What apple tree seedlings should be like. Proper pruning of young apple trees. Experience of leading gardeners One-year-old apple tree seedling how to prune

How to choose the right apple tree seedling? Consider, using examples, the selection of seedlings for your site, what to look for when choosing a seedling.

To obtain a bountiful harvest of fragrant apples, the garden must be periodically updated by planting seedlings of productive and new varieties.

Always buy only varieties that are regionalized in a given area; they will do well in this climate and will overwinter well. Choose varieties from local nurseries.

What types of seedlings are there?

Seedlings are grown using two methods: by winter grafting and by budding.

Both are on sale. With winter grafting there are seedlings with a closed root system, and with budding - only with an open root system.

Budding or eye grafting- method of grafting fruit and ornamental plants a single bud taken from a cutting of a cultivated variety. The established bud begins to grow in the spring of next year, from this shoot a tree or bush is formed, which is transplanted to a permanent place.

At winter vaccination the escape cultivated plant grafted onto the stem or bark system of another, often uncultivated plant.

The secret of growing seedlings is that seedlings with winter grafting are grown 1 year faster than seedlings with budding.

When purchasing a seedling with budding, it is usually at least two years old.

Selecting a seedling for planting

Before choosing a seedling for your plot, you need to be guided by the following principles:

Look at how the seedling is propagated, on what rootstock

What is the thickness of the bole? Using a caliper, measure the thickness of the bole 5 cm above the graft. Strong-growing - 1-1.2 cm, medium-growing - 1-1.1 cm, low-growing - 0.9-1 cm.

Measure the height of the seedling from the ground level with a ruler. Strong-growing - 110-130 cm, medium-growing - 100-120 cm, low-growing - 100-110 cm.

Number of side branches – maybe 3-5 side branches.

It is necessary to take into account the parameter from the ground to the first branch (the first side branch) - this distance should be from 40 to 60 cm. If the branch is lower, then the lower branches will have to be cut off.

How to choose an apple tree seedling?

According to the ripening period, apple trees are divided into the following types:

Summer– fruiting occurs in August, they are not stored for long, about 10 days. These varieties are Bely Naliv, Grushovka, Medunitsa.

Autumn– ripen in September and are stored for a month. These are varieties such as Koreanka, Melba, Borovinka.

Winter– fruiting at the end of September, beginning of October. Such varieties can be stored for a long time, up to 6 months. The following varieties of apple trees are popular: Welsey, Antonovka, Bogatyr, Moskovskoye Zimneye.

Depending on the rootstock, apple tree seedlings can be divided into three types:

Vigorous– tree height from 4 to 8 meters with deep roots. Areas for such apple trees should have a groundwater level below 3 m.

Semi-dwarf– tree height up to 5 meters with a root system of 2-2.5 m. The groundwater level should be 2.5 m from the surface.

Dwarf– with tree heights up to 2.5 meters. Such seedlings are planted if the groundwater level in the area is above 1.5 m.

Attention: Contact of the roots of an apple tree with groundwater weakens the tree, impairs fruiting and increases the risk of diseases.

When choosing a variety, pay attention to the taste of the fruit. Apple trees may be self-pollinating or may require a pollinator.

The younger the seedling, the better it will take root. Annual seedling does not have developed branches, takes root well, is better amenable to crown formation, but begins to bear fruit later.

Two-year-old seedling It already has 2-3 additional branches, they take root well, but it is more difficult to form a crown.

Three-year-old seedlings, this is an already formed tree, they take root less well.

Pay attention to the stem and roots of the plant when choosing - there should be no growths or damage. Stem under the bark bright green. The roots should not be rotten or brittle.

Strong branched roots with a small amount of fibrous ones - this means the plant was grown from a seed. From seed rootstock a tall tree will grow that will bear fruit for 30 years or more, but you will get the first harvest in 5-7 years. Such trees are highly adaptable, disease resistant and easy to care for.

Clonal rootstock has a fibrous root system. A bountiful harvest from such rootstocks is obtained in a short time.

How not to make a mistake when choosing a seedling?

