The size and quality of the harvest of apricot trees directly depend on the correct and regular care of the crown. Knowing the procedure for pruning apricots in spring, summer and autumn will help form and maintain young and old plantings in a fertile state.

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Why do apricots need pruning?

Fruit tree pruning is carried out for the following purposes:

1. Crown formation. The natural growth of the branches forms an excessively thick "cap" in the apricot. The tree bears fruit abundantly, increasing the load on the crown, but a short time depleted. A lot of shoots reduce the illumination and air access to the crown, which leads to a decrease in the size and deterioration of the taste of the fruit.
2. Sanitary pruning. It consists in removing dry, diseased and damaged branches, in the wood of which conditions are created suitable for the reproduction of pests and diseases. The tree also expends energy on their support and restoration. This reduces the yield and quality of fruits.
3. Rejuvenation. Over time, old branches are replaced by young shoots, which maintains the viability of the plant and preserves the yield and quality of the fruit.

Rules for pruning and care

It is desirable to carry out pruning work before the phase of active sap flow or at its end. This way the least harm is done to the tree. In addition to meeting deadlines, equipment for the procedure and materials for processing sections are being prepared. You should study the schemes for the formation of crowns and perform the work correctly.

Features in different seasons

Apricot pruning is carried out throughout the garden season:

• spring;
• summer;
• autumn.

In the spring, in late March or early April, formative and sanitary pruning is carried out. The air needs to be warm enough so that the branches of the plant are flexible, but have not entered the phase of active growth. In addition, at this time, the initial pruning of a young seedling is recommended.

In summer, preferably until mid-June, the tree is rejuvenated, aimed at increasing the number of young shoots and replacing old ones. In this way, the size of the future crop is increased.

In the video you can see how to properly cut apricot branches in the summer. Photographed by Vitaly Orekh.

The autumn period is favorable for the removal of damaged, dry and diseased branches. Together with sanitary pruning fruit shoots are shortened by a third without affecting the skeletal branches. Excess deciduous twigs are cut out.

Work is carried out in dry and warm weather. Avoid pruning in rain and frost.

Required Tools

For trimming and processing slices, you will need a set of tools:

• secateurs for removing young shoots;
• hacksaw for cutting thick and old branches;
• garden knife, they process and clean the places of cuts;
• delimber, it is convenient for them to remove shoots located in hard-to-reach places crowns.

The cutting edges of tools should be sharpened sharply. Immediately before trimming, the blades should be treated with disinfectants to reduce the risk of disease and pests being transferred to fresh cuts.

Processing after trimming

To reduce the negative effects and speed up recovery, you must:

• cover the slices with a layer of garden pitch or paint over oil paint;
• for additional disinfection, large sections are treated with copper sulphate;
• with large volumes of pruning, the tree should be fed with organic, phosphate, nitrogen fertilizers.

Schemes and technologies

In an apricot tree, it is recommended to form a sparse-tiered or cupped crown. The first type repeats natural forms, the second is more convenient to maintain and harvest. For both species, there are sequential pruning schemes by year. It is also useful to know the features of working with young and old trees.

Pruning a young seedling

The formation of young trees differs depending on their age.

First year

When planting, a seedling consisting of one central shoot is shortened to a height of 80–90 cm from the ground.

If there are side shoots on the conductor, the following actions are performed:

• the stem of the seedling is shortened, leaving it 20–30 cm higher than other branches;
• strong side branches are reduced in length by half;
• small processes are removed “on the ring”, leaving no stumps;
• during the year, shoots growing inside the crown or in an undesirable direction are removed.

Proper pruning apricot in a ring

Second year

The purpose of pruning the second year is the formation of the following skeletal branches. A number of additional strong shoots are determined, located no closer than 30 cm to each other and last year's branches. The procedure is carried out by the method of subordination - the upper processes are made shorter than the lower ones. The shoots formed last year are pruned in the same way, observing subordination. The height of the conductor is left approximately 40 cm from the upper side branch. Seasonal shoots based on the crown are cut or shortened: for fast-growing varieties - by half, for moderately growing ones - by a third.

