Formation of coniferous and deciduous plants. Cut or pinch: we form conifers How to form a pine crown

It seems to many that pruning conifers is unnatural, because they can lose their already beautiful appearance. But their nature is such that with age, some conifers, and simply specimens, become ugly. Do not cut only collection forms in botanical gardens. That's why they are collectible, to disturb less, to save more species.

Yes, let's not hide, pruning conifers can lead to their death, but you have to try so hard and be so ignorant towards the poor tree ... Everything must be done with love, with an understanding of the matter, with confidence in the correctness, otherwise you can ruin an expensive copy of a coniferous hybrid or the same ordinary pine tree, but which has been growing for so long and has become so accustomed to the family.

But growing conifers on garden plot all the same, it is desirable to form, cut, in order to slow down the growth rate, because of which the tree grows and covers everything with a shadow, or it happens that part of the tree is exposed, the branches grow crookedly. Therefore, decorative or preventive pruning of conifers is necessary here.

In small gardens, coniferous pruning is needed so that it functions as intended, that is, so that the path does not become overgrown, so as not to lose labels with the names of plants (if any, it is actually very convenient), so that the plants themselves do not stretch out to the sun was not exposed. If you want the plant to grow natural form, then it is quite easy to thin out internal branches.

If there is a breed of coniferous plant with a wide - oval crown (thuja, cypress), then we advise you to remove several leading main branches while the tree is young, and then trim the tips of the shoots. Thus, if this process is repeated every 2 years in the spring or in the middle of summer, then the tree will not grow much in width, but the density will increase much.

Pruning of conifers is also needed for those plants that were grafted and began to grow incorrectly, in general, in order to balance growth. For example, pruning a grafted prickly spruce will prevent several tops from developing, which can suddenly wake up and grow unattended in different directions and different lengths, interfering with each other. In such a spruce, it is necessary to cut the side branches and shorten the shoots so that the shape of the crown of the ball is more pyramidal and one-topped. This process may take a couple of years until you see that the leading apical shoot has taken its place.

But some species or varieties of variegated conifers may lose their variegated color over time. But it will be preserved or updated by the same pruning of conifers. Here, for example, some cypress trees, after pruning and shaping the crown, become thick, cushion-shaped with beautiful, fresh bluish or silver needles. But if they are not cut off, then they stretch out, become bare, and at the bottom the needles begin to turn yellow .... Spruce and fir do not like when they cut shoots older than one year, then they get sick for a long time. (photo pruning conifers in the garden)

Conifer pruning requires the right tools, basically it is a pruner, gardening scissors, a small little hacksaw. Make sure they are in good condition, of good quality, so that when using these tools you will not distort the plant and do not injure yourself. Therefore, they must be sharp and disinfected.

Pruning of coniferous creeping and prostrate (juniper, yew) is carried out in early spring, powerful side shoots, this will increase the density of the crown. In the same way, the width and height of these plants are controlled. Prune in early spring before new growth begins.

Pruning coniferous spherical is also carried out in early spring. While the plants are young, they keep their shape well, but in adulthood they may grow separate lateral shoots, or the buds of the tree on which the hybrid was grafted wake up in the grafted plants, then the plant becomes ugly in shape or runs wild.

Pines grow intensively in summer. To cut them, you need to cut out parts of the lateral young shoots with a secateurs, but at the same time make sure that you do not damage the lateral buds from which the next lateral shoots will then form. Many gardeners cut off young shoots with their hands, so the pine tree looks more natural after the “haircut”. Pines have a special biology of development and growth of shoots. They grow in early summer, the shoots resemble candelabra, and at this time they are still without needles, which develop later. If you want to limit the size of the tree, you need to trim or pinch these candles while they are still soft. At this time, young buds still have the opportunity to form and mature by winter and form a normal growth for the next year. It is possible to keep a Scots pine tree at the size of a man at the age of, say, about 30 years. Otherwise, being uncircumcised, this tree, most likely, would have been over ten meters long ago.

It happens that conifers have grown unattended and shaded the ground under them, even the windows of the house. We suggest reshaping the tree, cutting off all the lower branches and removing some internal ones. This will free the bottom of the tree from the shadow, under it other plants can grow. And at the same time conifer tree will remain interesting. Many prostrate pines normally belong to such pruning, especially with beautiful bark, for example, like the Sosnowsky pine.

