How and when to prune apple trees

As you know, the main work for gardeners and summer residents begins in the spring. And it starts with pruning trees and shrubs. Let's talk about when to prune apple trees, what time of the year is best for cutting a fruiting beauty and for young growth. After all, the right time is the key to successful pruning and subsequent growth and fruiting.

The fact is that young apple trees during the active formation of the crown are best cut off a month before the beginning of vegetation, during the dormant period. Thus, the best growth of the shoots is ensured. Adult apple trees, actively bearing fruit, can be cut at any time of the year, both before and after the beginning of vegetation, until the end of flowering. In the southern regions, trees can be pruned even in winter.

After the growing process has begun, it is better to prune the apple tree when the crown is decreasing. Thus, an abundance of drags and strong regeneration can be avoided. In order to rejuvenate, it is better to cut apple trees 3 weeks before vegetation, thus enhancing their growth. Dry, broken and thickening branches can be pruned at any time of the year. Now that we've figured out when to prune the apple trees, let's figure out how to do it.

How to prune an apple tree

First of all, the branches need to be thinned out. To do this, open the center, cut off the upper part of the trunk with a fork over some branch. This significantly reduces the height of the tree and gives light access to the crown. After that, damaged and dry branches are cut from the crown from top to bottom. Be sure to remove one of the two intersecting or tightly joined branches. Branches growing towards the crown are also cut out. Then you can start removing the branches thickening the crown.

If the apple tree is not cut

If you do not prune the tree, then it grows in breadth and upward. Fruits with leaves appear on the periphery of the crown. In the central part, there are fewer new branches and fruit formation, old branches die off and the apple tree becomes bare. Leaves growing in the shady area have poor photosynthesis. And the main crop can only be harvested from young branches growing in a well-lit part of the tree. The optimum crown width should be 2.5 m, and its height should be up to 4 m. The distance between tree crowns should be at least half a meter, and the distance between trees in a row should be equal to the height of the tree.