots up to 50 cm long are removed, and in varieties with a strong shoot up to 60 cm;
• after the tree begins to bear fruit in full, the pruning of the plum in spring should be done by the method "on a branch" - at a height of 3 meters;
• the most suitable form for the crown - in the form of a bowl,to obtain it, it is necessary to select 3 branches with an angle of 120 degrees between the two neighboring branches during its bookmarking period and to perform their removal by step along the trunk (approximately 50 cm).

Pruning of a column-shaped plum

Sometimes the size of the garden plot does not allowto grow a tree with a sprawling crown. In such cases, a good solution would be to plant a column-shaped plum, on which the fruits grow not on branches, but along the trunk. Since in this case the lateral branches do not promote fruit bearing, they can and should be cut off. This is done in a special way. At the same time, it is not recommended to touch the central conductor. The only exception is when it does not grow very well. Then the conductor should be cut to 2-3 kidneys. In fairness, it must be said that prune pruning in spring, when it comes to a columnar tree, is almost not used, since with a healthy upper kidney a single main shoot develops every year, continuing the guide. Problems can arise if the winter was severe, and it was damaged by frost. Then with the onset of warm days on the plum choose 1-3 additional shoots. A gardener needs to leave one that is the most developed, and cut off unnecessary ones. It should be done at a length of 15-20 cm. Moreover, these quality young shoots should not be discarded, since they can be used for inoculation.

Healing of wounds

Any pruning of plums in the spring (photo process is lessinformative than schemes) leaves wounds on the trees. If you do not cover them, the stem will dry up to great depths or even defeat white rot. Particular attention should be paid to wood, which was exposed to severe frost for a short time. As a putty, asphalt varnish, petrolatum and nigrolic putty, which accelerates the healing of wounds, are well suited. If you do not care for them, then gum will be observed. This unpleasant pathology plum suffers quite often due to the proximity of groundwater, with excess manure fertilization, and also if it grows on dry lean sands or overly moistened clays.

Now you know how to trim prunesin the spring. The scheme of this procedure at different stages of tree development is shown in the photo presented above. Using it, you can easily form a crown of a shape that will promote a better plum bearing and increase its yield.