Third year

Deadline for laying skeletal branches. The scope of work is the same as in the second year of crown formation. Now the conductor is not reduced, but cut off to the nearest side shoot. Partially shorten the lateral growth extending from the trunk, but not related to the skeletal base. This is done to develop overgrown shoots on the main branches.

Fourth year

Many varieties of apricots are beginning to bear fruit. By this time, the skeletal base of the crown should be completely formed. For the next 3-4 years, the tree will need only sanitary and thinning pruning.

Tree rejuvenation pruning should be carried out every three years

crown formation

The main types of crown suitable for a fruit tree are cup-shaped and sparse-tiered.

Formation of a cupped crown

On the main conductor, the seedlings are left from 2 to 4 lateral branches at a distance of 2-3 buds from each other. The conductor is cut at a height of 10–15 cm above the upper branch so that a thorn without buds remains. side shoots shorten by 5-7 kidneys. Sections are carried out on the external kidney.

Up to 3 shoots of the second order are left on the growth of the first year. In the second year, spring pruning of skeletal branches is carried out, leaving a length of 40–60 cm. The ends of the branches are kept in the same horizontal line. During May and early June, the upper shoots of the conductor and competitors of the main branches on the trunk are removed. The first shoot is released no closer than 30–40 cm from the trunk, the second - after 15–40 cm. The conductors at the ends of the skeletal branches and the left shoots of the second year are not touched. The rest of the growth is cut off.

Cupped crown

During the third year, fresh secondary shoots form on the main branches. On last year's secondary growth, branches of the third order are determined. Shoots directed inside the crown or vertically are removed.

At six or seven years of age, rejuvenating pruning is needed to improve yields. The skeletal base is shortened by a third, leaving 2-3 shoots at the ends. Old fertile branches are reduced in length to the strong shoot closest to the trunk and shortened to 5–8 buds.

Sparse-tiered crown

This type of crown is close to natural form. Lateral branches grow on the trunk singly and in groups (tiers) of 2-3 pieces.

The crown begins to form from an annual seedling. In early spring about 50 cm from the ground level is measured on a tree - the trunk zone. Above it, another 30 cm is noted - a place for the skeletal branches of the lower tier. Make a cut over the nearest developed kidney. You can not completely remove the shoots on the stem, but cut the shoots over 3-4 leaves. Their growth will slow down and will help the development of the standard zone, improve the nutrition of the main branches of the crown.

In the second year in the spring, the shoots on the trunk are removed. Three skeletal shoots are left in the branching zone: the lower one at a distance of half a meter from the soil surface, the next - at intervals of 15–20 cm. The branches should be chosen directed in different directions, the divergence angle is maintained at least 100–120 degrees. Then they are shortened to approximately one horizontal level. The shoot of the trunk should be brought out 15–20 cm above the ends of the skeletal branches. Next, you need to remove competing growth shoots from last year's cut of the top of the conductor.

Sparse-tiered crown

Developed shoots that are not related to the skeleton are completely cut out. Short shoots (up to 30 cm) can be left - the branches are not prone to growth, but bear fruit.

In the third year, two shoots of the second tier are laid at a distance of 50–60 cm above the upper branch of the first level. New skeletal processes should be identified at intervals of 10–15 cm and their tops aligned in height. Competitive branches are cut. With excessive growth, the conductor is shortened.

Apricot is a fruit loved by many, attracting with its aroma and unusual taste. In our area, apricots are consumed not only in their raw form, they are often used to make jam, jam, jam, marmalade, and they also prepare drying. The fruits of the apricot tree also have a positive effect on human health, fill it with vitamins and microelements. But for the apricot to grow actively and give bountiful harvest, she needs some care, which includes apricot pruning in spring. The action plan will help each summer resident to prune correctly, while maintaining the integrity of the tree.

Apricot pruning in spring - why is it necessary?

Before proceeding with pruning, it is important to understand a few points for yourself. Firstly, apricot, like many other fruit trees, yields only due to the presence of special fruit branches, which are popularly called fruit trees. These branches are active for a certain period, after which they must be replaced with new ones. In addition, all stone fruits are known for their excessive sap flow, especially in the spring.

