What does an annual apple tree seedling look like? Proper pruning of young apple trees. Experience of leading gardeners. Growing apple seedlings from seeds

nice garden will delight its owner for many years.

But to get such a treasure, you need to work hard first.

At any stage you can make a mistake, which will bring all efforts to naught.

The “wrong” seedling may simply not take root. Taking a seedling from an apple tree on your own without a clear understanding of how to choose an apple tree seedling is too risky.

In this article, we will tell how to avoid these mistakes and successfully grow an apple tree that will delight for years to come.

This first step should not be underestimated. It depends on the choice of seedling whether you can grow a healthy tree.

Take it seriously:

• Find out which apple varieties suitable for your region. This is very important, because a young tree, unadapted to such a climate, may die long before it begins to bear fruit.
• It is best to contact your local garden organization or nursery with this question. Their addresses can be found on the Internet.
• Pay attention to customer reviews. Approach responsibly to a choice of firm.
• Most difficult stage choice is practical. It all depends on knowledge and care.

Selection of seedlings in the nursery.

First of all, everything seedlings can be divided into three groups depending on the level of the rootstock, i.e. stem and root system. When choosing one or another type, you need to take into account the features of the site.

There are such types:

IMPORTANT! If there are thorns on the seedlings, do not buy it. Most likely, a wild animal is given out for a varietal apple tree.

Contact of the root system with groundwater is highly undesirable. Such an apple tree will be weak and sickly, its harvest will be extremely poor. When buying a seedling, do not forget about the importance of this factor.

The ideal age of the seedling is 1-2 years. The youth of a tree is a guarantee that it will take root better in a new place.

How determine visually the age of the seedling? annual plant should not have developed branches; in a two-year-old, 2-3 additional branches can be counted.

Examine the root system. It must not be damaged. healthy roots slightly damp, but by no means rotten; they should be elastic, not brittle.

The state of the bark also has great importance. Gently scrape off the bark with your fingernail - the stem should be green.

Better do not buy trees that have leaves. They most likely won't survive.

How much do apple seedlings cost?

Seedlings with an open root system are cheaper than those sold in a container. The cost of an apple tree seedling depends on the variety and quality of the tree, as well as specifically on the selling company. On average, focus on the price of about 300 rubles, although some nurseries may ask for 800 rubles.

Watch the instructional video on how to choose the right apple tree seedling:

How are apple seedlings grown?

Brave gardeners can try grow a seedling yourself. It's not that difficult, especially if you have at least basic knowledge in stock school course biology. Consider the main methods.

Growing apple seedlings from seeds

Method one -. Even small children think about whether an apple tree will grow from an accidentally dropped seed.

In reality, everything is not so simple. There were cases, from a seed grew beautiful tree with delicious fruits, but there is a possibility that the grown apple tree will not lose the "mother" properties of the game and all your efforts will be in vain.

But if difficulties possible risk you are not afraid, follow our advice:

1. Rinse the mature brown seeds in running water to remove the substance preventing it from germinating. The best thing soak seeds in water for 3 days.
2. Then place the seeds in the refrigerator (this process is called stratification). To do this, prepare dishes filled with slightly damp sand. The seeds should stay in the refrigerator for about two months. It is best to start stratification in early January.
3. Seeds should germinate in the refrigerator. They need to be planted in specially prepared boxes (at the bottom of which drainage should be poured, on top - a nutrient mixture). Boxes should be placed on a well-lit window sill.
4. It is easy to recognize the wild still on early dates: its leaves are bright green, and the shoots already have short spines. It's better not to waste your time on them. Or use the wild as a rootstock, to which the desired variety has already been grafted.

From a cutting

Apple trees are also propagated by cuttings.

How to make a seedling from an apple tree branch has long been known. In order to grow a tree in this way, you need prepare a rootstock- choose a tree grown from a seed or (much better) a wild game.

Preparing the cutting for rootstock.

To the roots of such a tree, you need to graft the cutting of the tree you need. It is very important to correctly combine the rootstock and the stalk.