Large conifers need to be carefully cut, before that go around the tree several times and plan the pruning well. It's better not to cut something than to cut it. There is such an option - first cut off the top, then leave it for a couple of years and look at the “reaction” of the tree, and then cut off the side shoots, form a crown. Do not forget that very old branches should not be cut, after which the tree is sick for a long time or may die. If this happens, then it is advisable to call a pruning expert. Even if you pay him, you will save a tree that costs much more than cutting it.

Softwood pruning - system:

S - cutting lines;
B - sleeping kidneys;
K - laid buds at the site of cuts (type of shoot by the end of summer).

Pruning coniferous hedges needs periodicity and accuracy. It needs to be trimmed each year to the specific shape you want to give the hedge. A small, low cut with ordinary garden scissors. But often a more powerful tool is required. Hedges are best planted small. Give a side sides light pruning after the first year and trim the top permanently once the desired height is reached. After that, the lateral growth will be more powerful. This will help fill in gaps and gaps between plants in the row.

Narrow conical forms should be planted at a distance of about 60 cm from each other. A distance of about 1 m is suitable for taller and faster growing plants such as common thuja occidentalis. Low prostrate plants, such as juniper medium, should also be planted at a distance of 1 m from each other, or perhaps even further, as they will increase in size primarily in width.

Pruning time is not limited to a strictly defined season and timing, but the most suitable time for pruning hedges is early to mid-spring, before the buds burst, given that the maximum intensity of shoot growth in many conifers occurs at the end of spring - early summer. Young plants can be pruned a second time at the end of summer, when the main growth has already ended, but the cambium is still functioning, so that the cuts can heal before autumn.

Pine remains one of the most common plants used to decorate a site during landscaping. A properly formed crown will look neat, and small pine trees will turn into one of the main decorative elements, and at the same time make the atmosphere on the site pleasant and healthy. For this, pine pruning should be carried out in a timely manner: this is not a very difficult job, but it will have to be done regularly.

, it is important to take care that the roots do not remain bare even for a few minutes during transplantation: because of this, they may die. A year after planting, you can begin to form the crown of a young tree.

This is the name given to the removal of old and diseased branches, necessary for the tree to remain healthy. However, in this case, a danger is created for other plants due to the shadow formed due to the dense crown. Pine can be formed hedge or use it to decorate the site, timely pruning allows you to keep the plant both beautiful and healthy.

If the roof grows, it will be difficult to trim it, and on the site this will lead to additional issues. It is impossible to turn the territory into a forest, it has many other functions, and excessive growth of green spaces should not be allowed.

In addition, in advanced cases, pruning is dangerous: it is stressful for the plant, and if removed a large number of green mass, the pine may die. Do not delay the implementation of sanitary procedures, even if at first glance they seem difficult.

In order for pruning to bring pine not harm, but benefit, it must be carried out in accordance with the following requirements:

The procedure is carried out when young shoots began to appear in the pine - the so-called increments or candles. When they begin to grow, they contain the embryos of future needles, it is important to remove the growth when it has already grown to its maximum, but the needles have not yet begun to fluff. Coniferous trees wake up quite late after winter, the active growth of new shoots will begin only in May. Because of this, pruning is recommended only in June.
For pruning, simple garden shears with a long blade are used. Processing begins from the top of the tree, the skeletal branches are cut off separately, while leaving small stumps (no more than 5 cm). Subsequently, they will grow, but the total annual growth will not exceed three centimeters.
If after spring pruning candles still gave stronger growths, you can’t cut a pine branch into needles. In this case, the green needles will quickly turn yellow, which will make the tree look messy. Each needle lives not for one year, but for several, so initially incorrect pruning can cause serious harm, and it will not be possible to fix it quickly.
The pruning site is treated with copper sulphate, if you had to inflict serious wounds on the plant, then they are smeared with pitch. This will avoid the ingress of pathogenic bacteria and the onset of putrefactive processes.

The first pruning is carried out in the spring, and at the end of the summer, additional crown adjustments can be made.

It is important that the pruning tool is clean and very sharp for a neat cut. Otherwise, it can become a source of infection for the entire plant. In just one pruning, no more than one third of the green mass can be removed, otherwise the damage to the plant will be irreparable.

