Content
Plum refers to such fruit and berry trees that need regular pruning... Otherwise, the amount of harvest can be significantly reduced, gum will begin to stand out from the tree, and the growth of branches will become erratic.
Plum needs annual, systematic pruningthat will support the health and fruitfulness of the tree. It is necessary to carry out such work according to the scheme - in spring, summer and autumn.
The spring period is considered the most favorable for the procedure. Usually, gardeners schedule such work at the end of March-beginning of April, when the air temperature will already be warm, and vegetative processes will not have time to start.
In spring, young shoots that grow in the wrong direction and old branches on which you should not wait for fruiting are perfectly visible on the plum.
Summer held in June, is indicative of branches that strongly thicken the crown, because they can best be seen in the presence of lush foliage.
Autumn is held for sanitary purposes... Such work is performed immediately after leaf fall.
If the deadlines have been missed, then it is better to postpone the pruning to the fall, because the fresh cut site quickly freezes and gum and frost cracks form in its place.
Each period has its own advantages and disadvantages, which is why a certain time of the year is suitable for performing certain works.
Some gardeners also practice winter pruning. plums, but this type of work is unusual and quite specific.
"Garden head" will tell you how to properly cut the plum:
In spring: correct crown formation
The first three years of a plum's life in the spring, it is necessary to form the correct shape of its crown, because the quality and volume of fruiting depends on it. If you skip such work, then the branches will grow erratically and chaotically.
Usually, a crown made in the form of a tier is chosen for plums.... That is, 6-8 of the most powerful and thickest branches, which grow at a distance of 15-20 centimeters from each other, should act as a basis.
They should also be evenly spaced throughout the trunk, and the ideal growth angle should be 50 degrees.
To get such a crown, the following actions are performed over 3 years:
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- In the first year of life plums must be completely removed from all side branches, and the central conductor must be cut to a length equal to 60 centimeters.
- In the second year the central conductor is shortened by 40-50 centimeters, including the upper kidney, which should be above the cut site. The lower side branches are pruned almost completely, leaving only 7 cm stumps. The remaining lateral shoots are shortened by a third of the total length.
- In the third year of life it is necessary to select 6-8 skeletal branches, while all other shoots are removed. It is allowed to leave no more than 4 buds on the remaining branches.
Further spring pruning of plums will consist of in maintaining the correct shape of the crown:
- remove all improperly growing branches that grow inside the crown or are located at an obtuse angle;
- if there is a too lush crown, it will need to be thinned out, while removing old branches on which fruits will no longer be tied;
- in order to help the plum form new fruit branches, it is necessary to halve all last year's growth;
- also in the spring, the tree is examined for all kinds of damage, most often at this stage broken or frozen branches that have suffered during the winter are removed.
Those branches are subject to mandatory deletion.on which the birds damaged their kidneys.
Spring work is considered the most important and necessary, because this period is the most favorable and safe for the health of the tree.
Summer
Summer pruning of plums is carried out in June or July.... Only young trees that are just forming their crown are subjected to this procedure.
For adult plums, summer pruning can be disastrous and is recommended only as a last resort, for example, when a disease is detected.
In the first year of life all branches are shortened to a length equal to 20 centimeters. From the second year, the extra branches are removed completely.
In the warm season, there is a huge risk of contracting infectious diseases, therefore, by carrying out summer pruning, you can protect the tree from such problems.
Autumn pruning scheme
Autumn pruning is carried out after leaf fallwhen all vegetative processes are over and the tree is at rest. Usually, such work is performed in mid-September.
Autumn pruning is divided into three types and depends on the age of the tree:
- in the first year after planting in the fall, the central conductor of the plum is shortened by one third of the total length, and the remaining branches by two thirds;
- regulating - performed for trees of all ages. In the course of it, the crown is discharged, and all rapidly growing or incorrectly growing branches are removed;
- from the 4th year of the tree's life, every 4-5 years, rejuvenating pruning is carried out, during which all old and unnecessary branches are removed, on which fruiting no longer occurs.
After the first fruiting, autumn pruning is either not performed at all, or only the most problematic branches are removed.
Also, an integral part of autumn tree care will be carrying out sanitary pruning, during which all diseased and damaged branches are removed, which can provoke the death of the entire tree.
It is recommended to collect and burn the cut branches.so that infection or other pathogens and insects do not spread throughout the entire site.
Unusual methods
Specific pruning methods that differ from standard work include winter pruning and processing of old trees.
Winter pruning is rapidly gaining popularity among gardeners living in the southern regions.
Performing such work consists in the fact that all spring work is postponed to mid-February, but at the same time the air temperature must be above 10-12 degrees.
Winter pruning is available only to those gardeners who live in warm areas with a mild climate.
Particular attention should be paid to pruning old trees.because they, just like the elderly, need careful and delicate care:
- such work is performed in early spring, after the plant turns 12-15 years old;
- pruning is usually stretched for 3-4 years so that the tree can gradually recover;
- to improve fruiting, every year, remove all dry and diseased shoots that unnecessarily thicken the crown of the tree and prevent the formation of new branches;
- throughout the entire rejuvenating period, gradually remove all unnecessary frame branches, whose number should not exceed 8-10 on average. When performing such work, the branches are filed from both sides in order to avoid unexpected scrapping and to make the cut site smoother and more even.
Winter is the time to prune tree branches:
How to take care of the tree after?
In order for the plum to endure the pruning procedure as easily as possible, to begin with you need to learn how to make the right cuts, which should be performed at an angle of 45 degrees, and the last kidney should be at a distance of 5-10 centimeters.
All such work should only be carried out using a sharp and disinfected gardening tool such as a knife, saw and lopper.
In order for the wounds on the tree to grow faster and not to undergo various diseases, initially they are cleaned with a sharp knife and treated with copper sulfate. Then they are lubricated with garden varnish, oil paint or any other regenerating agents.
Pruning plums is a rather complicated process only in the initial stages.while the crown is forming. At a later date, all work is reduced to the regular removal of old, damaged or improperly growing branches.