For the wild bonsai better fit the stalk of a columnar apple tree, and the apple tree grown from seeds will well accept the stalk of an ordinary tall tree.

The stem must be not older than one year. We will describe in detail how to make a seedling from an apple tree below.

How to grow apple seedlings from a branch

Another way is dig a branch into the ground.

In autumn, the tree is planted with a slope so that the young shoots touch the ground. In the spring, the branches are attached to the kidney with staples. During the summer, they need to be spudded, and in the fall, ready-made seedlings are obtained.

Air layering or how to get seedlings from an old apple tree

Provide soil with a place where a new root system will form.

It is more difficult to graft a seedling from a branch, so it is often more appropriate to use the method of air layering.

For the twig to take root, you need to surround it with moist soil. To begin with, select a branch that will become a seedling - healthy, without branches, as thick as an ordinary pencil.

When the snow melts, this branch needs put on a polyethylene sleeve. Attach it preferably with electrical tape. It will remain on the apple tree until the onset of sustainably warm weather. The sleeve is then removed.

Need to find the border between the adult branch and the new growth- from this point, about 10 cm recede and an annular incision of about 1 cm is made, small incisions are also made to the left and right of it. All kidneys above the incisions must be removed.

Then a sleeve with a container is put on the branch. In the first three days in a container (you can use a cropped plastic bottle) place root growth stimulating liquid, then specially prepared soil, which must be constantly wet.

Any of these methods can be tested independently at home. It is advisable to consult additionally with competent specialists.

See detailed video how to get a seedling from an apple tree by air layering:

You can take a seedling from an apple tree yourself. You don't have to be an experienced gardener to do this.

If you want to receive varietal apple tree, then you can use the parent shoot, which is sometimes enough just to dig in correctly.

The procedure is carried out in the spring. You can use young shoots no more than 1 year old.

They are placed in a hole about 10 cm deep. The twig is attached to a peg. Thus, a shoot of 30-40 cm should remain above the ground. It is also necessary to rid the nearest area of ​​weeds.

To be sure, root several branches in this way. In a year, some of them will take root. In autumn, the seedlings will be ready for transplanting.

IMPORTANT! Remember that large-fruited apple trees take root in this way worse than other varieties.

Pruning an apple tree

Do not forget that this is a rather complicated process, which must be carried out strictly according to agrotechnical instructions.

You need to cut the seedling when it is at rest.

In a warm climate, the ideal time will be the autumn-winter period, in a temperate climate, the end of winter. Anyway, pruning should not be carried out at temperatures below -10 ° C.

The first pruning takes place in the first year after planting. Cropping in such early age will provide the laying of future skeletal branches.

One year old seedling you need to remove the side shoots that are up to 70 cm from the ground level. Above this point, only those branches that form an acute angle with the trunk are removed. If the angle that the branch forms with the trunk is close to 90 °, the branch is cut to the fifth bud.

two year old seedling almost looks like mature tree. How to prune these apple seedlings? In this case, the following goal is pursued - to leave from 3 to 5 of the strongest shoots that form a wide angle with the trunk.

In the future, they will become the main branches of the tree. Need to form and center conductor. It is best to do this from the most developed kidney, which is about 3 kidneys higher than the others. The lower branches should be longer than the upper ones. So wood.

Next 3-5 years It is better not to touch the apple tree, let it develop on its own.

How to distinguish a pear seedling from an apple tree?

Distinguish different types trees at such a young age is sometimes difficult even for experienced gardeners.

Before the leaves appear, it is almost impossible– the seller in the market could experiment with vaccinations. Recall general rules , which will allow you not to become a victim of fraud and determine how to choose an apple tree:

1. In annual apple trees, the color of the shoots is dark red-brown, and in pears it is yellowish-green.
2. On the shoots of apple trees there is a slight pubescence, pears usually do not have such a feature.
3. Pear shoots have more pronounced cranking.
4. The buds of apple trees are wide and large. They are close to the run. The buds of pears are pointed and small, do not fit tightly to the shoot.
5. The buds of apple trees swell and bloom later than those of pears.
6. The root system of apple trees is more branched, while that of pears is stem.