Pine pruning is carried out not only in sanitary purposes to limit crown height.

Many are attracted to neat crowns, which can be achieved with the right decorative pruning. Pines with a decorative crown can be used to create hedges, design alleys, etc.

How to choose a tree for these purposes:

For this procedure, it is better to choose cloudy days so that brown spots do not begin to appear on the needles that occur during increased evaporation of moisture.
One of the advantages of pine is that it is not necessary to buy a seedling specifically.
Sometimes you can just dig a suitable sprout in the forest and plant it on the site.
In the shadow big trees such seedlings grow slowly, and when correct transplant to a new place, they will quickly begin to develop, actively giving new shoots.
In this case, it will be much easier to form a crown, since you do not have to remove a large number of branches.
Usually, small pines are chosen for transplantation, whose age does not exceed 3-4 years.

In nurseries, they cost from about 300 to 1000 rubles, in the forest you can just pick up young plant, which will still be difficult to grow due to the shade of large trees. It is better not to choose large ones, as they do not tolerate a change of place and can get sick for a whole year. Decorative pruning is usually carried out in such a way that the crown retains even pyramidal outlines, however, thanks to it, the pine tree will look more fluffy and sprawling, turning into a real decoration of the site.

One of the goals of pruning is to rejuvenate an old tree, as over time the growth zone will still tend to the ends of the shoots. If you do not interfere with this process, you can get almost bare long branches, devoid of needles. This is done as follows:

In autumn or winter, the ends of already bare old branches are cut off to awaken dormant buds.
Too large old branches are removed, on which there are no more points of growth.
In the spring, new sprouts will appear on the remainder of the branch, which will then turn into full-fledged shoots.

It is important to cut the branches so that at least part of the needles still remain on them, otherwise the branch will simply dry out completely.

In this way, you can turn an old pine tree into an almost new tree with young bright green needles. Anti-aging pruning is carried out approximately once every three years, thanks to it the tree will look good and take its rightful place in landscape composition site.

Pine - familiar in the Russian climate unpretentious plant which is very easy to care for.

She is able to become one of the decorations of the yard, in addition, she can be dressed up for the new year, if you do not want to cut down a living tree to install it in your home. Taking care of the tree and its timely pruning will make the pine tree beautiful and well-groomed, which will allow you to harmoniously and accurately decorate the summer cottage.

More information can be found in the video.

Pruning conifers is also attractive because it allows you to create real works of art on your site. But if this is your first time taking up a pruner, you don’t need to set yourself the main goal of creating a juniper or an intricate object, you need to start with simple forms: cones, balls, pyramids. And with time, the rest will come, and the trimming process itself will become interesting and creative.

Basic Rules:

You need to start work the next year after transplanting or planting a seedling;
When pruning, be guided by the design of the crown, because sometimes it can simply be cut by doing the most minimal work;
In one run, the cut mass should not be more than 30% of the total green mass of the tree;
After pruning, you should not leave bare branches, because conifers, unlike other plants whose shoots are covered with greenery, will simply dry out;
Do not forget that some types of these plants are poisonous, and therefore, when working, use gloves and clothes that you don’t mind throwing away, because if resin gets in, you won’t be able to wash it off;
It is important that the tool for work is well sharpened and clean, do not forget to also wipe it after cutting each tree so as not to “catch” the infection.

Pruning conifers: timing and technique

A lot depends on timing. By choosing the time, you can stimulate the growth of branches, their maturation, the laying of fruiting buds. Most often, work is carried out in the spring (March-April), which is correct for most fruit species, however, such a schedule is not suitable for decorative types. Suitable dates clippings:

Spring is considered the most favorable period, since at this time the growth of new shoots is stimulated. The plants that undergo "processing" include juniper, thuja, dwarf pines.
Summer pruning is suitable for all conifers (to ensure sunlight), as well as for varieties with spring bloom, which leads to the laying of new buds and shoots. If you work in March-April, you can cut off future buds, which will lead to "damage" to the appearance. In addition, such work inhibits vegetation and is carried out when old branches are removed and bushes are thinned out.
Plants that are characterized by early growing seasons (larch, cypress) are best cut in November.