Apple tree seedlings can be sold in containers or with an open root system. Exposed roots should be kept moist and wrapped in a damp cloth.

In the container, the roots must master the soil mixture; it should not crumble if such a seedling is removed from the container.

The correct choice of apple tree seedling will allow you to obtain a bountiful harvest of apples for 15-20 years.

Video - How to choose the right apple tree seedling

Pruning a tree is practically the only way to care for it. Moreover, both newly planted seedlings and old trees are subject to it. Despite the fact that this method of care is the most common, it is also the most difficult.

Properly prune apple trees in early spring, before the start of the growing season. As for the seedlings, they begin to be pruned the following spring after planting. Then the procedure is repeated every year. Thanks to this care, you can correctly form the crown of a growing tree. The correct crown is the key to a bountiful harvest.

When pruning old trees, first of all, properly clean them of dry and broken branches. Then the branches are cut to better illuminate the tree with the sun, and thus form the correct crown. It is worth remembering that you cannot cut too many branches from one tree in one year. If you overdo it, the apple tree may dry out.

Tools

For proper and easy work we will need:

garden saw;
lopper for branches that are difficult to reach;
garden knife;
pruner

Garden saw

This tool is used to work with branches that exceed 2-3 cm in diameter. For pruning apple trees, choose a small, high-quality saw. It should leave a neat and thin cut. The alignment of the teeth must be correct so that there are no burrs left when cutting. In this case, the cut will tighten quickly and evenly. Ideal option it will be small light saw with a comfortable handle and good sharpening.

Lopper for branches

A lopper is no different from a secateur, except for the elongated handles. This device makes it easy and convenient to work from a height. The purpose of the lopper is also to reach hard-to-reach shoots. The tool can cope with branches with a diameter of 1.5-2.5 cm. If you can overpay, then it is better to give preference to a more expensive tool. The quality, and therefore the possibilities for such acquisition, will be much greater.

Garden knife

This simple tool is also designed for pruning trees, namely young branches and shoots. It is also used for cleaning wounds on trees and for other garden work. This knife has a comfortable handle and a very sharp and durable blade.

Secateurs

The most popular and widely used tool for gardening. Designed for cutting branches with a diameter of up to 2-2.5 cm. It can also remove overgrowth and dry branches. If you properly care for your pruning shears, they will become an indispensable gardener's assistant for many years.

Instructions

Pruning after planting

Trees should begin pruning the following spring after planting. It is important to do this before the buds of the young tree begin to swell. . The first procedure is carried out so that the roots of the seedling can provide the above-ground part of the plant with nutrients in the first year. You can also use it to remove defects in the crown of a planted apple tree.

Annual seedlings

As a rule, such a tree does not yet have branches. It is cut at a height of 80-100 cm above the ground. If there are branches, then first all shoots that are at a height of 50-70 cm from the ground are removed. Then you need to remove the shoots located at an acute angle to the trunk. Removal is carried out so that no more than 5 and no less than 3 buds remain, counting from the base of the branch.

1. Trimming annual seedling apple trees 2. Pruning an annual branched seedling

The upper part of the trunk is also shortened. It should not protrude more than 20 cm from the trimmed lateral processes. It is correct to remove not all shoots that are at an acute angle to the trunk. Some of them need to be stretched and secured with a spacer. Thus, the angle of departure becomes greater and it grows more firmly to the trunk.

Two-year-old seedlings

Two-year-old apple tree seedlings are small and have only a few side shoots. They need to be pruned in the same way as annuals that have branches. But there are also nuances. Leave 3 to 5 strong branches growing at wide angles. They will become the skeleton of the future tree.

Two-year-old apple tree seedling: 1. Before and 2. After pruning

The remaining remaining branches, which also have a wide angle, are shortened so that they grow in tiers. The bottom tier will be the widest. Its length should be no more than 30 cm. Further less and less until we reach the trunk. It also needs to be shortened by analogy with an annual tree.

Three year old trees

This is already the third spring that the young apple tree has welcomed in our garden. Now she needs pruning in the second tier. The branches need to be shortened 10-15 cm higher than the accepted length of the tier. The growths of skeletal branches are also pruned. They are shortened 10 cm below their top, and you can also leave a few skeletal branches of the second order. It is also advisable to shorten them a little.