When buying a seedling, you don’t need to know about the features of the leaves of pears and apple trees. If the seedling already has leaves, you should not buy it. It is unlikely to take root successfully, and your efforts will be in vain.

How to grow an apple tree from a seedling?

First to any gardener you need to choose the time of planting the apple tree.

It can be spring or autumn - depending on the specific circumstances and climatic conditions your region.

In any case, tree care begins in the spring.

Prepare the soil before planting. This means that the soil needs to be well loosened, rid of weeds, fertilized (depending on the time of year) and dug again.

The planting hole will be a house for the seedling, it will reliably feed it.

Responsibly approach the choice of location. It should be a well-lit place, preferably protected from the wind.

IMPORTANT! The preparation of the landing pit should begin 2 months before the actual planting.

The seedling is still too vulnerable. Our task is to protect it from the negative factors of weather conditions. The tree must be fastened to a stake. It will be possible to remove it 2 years after planting. This must be done with extreme caution so as not to hurt the root system.

In the first week after planting, regular watering is very important, which will help not only saturate the tree nutrients but also compact the soil. Gradually watering intervals need to be reduced, but in hot weather it is impossible to spare water for a young tree.

Trunk area is a must mulch. To do this, use compost, chicken manure, biohumus and rotted manure, on top of this layer you need to put a small layer of straw.

Watch the video on how to mulch trees:

Necessarily you need to prune a one-year-old and a two-year-old apple tree to form its skeletal branches.

In summer, all care consists in regular watering and protecting the tree from pests. To avoid using chemicals, try attract birds to the garden.

Making it easy - arrange feeders on the branches of trees. This will let the birds know that a delicious treat awaits them in your garden.

If pests appear, you can collect them manually from a young tree. In hot weather, do not water the tree during the day to avoid burns.

In order for air to enter the root system, make punctures 30 cm deep at a distance of 60 cm from the trunk.

Preparing apple seedlings for winter.

• A young apple tree should be spudded to a height of 10–20 cm;
• The area near the trunk must be mulched with humus or peat;
• You can apply nitrogen or potassium fertilizers. The lack of these substances will affect the quality of future fruits, so it is best to use complex fertilizers;
• The trunk of an apple tree must be whitewashed with a solution of chalk;
• To avoid breakage of the weak young tree, it is possible beforehand .

Apple tree sapling dries up, how to save?

Before you solve a problem, you need to understand it reason, because of which the apple tree may begin to dry. Then you can understand how to save a dried apple tree seedling.

To prevent the seedling from developing can grow too near trees or shrubs. In this case, you can transplant the tree to the required distance.

The problem can be caused by too close groundwater. Excess water simply displaces excess air from the soil, which is so necessary for the young root system. You can also solve the problem by transplanting or regularly loosening the soil.

If groundwater interferes with more than one apple tree, you can dig drainage ditches to help get rid of excess water.

IMPORTANT! The key to successful apple tree growth is air access to the root system, so regularly loosen the ground. Do not plant an apple tree in a sandy or clay bud.

Gardening is not only difficult, but also very interesting. To grow from a seedling good apple tree, you need to show both intelligence and care.

• Remember the most crucial stage is the choice of seedling.
• It is better to buy them from professional breeders. In the spontaneous market, you can unknowingly purchase another tree (an apple tree can be easily confused with a pear before the leaves appear).
• Don't over-fertilize in the first year. Enough watering and mulching for the tree.
• Do not forget to rid the young apple tree of weeds. In the autumn, you can make.
• A very important procedure is tree pruning. Don't forget to do this to form the "skeleton" of the apple tree.
• Pests can negatively affect the development of an apple tree. However, try not to poison them in the early years. chemicals. Engage to this case of birds.

Involve birds for natural pest control.

• Responsible landing site. An apple tree can be destroyed by groundwater lying too close and trees and shrubs growing nearby.
• Ensure sufficient air access to the root system. He is very necessary to her.