But timing is not the most important key point is the cutting technique, on which depends and appearance shrub, and its normal development. That is why you must strictly follow all the rules regarding this issue. The most famous method is considered to be a "cut on the kidney", which we will tell you in detail.

Main points of work:

The correct cut should have a slope of 45 degrees to the kidney, and its lower edge should be higher than the level of the base by a maximum of 2 mm.
If you cut too low, the “wound” will heal for a long time, because of which the kidney will either give a small and weak shoot, or dry up, and if you cut too high, the shoot will deviate strongly to the side, the fat will dry out and become an obstacle to rapid overgrowth. wounds."
The branch, which is in a raised position, is cut to the outer bud, in an oblique view, the cut is made to the inner bud, the side cut is carried out only if it is necessary to rotate the branch in the tier.
If you are going to shorten the shoots, it is advisable to leave spines up to 2 cm long, as they will "protect" the kidney from the process of tissue death.

But with old and thick branches there is another work to be done. Firstly, you should not cut them with a knife or pruner, as there is a high chance of leaving a "laceration" that will take too long to heal. It is best to use a file, and make the cut itself along the top of the “ring”. Be sure to hold the branch during the removal process so that it does not break off and damage the bark. After work, go through all the places of the cut garden pitch helping plants recover faster.

Caring for plants before and after cutting

Pruning coniferous trees and plants is a huge stress for trees. That is why a lot of attention should be paid to the care and condition of the tree before the work is carried out. So, for example, if your thuja or juniper look “not very” healthy, you should definitely strengthen the plants. For this, there are various top dressings, mineral and phosphate fertilizers. Also, one should not forget about high-quality watering, without going “beyond”, because many conifers need two or three waterings per month, and an excess of moisture will negatively affect their root system.

It is also necessary to monitor the condition of the plants after the removal of the branches. Special stimulants are suitable for this - adaptogens, which strengthen and support trees and shrubs after such a stressful "operation". The main thing is to carefully read the instructions so as not to "overfeed" the plants.

You can stimulate the growth of roots with the help of zircon, but epin is perfect for the crown - the price of these “medicines” is quite low, and they have an excellent effect, which has been proven by many gardeners.

Such pruning of conifers will allow you not only to beautifully arrange the crown of plants, but also make them even stronger - pests and conifers and fruit trees cannot interfere with growth and development.

I always wanted to decorate the site with conifers, especially since the site is not even, but located on a hillside, with a large elevation difference, with platforms different heights. Not thinking that I would ever grow vegetables, I planted in different years arborvitae, junipers, mountain pine, white fir, Siberian cedar pine. She brought ordinary junipers from the forest - male and female specimens. All are pleasing to the eye. But my special passion is Scotch pine, which no one needs to introduce, it does not need a description, because. in our region is known to everyone since childhood.

With all the love for this majestic and useful tree I can't let it grow like a pine forest. How to find a way out? How to properly restrain the growth of branches, because in some years the growth of pines can reach a meter ...

Pine trees grow on various soils, most often on sandy, rocky or peaty. They are undemanding to air humidity and soil richness, adapted to various temperature conditions.

Peeps through the openwork crown blue sky, needles warmed by the sun and resinous branches exude a tart aroma ... This aroma is especially felt in hot weather. The pine is a rather light-loving tree, therefore its trunks below are completely devoid of branches, the branches simply die off as soon as less light than they need begins to flow from above through the crown.

Another important difference between pine is that it can only grow in conditions clean air. After all, it is the gas and dust of the city that violate the vital important processes pines - photosynthesis and gas exchange. That is why the pine trees that were planted several years ago along the busy streets of our patriarchal-sleepy regional center on the highest order of the then governor from Peter Slyunyaev are dying. At that time, there was not a single specialist expert in his entourage who would explain how, where and why pines should be planted like that. The trace of the official has caught a cold, but the blackened skeletons of pines stand as a monument to another bungling, ignorance and sycophancy ... But let's not talk about bad things. Kostroma land still cannot be imagined without a pine tree.

We planted a total of 11 pines on the site, three of the bottom are miniature. There is a special discussion about them at the end. And the rest were planted in spring and autumn in different time and came to the conclusion that best time for planting - early autumn, September. The tree manages to strengthen itself in a new place and survive the stress, although spring way there is a place to be, but then you need to hurry up, land as soon as the thawed earth allows. Well, the whole process of delivering dug out pine should take 15-20 minutes.