Tree pruning in the third year

In the spring of the third year, all competing branches of the main conductor (trunk) and conductors of skeletal branches are also removed. The growths on them, as well as the growths at their base, are also removed. Formations such as spears, ringlets, fruit twigs, spurs, mixed and bouquet branches need to be left to develop naturally.

Four year olds

In the fourth year, the central conductor is shortened by approximately 1/4 or 1/3, and the remaining one-year part should not exceed 60 cm in length. The branches of the first tier, which still have an acute angle, are also removed and transferred. It must be remembered that the angle of departure should be within 40-60 degrees. Also, similar to the third year, pruning is carried out and the formation of the second tier of skeletal branches continues.

Tree pruning in the fourth year

This spring, the first thinning is carried out, during which all annual shoots longer than 70 cm are removed. The remaining shoots are shortened and turned into semi-skeletal branches.

Five year olds

In the fifth year, the trees finish forming their crowns. But until this happens, another mandatory pruning needs to be done. A good branch with a wide angle of departure from the trunk is selected, which is 40-50 cm above the second tier. Then it is shortened by 1/3 or 1/4 of its length. Also, if necessary, increase the angle of departure of the skeletal branches of the first and second tiers.

Five-year-old apple tree: 1. Before and 2. After pruning

If possible, leave the third skeletal branch in the first tier, and the first in the second. Further formation of the crown and its thinning are carried out by analogy with last year. It must be remembered that the formation of the crown is completed only in the sixth year. But first, when pruning the tree for the sixth spring, another skeletal branch is isolated in the second tier. Now all that remains is to thin out the crown every spring and remove unnecessary shoots.

Old apple trees

Old apple trees are also pruned in early spring, before the buds on the tree swell. The first thing you need to pay attention to is dry, rotten, broken and bark-affected branches. We remove them at the very beginning. Then unpromising skeletal branches should be cut off. You should also not leave shoots that grow inside the crown or duplicate it. Also, if necessary, you can thin out the crown and make it more symmetrical.

Pruning old apple trees: 1. Before and 2. After pruning

Start pruning with the largest branches, and then move on to smaller ones. Hacksaw cuts with a diameter of more than 3 cm must be covered with garden paste and putty. Rannet is well suited for these purposes. It is strictly not recommended to cover the cuts with paint or garden varnish.. They only slow down the tightening of the cuts.

Important! The correct way to prune apple trees is in the spring. During this period, the cuts tighten very quickly.

Video

To protect fruit trees from death in harsh winters, they are grafted onto standard and skeleton-forming plants. The variety used as a standard and skeleton-former must be winter-hardy, vigorous, so that the annual plant can be crowned at the required height, with a strong crown skeleton that can withstand a large load of the crop, with strong angles (60-70°) of skeletal branches, have good compatibility with the scion.
The Sharopai variety meets all these requirements for an apple tree, and Tema for a pear. Sharopai is well compatible even with indicator varieties - Papirovka and Babushkino, which are characterized by poor compatibility with some rootstocks. It is better to use Antonovka vulgare seedlings as a rootstock for growing standard and skeleton-forming apple trees. Sharopai is grafted onto this seedling by budding in the summer or cuttings in the spring. After the annual grafted with Sharopay is obtained, the required variety is grafted at a height of 110-130 cm ( rice. 19). This height will protect against low temperatures on the soil surface. In the future, the crown will be formed from the grafted cuttings. To increase the winter hardiness of the standard-former, the shoots that appear on the standard for the first two to three years do not need to be cut out, but only pinched over the fifth or sixth leaf and only after two to three years of fruiting, cut into a ring.

It is unlikely that today you can find at least one country cottage area where there are no apple trees. Regardless of the style of the garden design project, there is always a place for the iconic tree.