A responsible approach to business will ensure your success.

In contact with

The gardener must be patient: planting annual apple tree on a tall rootstock, the first apples need to wait five or even six years. But you really want to see the swollen fruit buds early in the spring, watch the apples pour all summer, and taste them with pleasure in the fall! Is there really no way to bring this pleasant moment closer? – Of course you can!

Choosing seedlings

Planning for future fruiting dates begins with the selection of seedlings upon purchase. A tree with an open root system will take root longer than its "brothers" from containers. True, a one-year-old seedling with an open root system will take root faster than the same two-year-old one, since its roots are less injured when dug out of the soil. But a seedling from a container does not need to take root: its root system will immediately begin to develop the fertile land that you have prepared for it with love.

One of my listeners shared her observations during the lectures. She read somewhere that the root system of a container seedling needs to be shaken a little so that the roots get more freedom than they had - they say, after that they grow faster. My own experience shows that during summer planting, the root system cannot be disturbed: it is worth breaking up a clod of earth, and the top leaves will immediately tie. But when planting in the spring, before the foliage blooms, and in the middle of autumn, it is already possible to shake a lump of earth a little and straighten the roots.

I also noticed that the longer the seedling is in the container, the faster it then begins to bear fruit. Even in the first issues of the magazine, I described the story of a pear in a container, which mice gnawed on in a dig in the winter. The question arose: throw away or fight for the life of the tree? We decided to save. The son treated the pear with sorrel, but they kept it in the container for another whole season: it was necessary to make sure that the tree was cured. After landing in a permanent place, the pear blossomed in the third year.

Advice:

The longer the root system of the plant will be in cramped conditions, the faster the fruiting period will come. However, the growth of the tree in this case will slow down somewhat.

The experience of Chinese peasants is very interesting. To get low-growing tangerine trees and speed up fruiting, they bend the main root with a loop when planting. After this operation, tangerine trees form a smaller and more branched root system, become stunted and begin to yield earlier.

dwarf apple trees

As a rule, huge apple trees grow in our gardens, which increase in size both up and in breadth. They come into fruition in the fifth, sixth, and even tenth year. Summer varieties begin to yield in the fifth or sixth year, and winter varieties even later.

In Europe, in many orchards, apple trees have long been grown on dwarf or semi-dwarf rootstocks. The first grow up to two meters, and the second - up to three and a half. Despite the fact that even Ivan Vladimirovich Michurin believed that dwarf gardens had a great future, and Valentin Ivanovich Budagovsky worked all his life on breeding winter-hardy dwarf rootstocks, our gardens are dominated by tall trees. But apple trees on dwarf and semi-dwarf rootstocks begin to bear fruit already in the third or fourth year, and it happens that they bloom in the second - right in containers.

Formative pruning

Let's take a closer look at the slope of the branches and the laying of fruit buds on them (Fig. 1). The more the branch tends to a horizontal position, the more fruit buds are laid on it. To bring the branches to a horizontal position, a stake is driven in next to each of them and the branches are tied to it. However, I prefer another method: pruning on the outer bud (Fig. 2). A bud that wakes up after such a pruning independently gives a shoot, deviated to a horizontal position, on which fruit buds are quickly laid.
Already in the fall, you can determine whether your tree will bear fruit. If on an apple tree or a pear there appeared ringlets, spears, fruit twigs or fruit buds on which fruit buds were formed (see photo), then in spring the tree will bloom.

The pattern here is as follows: if there is a strong growth of a young fruit tree, then, as a rule, fruit buds are not laid. To accelerate fruiting, it is necessary to weaken the growth, that is, to redistribute the nutrients that the tree gets. You can accomplish this task with the help of formative pruning and bending branches.

Undersized varieties

These apple trees grow no higher than two meters, bear fruit in the third year after planting as one-year-old seedlings, are not inferior to Antonovka in terms of winter hardiness and give large fruits.