Pine trees took root, started to grow, and the growth in the year of planting will always be less than usual. Stress, however!

When planting, we did not think that we would build a small winter house in this place. There is nothing terrible from such a neighborhood, because pillar foundation. One of the pines almost died, I had to cut the central shoot, but then suddenly a side branch rose and took the place of the central branch. You can see it in the photo:

The cut was made above the annual growth. The 2-3-year-old pines are the easiest to take root, they also grow faster, overtaking their older sisters. Sometimes the ugliest specimens even out, become irresistible. Before you start shaping your pine tree, you need to determine how tall the tree needs to be and whether you want a Japanese style pine or just a fluffy conifer. I think it's better to show on photo examples. In the photo, the kidneys of the Siberian cedar pine, in the common one, everything is the same. Sorry, I just couldn't find a photo.

Pine buds are young shoots in the embryonic stage of growth. At the tops of the branches, they are located alone or in whorls of several pieces. In May, they are actively growing. By pinching young shoots at the beginning of summer, you can form a pine tree depending on your tastes. If you break off the kidneys by less than 1/3 of the length, then we will not hold back the growth of the tree much. But even in this case, the pine will branch more actively, more buds will form at the ends of the branches than it would be without pinching.

In the photo on the left is a pine tree, in which all shoots were shortened by 1/2 length in June 2014. As a result, by August 2014 new buds were formed, there are a lot of them. In the picture, when enlarged, dozens of shoots are already visible in June 2015. Last season, I didn't deliberately break them off. From the 2016 season, the pinching will be annual and stronger, because. The height of the pine is already 3 meters. This pine tree was planted in a swampy area that had to be drained by digging drainage ditches, although they did not solve the problem with spring flooding to the end. But they got rid of marsh plants, brought out horse sorrel, buttercup, and mowing the lawn. We did not expect that the pine would like it so much here. And the thing is that when planted at a young age, pines adapt well to the conditions of the site, depending on the level ground water developing root system, deep or superficial.

In the foreground and to the right are 2 pines of the same age. Only the one in the center, I pinched in 2014 by 2 cm, but did not touch the right one. So she gave a huge increase, in the summer I will begin to form.
If you think that you need a bonsai-style pine, then you need to remove up to 2/3 of the length of the kidneys, or even more. The growth of the tree in this case is well restrained. Therefore, you need to decide on the desired height.

I tried it on a few pine trees at the edge of the forest. Here are a couple of pines after pinching for two seasons:

A month later, we met hunters at this place, while I was photographing a bear track on clay, and my husband was talking to the huntsman, my pine tree was liked by a "lover" of nature with a childlike face of a Kostroma paratrooper:

I didn’t even have time to blink an eye, as he broke off the top of his head ... I ask: “Why ???” In response: “I’ll plant it!” ... No comments ...

But all pine wood is permeated with the smallest resin passages. If you inflict a wound on a tree, fragrant amber resin will come out of the resin passages and quickly fill it. The tree itself imposes a plaster that has a bactericidal effect. Resin containing turpentine is emitted by a pine tree, air is ozonated, which is why being in a pine forest is so beneficial for us.
Pine needles live for a full 2 years, the loss of old needles with such a pinch will not be noticeable. And right there, the state of the formed pine tree will show the degree of purity of the air in the area.
In the spring of 2015, we planted three pine trees of bizarre shapes that had been trying to grow for several years on a railway embankment two kilometers from us. Trains rarely run there, but a locomotive-mower passes to keep the tracks in order.

It was in April.

The pines were planted on an artificially created mound of sand and gravel. Such a bedding on both sides of our house, its area is large, but we are already growing lilacs and Japanese quince, and hosts, and oregano, and even strawberries. I didn’t pinch the new settlers, I regretted it, everyone got accustomed well over the past summer.

The buds of these pines are bad, so there is nothing to cut off at the top, and the “extra” branch looking to the right will show itself this season. She will rise and get stronger, then we'll see. With pines best principle- "DO NOT CUT".