Purchasing seedlings fruit trees, you should adhere to the following rules:

Planting material should be dug out no earlier than the first ten days of October, since before this period the tree accumulates nutrients and prepares for winter.
The seedlings should be bare, since the presence of foliage indicates that the tree continues to evaporate moisture, which increases the risk of freezing.
You should only buy varieties of apple trees that are common in a given region, since unadapted plants may not produce a harvest at all.
When choosing an annual apple tree seedling, you should focus on a trunk size of 1.2-1.3 m with completely woody branches.
The trunk, branches and roots should not be damaged.
It is important to keep the soil ball moist until planting.

An apple tree is planted both in early spring (before the buds swell) and in the fall. Autumn planting is preferable, since during the dormant period the root system is restored and gains strength. The optimal period is until mid-October. In regions where there is a high probability of severe frosts (-20 - -30 o C), preference is given to spring plantings.

Choosing a place to plant an apple tree

Since the apple tree has a deep root system, you should choose a place for the tree based on the depth of groundwater - it should be at least 1-1.5 m. If groundwater is close, you need to build an embankment for the seedling with a diameter of 2.5 meters and a height of 0 .7-1.2 m.

In the case of planting several trees or setting up an apple orchard, it is a good idea to autumn planting sow the area with meadow grasses, and then dig up the green mass.

Apple trees planting and care. Preparatory work

Holes for fruit seedlings are dug in advance - about a week before planting. On fertile soils, the diameter and depth of the hole can be 50-60 cm. On thin soils, the hole is dug 1.5 times more, while the dug fertile top layer does not mix with the bottom. The top layer of soil must be combined with fertilizers (humus, peat, superphosphate, ash, potassium chloride) and added to the hole. To avoid burning the roots, nitrogen fertilizers are not applied.

A peg is installed in a hole that is half filled, and a seedling is tied to it so that the root collar is 5 cm above the soil level.

All broken roots of the seedling are trimmed and evenly spread around the trunk.

The earth around the tree is pressed down with your feet, and 3-4 buckets of water are poured into the resulting hole. Then the planting site should be mulched with humus, peat, sawdust, straw or leaves.

Crown formation

Pledge good harvest and decorative functionality of the apple tree - a correctly formed crown. Careless treatment of wood, as well as too much zeal, can lead to counterproductive results. If the tree is not thinned in time, the crown thickens, which leads to a decrease in yield and the development of diseases.

Too frequent and deep pruning leads to increased growth of young shoots, which do not have time to form fruits.

The main methods of crown formation include:

Starting pruning occurs in the first year of the seedling's life. The only condition is that pruning is always done in the spring, regardless of when the planting took place. The first pruning is designed to restore the balance between the root system and the crown of the tree.

The central trunk of an annual seedling is cut at a distance of 80-100 cm from the ground. If the seedling has branches, the lower shoots are also cut off at a height of 50-70 cm. All upper shoots that form an acute angle with the trunk are cut off. Branches that make an angle of more than 40° are shortened to 3-5 buds, counting from the trunk. The central trunk should be 15-20 cm higher than the side branches.

You can do it differently - do not cut off the shoots that form an acute angle, but pull them down and fix them in an almost horizontal position. As a result, three to five side shoots should remain, extending at a wide angle from the central trunk. In the second year, the operation is repeated, finally forming the skeleton of the tree.

There is no need to prune the tree for the next three to four years. Only broken and diseased branches are discarded.

In the future, the crown is thinned out as necessary.

Articles on the apple tree:

Young apple trees without pruning may grow incorrectly, become thickened and produce small harvests. The rules for pruning young trees are slightly different from those for mature trees. To achieve success, you must strictly follow the recommendations and prune according to a certain pattern.

Why do you need to prune apple trees?

Pruning an apple tree is not the easiest thing, but it must be done. In addition to creating a beautiful appearance tree, this procedure affects the quantity and quality of the harvest.

For young apple trees, pruning is especially important. If not done in a timely manner, it leads to overloading and breaking of branches, reducing the quality of fruits and winter hardiness of the tree.

Competent and timely pruning:

helps limit tree height,
allows you to form a compact crown,
improves its illumination and ventilation.

Due to this, the likelihood of damage by pests and diseases is reduced. In addition, we must keep in mind that by their nature, many apple trees are prone to periodic fruiting, and regular pruning “forces” them to produce large harvests every year.