Unfortunately, my experience with growing these varieties was unsuccessful. I received the seedlings by mail late in the fall, I did not have time to plant them and sent them to the dig. In winter, their bark was damaged by mice, so much so that only one seedling out of three was saved. But that is a thing of bygone days. Now we equip the winter dig in such a way that no mice even come close to it. We use all means: spruce and pine branches, burnt pieces of natural fur, cloth soaked in kerosene; lay out the thistle and burdock seeds.

I will give the main characteristics of some varieties of naturally low-growing apple trees that can be grown here, in the Leningrad Region, including in Babino gardening.

Advice:

Apple trees on dwarf or semi-dwarf rootstocks differ in the earliest fruiting, so impatient gardeners should purchase just such seedlings.

Sokolovskoe. Variety of winter ripening, winter-hardy, resistant to scab. If you graft it onto a short stock, then the height of the tree will be only 1 m 20 cm. The fruits are large, up to 190 g, greenish-yellow with a dark red blush. The yield, according to the books, should reach 85 kg, but I cannot imagine how such a short tree can produce so many apples. We will grow and test.

Winter undersized. Ripening in October, storage until March-April. The variety is winter-hardy, resistant to scab. Fruits up to 170g, greenish-yellow with a red blush, pulp of good dessert taste.

mundane. Autumn variety, high winter hardiness, resistant to scab. According to the description, this variety begins to bear fruit even in the second year after planting with annual seedlings. If grafted on seed rootstocks, it reaches 2.5 m, if on dwarf rootstocks - 1.5 m. Fruits are greenish-yellow with a dark red blush, good sour-sweet taste.

I can well imagine this low tree covered with bright yellow-red fruits, and I really want to grow it in my garden! Yes, and fruiting will not have to wait long, although our zone of risky farming can present any “gifts”: for example, this year there will be no apples at all in all our gardening. Late spring frost, from 8 to 9 June, ruined everything flower buds. The apple trees were ready to bloom, but this did not happen. The buds turned rusty, withered and fell off. True, the pears managed to bloom earlier, but many ovaries also fell due to this frost: traces of freezing were clearly visible on the sections and on the outside. A single frosty night in June destroyed the harvest of plums, cherries and apples. But if some other natural disasters do not fall on our dear and beloved Babino, then this year's sea buckthorn harvest will be excellent - you will have to sit on trees all autumn and painstakingly collect this wonderful berry, which in winter replaces both apples and apples in terms of vitamin content. pears combined. But this is already a "lyrical digression" ...

Caring for fruit trees also affects the laying of fruit buds.

Until mid-summer, fertilizing with nitrogen should be done, which causes increased growth of green mass, and in the second half of summer, fertilizers with a low nitrogen content should be used, which contributes to the laying of fruit buds, as well as preparing seedlings for winter.

In the first half of summer, trees are fertilized with manure infusion with weed grasses, and in the second half with ash. From mineral fertilizers use "Kemira" ("spring-summer" and "autumn") - according to the norms indicated on the package.

I begin almost every lecture with the words: “My dear gardeners! We are happy people! We have land. We can plant plants that we like, help them grow in our difficult conditions, and they will thank us - either with their fruits or with beautiful flowers. Talk to plants and they will hear you! (Take care of the plants, love them - and they will definitely love you back!)

"Garden affairs" No. 8 (24), 2008

Often behind the beauty embodied by material means, there is a huge human labor. Behind the facade of a beautiful building - the idea of ​​​​an architect and the work of builders, behind unusual dresses - the fantasy of a couturier and a seamstress robot, behind a magnificent garden - regular care and care of a gardener. Well-groomed trees do not appear on their own: first a seedling is planted, then the gardener feeds and cuts it, forms a crown and gets rid of pests. And only in the end his labor is rewarded with beautiful fruits. So that you can take care of your garden, we will tell you about pruning fruit trees, in particular apple trees. After all, the correct pruning of apple tree seedlings is the key to the future flowering and fruiting of the tree.