It is necessary to pinch pine shoots with gloves, the resin is poorly washed. The pinching procedure should be carried out when the shoots stop growing, and young needles begin to separate from the stem. Then, by the end of summer, the pine will lay many new buds for next year. I would be glad if my modest experience is useful to someone from the seven-summer gardens. After all, I also encountered the fact that it is difficult to understand how, when and how much to pinch from a pine tree. But more importantly, what will come of it? Everything is always easy with spruce. And from such a button, next to the Christmas tree in the April forest:

Here is such a beauty:

She will not be afraid of frost or hot sun / unlike expensive overseas pines /, she will grow gratefully with any plants nearby / unlike a Christmas tree /. It will give you joy and health.

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Many people think that pine is not the most suitable tree for suburban area, because, growing up, it creates a solid shadow over a large area. Only a few of them survive under it. ornamental plants. However, at competent pruning, pine can become worthy decoration plot, and you can cut both young and adult specimens.

Types of pruning pine

Coniferous trees, like any others, need care, one of the elements of which is the removal of part of the shoots or branches. Depending on the purpose, there are four main types of pruning of Scots pine:

rejuvenating
formative
healing
combined.

Healing pruning

This procedure is performed if the territory already has mature tree which it was decided to leave on the site. At the same time, old dry branches, shoots affected by various diseases are removed. It often happens that skeletal branches are also cut if the crown is too thick, and the owners want to make it more openwork and visually lighter, or to give symmetry.

Sanitary pruning of pines is also carried out to balance the trunk growing at an angle. In the latter case, the procedure acts not so much as a therapeutic, but as a preventive measure.

Pruning that defines the shape of the pine crown

This type of plant care is conditionally divided into two types - molding and decorative pruning. We say "conditionally" because both options allow you to give the tree the intended shape. Only in the case of molding pruning of Scotch pine, the crown grows as naturally as possible, and with decorative pruning, it is given the shape that best suits the landscape design. For example, when they want to introduce elements into the landscape design Japanese style, in particular, garden bonsai - nivaki.

Anti-aging pruning

Healthy trees and shrubs with a developed root system begin to actively grow new branches in case they experience a lack of sunlight. This property is used to rejuvenate old plants. Thanks to this kronirovanie all useful microelements are used to build new greenery, and not to maintain the vital activity of old branches.

Combined pruning - crowning, which solves not one, but two or more tasks, for example, rejuvenation and healing.

You do not know how or do not know how to properly carry out this procedure? You do not have enough time, strength and health to independently perform the removal of old branches? No work experience for high altitude, and the pine has already grown quite tall? Call our landscape studio M.Art. Our arborists will professionally and quickly perform all the necessary work.

When to prune Scotch pine?

Pine crowning can be done in spring and autumn. The choice of season depends on what goals you need to achieve.

The formation of a common pine in spring by pruning is done if it is necessary to obtain a decorative crown or treat the tree. It should be remembered that it is possible to make a “haircut” for Scotch pine only when the frosts have ended and the active growing season has not yet begun. In other words, from March to June. In autumn, pruning is done only in order to slow down the growth of the plant, and it is undesirable to touch adult plants. It should be remembered that you can not do kronirovanie if the temperature drops below 3-5°C. Dead branches can be removed all year round.

In autumn, the ends of old branches are cut off, and those branches on which there are no growth points are also removed. At the end of spring, the so-called candles are removed by a third - shoots on which the needles are still soft, unfluffed. In the first years after transplantation, the plant should not be crowned, since the thickness of the trunk depends on the number of branches.

M.Art Landscape Studio will help you trim young and old trees. For this we have modern equipment and experienced arborists who know the techniques of industrial mountaineering.

I consider it my duty to write a review about the work of the M.Art team, because not by hearsay, but by duty, I know how rare conscientious performers are. Order for landscape design turnkey did simultaneously with the start of construction of the house. I was pleased that the landscapers immediately established contact with the builders and coordinated all issues with them on their own. As a result, the processes went on in many ways ...

I ordered turf laying at M.Art. I want to thank the pros of this company for not falling for me and doing what they thought was right. Now I have a lawn - green, even, clean - I'm overjoyed ...

I want to express my gratitude to the employees of the M.Art company for the fact that they literally transformed our site at the house. Now you go home, as if on a holiday. It seems that the space itself has changed and become more welcoming. The initiators of the idea of transforming the estate were the children...