Young apple trees are pruned to form a crown, and then the resulting shape is maintained through thinning and sanitary pruning.

Although trees of any age can be pruned, for young apple trees certain rules must be taken into account, which we will consider.

When to prune

There is no single rule about the timing of pruning apple trees. Some gardeners, based on their own experience, claim that others call it autumn, others call it summer, and some even prune in winter.

Based on the life processes occurring in the tree, the most suitable time can still be considered early spring, before the buds open. For different regions This period occurs at different times: from March to May. At this time, sap flow has not yet begun, so the tree will not lose excess juice, and the cuts will have time to dry out. At the same time, soon after trimming, movement will begin nutrients and moisture, which will promote rapid healing of wounds.

Whenever you carry out pruning, remember that it is better to do it during the dormant period of the tree and in no case during severe frosts, at -8...-10 o C).

Features of the formation of the crown of a young apple tree

It is necessary to obtain an easy-to-process, compact crown that is well-lit and aerated. The process begins immediately after landing.

Pruning one- and two-year-old trees

Some gardeners do not advise pruning a seedling in the first year after planting. This recommendation is explained by the fact that the seedling was already badly damaged when dug up in the nursery, and additional pruning increases the shock. On the other hand, many believe that pruning the above-ground part of the seedling reduces the load on the root system.

Starting from the first year, a young tree needs to be shaped by choosing the right skeletal branches

In general, you can listen to any of these recommendations: nothing bad will happen if you start forming a tree from the second year after planting. The formation of an apple tree can be carried out according to various schemes, but the most common is a sparse-tiered one, which is formed within 3–4 years from the moment of planting.

Typically, an annual tree does not have well-developed lateral branches, so during the first pruning it is necessary to remove all lateral branches at a level of 1 m from the ground surface, wait for new lateral shoots to appear and begin forming a crown from them. A young tree may have various defects, which can be corrected by primary pruning.

Depending on the defects and the degree of development of the seedling, various pruning techniques must be used.

For well-branched seedlings, another technique should be used - shorten all side branches at a height of 70 cm from the soil level. To do this, you can install a horizontal rail at a level of 70 cm from the soil and cut off all the ends of the side branches located above the rail. If there are strong branches above this level, remove those that grow at an acute angle to the trunk. If this is not done, the branches may break under the weight of the harvest. In general, improperly performed pruning can lead to the trunk breaking.

If you want to preserve abnormally growing shoots, their position must be corrected with spacers or stretchers. This procedure is carried out when the shoots are as flexible as possible, usually in summer. Shoots growing at an angle of about 90 degrees should be shortened to 3–5 buds. Such branches subsequently provide the tree with a strong crown.

An apple tree with branches growing horizontally begins to bear fruit earlier. If growth is too rapid, the conductor should be shortened, while maintaining the subordination of the branches: the height of the leading shoot should be 20–30 cm greater than the length of the side shoots. If the central shoot is damaged, it should be replaced with the most developed side branch. To do this, in order for this branch to become vertical, it is tied to the leading shoot, and when the branch acquires a vertical position, the central shoot is removed.

In two-year-old apple trees, you can form the basis of the future crown

In the second year of life, the apple tree usually already has several side branches, so the principles of pruning it differ from pruning an annual tree. For proper pruning, select 4–5 most developed branches, extending at a wide angle from the trunk and located evenly on the trunk. These branches will be the main ones in the future crown; they form the first tier. The remaining branches are cut off. The central branch with well-developed buds, growing vertically, is chosen to act as a conductor. The leader should be 5-6 buds higher than other branches.

The selected skeletal branches should be located close to each other in height (with a difference of up to 10 cm) and form the first tier. The lower of these branches should be the longest (30–35 cm), the upper ones should be shortened slightly to immediately ensure subordination. Those branches that grow too quickly and are longer than the main ones need to be removed.

Thus, from the second year of the tree’s life, the foundation of the crown is laid (if you planted a 2-year-old seedling, then the skeleton is laid at the first pruning).