Why prune seedlings

First of all, pruning an apple tree allows you to give appearance tree neat appearance and properly form the crown. Timely and regular pruning of an apple tree seedling stimulates the growth, proper development and formation of a full-fledged useful fruit.

Pruning an apple tree for different purposes:

• form a beautiful and regular crown, which will make it easy to harvest the next crop;
• removing competing, but not so developed shoots, strengthen young branches. Thus, they ensure the full growth of a young tree;
• remove dried, deformed and diseased branches, contributing to the emergence and growth of shoots that can bear fruit in the future;
• provide access to the sun to all branches;
• preparing the seedling for the winter period.

The choice of time of year for pruning depends on the end goal and result. As a rule, apple trees are pruned in spring or autumn. Is it possible to prune a seedling in the summer? Yes, but only if absolutely necessary.

Rules for pruning tree seedlings

Pruning of apple tree seedlings in spring should be carried out before the start of the growing season: the tree not only recovers faster, but also grows more intensively. In summer, shoots are usually shortened, stimulating the formation of fruit buds and improving fruit quality. However, the most successful time for pruning is autumn, when the tree goes into a period of "rest".

At this time, dead and damaged parts are removed. After frost, pruning can be fraught with disease and death of the seedling. To know how to properly cut a seedling, you need to follow certain rules.

In autumn, you should act like this:

1. Remove large damaged or rotten branches.
2. Thin out the crown in areas of dense accumulation of branches, getting rid of weak and inferiorly developed shoots.
3. Get rid of branches that grow at a sharp angle to the trunk: such branches tend to break in case of a heavy harvest.
4. Protect the tree by treating the cuts with garden pitch or oil paint.
5. Incinerate waste to prevent the spread of disease.

Spring pruning is carried out in March or April. In order not to cut the seedling incorrectly, follow these rules:

1. Make cuts over the eyes.
2. Treat the cut points with garden pitch.
3. Get rid of last year's shoots.
4. Choose the length of the trimmed branch according to the variety of the apple tree: for dwarfs, pruning is performed on 2-3 eyes, for medium ones - at least 5, for tall ones - from 9.

Seedling pruning scheme

Annual apple tree seedlings are pruned in the first year after planting. An annual seedling is often not branched, so it is crowned and cut. The height is calculated based on the height of the rootstock. Srednerosly and seedling rootstocks allow you to cut the shoots higher. After the tree has grown enough, the leaves in the stem area must be removed. If the planted apple trees are already branched, you need to start removing side shoots.

Those branches that grow within 70 cm, and those that grow at right angles, are removed. Branches growing at a wide angle are shortened. Such branches provide a strong crown and ripen earlier for fruiting. Pruning two-year-old apple tree seedlings has its own specifics. Since such a seedling already has several shoots from the trunk, after planting, two-year-old apple trees are pruned, and only the most developed shoots that grow at a wide angle are left. Subsequently, they will form the "skeleton" of the tree. Extra branches are removed.

To form a central conductor that will grow vertically, choose the most developed kidney.

The height of this shoot should be several buds greater than that of the other branches of the "skeleton". Pruning of the remaining shoots is carried out in such a way that the lower ones are longer than the upper ones. It is this pruning of a two-year-old apple tree that forms a popular type of crown - strong and rounded. The next 3-5 years, pruning apple trees in spring or autumn is not recommended, otherwise fruiting may be delayed. But it is still necessary to remove diseased and broken branches. If the tree is growing too actively, you can shorten the guide a little.

Tree crown formation

Many gardeners prefer cupped crowns as they are neat and easy to form. The branches, arranged symmetrically, form one tier at a height of half a meter from the ground, getting rid of the central conductor. It is advisable to remove it within a few months after planting. To form a beautiful “bowl”, you need to allocate enough space for the seedling, later you may need to tie branches. Dwarf rootstocks serve as an excellent basis for this type of crown. Its main advantage is free access sun rays to all branches. In the future, you should only take care of the timely removal of the tops from the skeletal branches and extra shoots growing inside.

And do not forget about hygienic pruning. The branches of the "skeleton" should be located in subordination: the closer to the trunk, the longer. The fusiform shape is also very popular: semi-skeletal branches are arranged spirally on the trunk. Height, as a rule, should not exceed three meters. Since the branches must take a horizontal position, they are bent with the help of wire extensions. However, this type of crown is only suitable for seedlings with low-growing rootstocks.

Another suitable look crowns for apple trees with dwarf rootstocks - a slender spindle. The height of the central conductor is about 2.5 m, and the crown is formed by short horizontal branches. The hatching stem is quite low. Dwarf varieties are formed with a bushy type of crown, with a trunk height of no more than a few tens of centimeters, in order to be completely under the snow in winter. Take care of seedlings properly and they will become beautiful trees.

Video "Pruning apple trees"

In this video you will learn how to properly prune apple trees.

Due attention and care must be given to each garden tree, and the young - doubly.

This also applies to pruning.

Having planted a seedling in the soil, the gardener is responsible for ensuring that his crown is properly formed.

By timely removing unnecessary branches, you can create a lush crown with a large and quality harvest.

CAREFULLY! Incorrect pruning actions can lead to a weakening of the apple tree and deprive the harvest for the coming autumn.

Pruning a young apple tree in spring

Removal of unnecessary branches of young apple trees is carried out in the first year after planting.

Adhering to certain rules, pruning of branches occurs after the growth of overgrowth stops. This phase can be determined along the formed apical bud of the shoot. At this time, nutrients will completely stop the outflow from the leaves to the root.

The best month for pruning is October. The leaves at this time do not fall yet, they only change their color. Until steady cold sets in, the weather is dry and warm, the wounds on the trees will heal faster.

Cut off damaged, dry branches. Using garden var or oil paint , gloss over the place of the cut.

Pruning to form the crown of young apple trees is not recommended. Shortened annual growths and branches may freeze slightly.

Forming a crown, strong pruning should not be carried out. Annual growths are enriched with nutrients, and a young apple tree may lose them. This will weaken the growth process, worsen the ovary, which will lead to fruit shedding.

This process should be carried out in dry cloudy weather, if desired, choosing a suitable day according to the lunar calendar.

Autumn pruning of young apple trees: video tutorials

See how to properly prune a young apple tree in the fall: video and practical tips.

Pruning young apple trees in autumn - a video for beginners. See the basic rules for fruit trees:

Pruning young columnar apple trees

The correct form of columnar apple trees is maintained throughout their life.

When pruning an apple tree, you need to remember the main rule is not to cut many branches at once. must be timely.

Radical pruning is subject to the upper part of the tree to provide the entire crown with sunlight.

In order for a young apple tree to have a beautiful crown and give a generous harvest of fruits every year, it is necessary to take care of it and regularly prune it.

In contact with

The most literate buyers already know that there are GOSTs for planting material (GOST R 53135-2008), according to which certain biometric requirements are imposed on seedlings, depending on age, rootstock and their growing area. But few people know that the choice is not limited to the variety, stock, age and marketability of seedlings. There are also their various modifications related to the peculiarities of growing technologies.

Growing technologies

According to growing technologies, apple tree seedlings are divided into one-year-old, branched one-year-old, two-year-old, knip-baum (knip-bom), modified two-year-old and modified knip-baum.

Which seedling to choose and why do we need these technologies? You need to know the answers to these and other questions before you start laying an orchard.

Cultivation of annuals

The simplest and most common technology for the production of seedlings is the cultivation of a standard one-year-old. In the first field of the nursery, rootstocks of the first and second commercial varieties of different growth strength are planted. winter, spring vaccination or summer budding is carried out at a height of 5–15 cm. In the first and second fields of the nursery, root fertilizing with nitrogen fertilizers is carried out in spring and autumn. Seedlings with any technology are grown in a well-lit area, subject to all agrotechnical measures in combination with efficient irrigation.

For the cultivation of branched annuals, only rootstocks of the first commercial grade are used.