Video: pruning a young apple tree on video

Pruning 3–5 year old apple trees

Starting from the third year, for 3-4 years, you should not prune young trees too intensively. Excessive pruning can delay fruiting. Of course, you need to cut out diseased and broken branches to the ground.

In addition, you need to gradually add new tiers of skeletal branches. The second tier is laid 50–55 cm above the lower one (laid on a two-year-old apple tree), the subsequent ones - at greater distances. The intervals between branches in the tier should be 30–40 cm. Branches should not be allowed to intersect!

If the conductor is growing very actively, its growth needs to be slightly restrained by shortening it so that the upper tiers do not end up much higher than the previous ones.

Video: different possibilities for forming the crown of apple trees

Pruning young apple trees for beginners

Pruning may seem difficult for inexperienced gardeners, but knowledge and application of theoretical rules and frequent practice will help you quickly acquire the necessary skills.

The main thing is that you don’t need to be afraid of ruining something - only those who do nothing don’t make mistakes. The golden rule for a beginner should be “it is better not to cut than to cut.” If you are in doubt whether a branch should be cut, it is better to leave it until next time and consult with more experienced colleagues.

Basic pruning techniques

Excess branches are cut out “in a ring” - that is, along the annular influx that exists at the base of each branch. This influx contains cells that are able to quickly multiply and close the wound. If you make a cut below the influx, the wound will take a very long time to heal and will become a “gateway” for various infections. If you cut above the overflow, you will get a stump, which will then dry out and expose the bark. If necessary, you can leave a stump 10–15 cm long in order to tie other branches to it, but such stumps should remain no longer than a year. At the next trimming, they are still cut into a ring.

Depending on the angle of the branch, the cut is made directly along the annular bead, or along a line bisecting the angle between the trunk line and the perpendicular to the branch being removed

Sections with a diameter of more than 1 cm must be immediately covered with putty paste or garden varnish.

When forming the crown of a young tree, some branches are not cut out, but shortened. In this case, a cut is made either to the internal or to the external bud. The buds on the shoots are arranged in a checkerboard pattern: one “looks” at the trunk, and the next one looks outward. External bud pruning means that the cut is made near the bud facing outward. How and in what cases is this done? If the crown needs to be thinned out and its diameter expanded, then the thickening branches are cut out, and some are shortened with a cut to the outer bud.

A cut to the internal or external bud allows you to correct crown defects

If the crown is sparse and weak, with overgrown lower branches, then a cut is made to the inner bud.

To ensure the correct cut, you need to place a sharpened garden knife on the opposite side of the bud, 2–3 mm below, cut the branch at an angle of 45° so that the knife comes out 2–3 mm above the bud. It is advisable to support the branch from below with your left hand and make the cut in one quick movement. It is very important that the tissue at the cut site does not fray. If this happens, you need to immediately clean the cut with a knife.

In order for the left bud to develop normally, the cut must be made at an angle 2–3 mm above the bud

It is easy for a beginner to get confused in the variety of recommendations for pruning young apple trees. In order to think less about the rules, you can remember only one thing - the “magic three”.

When planting an apple tree seedling, trim it so that only 3 growth buds remain. Over the summer, they will turn into identical branches.

Next spring, the pruning procedure is repeated, leaving only 3 growth buds for each of the 3 branches. By the end of the second summer of life, the apple tree has 9 branches.

The same pruning is repeated in the third year and completes the formation of the crown. As a result, the apple tree has 27 identical branches, which form a symmetrical, even bush no more than 3–3.5 m high. If damaged by frost or pests, such a crown is easily restored.

Pinching is done in summer to improve branching

Subsequent care consists of leaving only 1 growth bud on each branch. At the same time, fruit buds develop perfectly and the apple tree begins to bear fruit earlier than its peers, producing fairly large yields.

In addition to the main pruning, it should be summer season pinch all side branches so that the crown does not thicken. Good heating of the crown promotes good growth tree.

Pruning a young tree is the key to health and good fruiting in the future. It is necessary to choose the main branches and conductors correctly, carry out pruning in a timely manner and follow the rules. For beginners, it is recommended to use the most in a simple way formation of a young apple tree - the “magic three” rule.