In addition to root top dressing with nitrogen fertilizers, in the second field of the nursery, foliar top dressing and treatment of occulants at a height of 50-60 cm with growth regulators are carried out, in combination with 2-3-fold pinching of the apical (upper) leaves while maintaining the growth point.

The advantages of these technologies are the ease of growing planting material, low price, good growth and survival of seedlings in the garden, minimum costs during transport and landing.

But, unfortunately, there are more disadvantages of such planting material. In the garden, seedlings require additional costs for the formation of the crown, they come into fruition late. The first yield occurs in the 3–5th year, the payback of the garden in the 7–8th year. The resulting sharp angles of branching help to reduce the formation of the generative sphere.

Biennial seedlings

The greatest consumer demand is for standard two-year-old apple tree seedlings. They are grown from unbranched annuals. In the third field of the nursery, one-year-olds are cut (crowned) at a height of 90–100 cm from the soil level. Young shoots below a height of 50 cm and 2–3 upper competitor shoots of the central conductor are removed (broken out). Every year in spring and autumn, root fertilizing with nitrogen fertilizers is carried out.

Such seedlings grow well in the garden, they are sold at a relatively low price.

But this technology also has its drawbacks:

• a long, three-year cycle of growing seedlings in the nursery, using additional agricultural practices (crown-forming pruning);
• two-year-old seedlings have sharp branching angles;
• there are few generative buds or they are absent;
• the first harvests are obtained in the 2–4th year, the payback of the garden occurs only in the 6–7th year.

Knip baum

More recently, the modern latest technology growing seedlings of the knip baum (knip bom) type, which has already been able to confidently take a high position in the planting material market. At the first stage of obtaining such seedlings, a standard unbranched annual is grown.

In the third field of the nursery, a one-year-old is cut off at a height of about 40–50 cm, and a branched seedling is grown from the upper bud. When the central conductor reaches a length of 15–20 cm, it is treated with a growth regulator and pinched. It turns out a two-year-old with a one-year crown. Root and foliar top dressing is carried out several times.

Knip baum seedlings have a developed crown and formed generative buds that can produce single crops (up to 2–3 kg per tree) already in the year of planting, and up to 5–6 kg in the second year.

After the 4–5th year of fruiting, orchards planted with such seedlings fully pay for themselves and become profitable, providing an orchard yield of up to 200–350 c/ha. Maximum productivity occurs in the 5-6th year.

The price of seedlings grown using this technology differs markedly from those described earlier. This is due to more labor-intensive agricultural practices and a long, three-year growing cycle. Transportation and planting of baums also require a slightly higher cost. In the first years after planting in the garden, seedlings experience stress, growth processes are weakened.

Modified Knip Baum

In Russia, two new technologies for growing seedlings have been developed and proposed, which, in terms of their main biometric characteristics, are somewhat superior to Knip Baum seedlings. This is a modified kneep baum and a modified two year old.

A modified knip baum is formed in the nursery by crowning a standard one-year-old at a height of 70 cm from the soil level. A branched central conductor is grown from the upper bud, and the lateral branches formed below are partially removed, leaving 3-5 shoots.

Lateral shoots are deflected to a horizontal position with clothespins or twine. When the central conductor reaches a length of 15–20 cm, it is treated with a growth regulator or pinched. Carry out root and foliar top dressing.

A modified two-year-old is obtained from a branched one-year-old. In the third field of the nursery, the tree is crowned at a height of about 100 cm from the soil level. All branches longer than 20 cm are cut in half. Growing lateral shoots are deflected to a horizontal position with clothespins or twine. The central conductor, which has reached a length of 15–20 cm, is also treated with a growth regulator.

Root and foliar top dressing is carried out several times. In terms of early maturity, productivity and payback of the garden, this technology for obtaining seedlings is similar to the Knip Baum technology, and even surpasses it.

Summing up

Thus, despite all the variety of technologies for growing apple seedlings that exist today, before planting an orchard, it is necessary, first of all, to make a choice between planting inexpensive, but with more late deadline entry into fruiting seedlings, or plant more costly, but early-growing and quickly paid off.