An adult apricot can only bear fruit on lateral or upper branches. Such an anomaly happens quite often and indicates insufficient care. To get rid of this, you can try to apply the following recommendations of experts on your own:

• When conducting spring pruning skeletal branches are completely cleared of lateral branches. The cut points are carefully worked out with antiseptics or special substances.
• The main sign of the absence of an apricot is improperly growing shoots. As practice shows, there will be no more fruits on such branches, so it is better to immediately get rid of such shoots.
• Regularly trim and do not neglect these actions.

What is tree pruning? First of all, it is necessary to take into account the age and formation of the trunk. Depending on how old the apricot tree is, the shortening of the branches will have different lengths. Today there are many different schemes on the formation of branches, where each has both positive and negative aspects. Often there is a cypress-shaped formation, when a tree consists of one powerful trunk, on the sides of which fruit branches are formed. The advantages of such a scheme - it takes up little space, the disadvantages - it requires constant maintenance of tree branches and provokes rapid aging of apricots.

The most optimal form of pruning a tree can be called a palmette. This form allows you to get the maximum amount of harvest, while preserving the apricot itself. If you've never pruned a tree, it's best to start with a ball shape, as it's closer to the natural shape of an apricot and will produce a good, consistent crop with the right care.

How to prune an apricot Scheme

Pruning scheme for apricots in spring

Basic rules for pruning apricots in spring:

1. Pruning should begin immediately after the first sap flow, until the tree is fully awake. If late, in the end, there may be a strong release of gum.
2. A pruner should be used as a tool. Pruning is carried out directly under the kidney, without stumps, otherwise diseases may appear on the tree.
3. If you saw off a strong, large branch, then you must definitely fill that place with garden pitch. Some incorrectly use the var bought in specialized stores, starting to smear the cut with a plasticine-like composition. It is necessary to preheat the var to liquid state, let cool and only then smear fresh cut. The procedure is recommended to be repeated at intervals of 1 time in 2 weeks.
4. When working with a mature tree, you should initially thin out all weak branches and remove shoots that grow down.

See also helpful video:

For the successful growth and fruiting of fruit trees in the garden, you need to grow them with care and care. One of milestones such care is pruning garden trees. This rule does not bypass the apricot tree, which is very light-loving and has thick, branched, but very flexible branches.

So that the crown of the tree does not grow, and it begins to bear fruit as quickly as possible, the young tree is pruned annually. Pruning is also done on an already mature tree. This process is carried out in order to rejuvenate the tree and prevent thickening of its branches. How to do it, and when to do it, we will describe below.

Let's look at the types of existing cuts that are divided into shaping pruning, regulating, rejuvenating, restorative and sanitary. So, a young tree is given a formative pruning, which allows to give a certain shape to its crown, stimulate the activity of increasing the volume of branches and get an earlier fruiting of the tree.

The main task of regulating pruning is to maintain the yield in the achieved quantity and prevent the weakening of the tree's growth.

Rejuvenating pruning is performed to enhance the growth of branches, stimulate the appearance of young ones more inclined to bear fruit, normalize the yield load, and prevent the deterioration of fruit quality.

Restorative pruning is mainly used when there is mechanical damage and freezing of the tree.

All types of pruning, as a rule, are not used alone, but combine.

One of the purposes of pruning an apricot tree is to form its crown, as well as the formation of new shoots every year. Both pruning is carried out according to a certain pattern, which you definitely need to know.

Crown apricot tree in most cases pruned by sparse-tiered method. But there are several more methods for forming the crown of a tree. This is a method called the improved bowl system with no tier single placement of branches, and the formation of a tree in an area that is limited, this is the so-called crown flattening method.

The formation of the crown of a tree by the method of sparse-tiered pruning is carried out by growing 5-7 branches of the first order with an interval of 35-40 cm between them. The crown flattening method is used if it is necessary to obtain early fruiting of the tree, as well as a high-quality crop.

Forming an apricot crown begins with cutting branches located 0.9 m from the ground. First, cut in half two branches located along the main row. Then the rest is cut off on the ring, while leaving only the main conductor 20-25 cm above the main branches. In summer, branches growing at an acute angle, and branches that are not the main ones, are cut out.

On the next year the laying of the main branches is continued, starting at 35-45 cm, to form the second order of branching, while not forgetting the order of subordination of the branches to the central conductor. Unnecessary branches growing on the trunk are turned into overgrown ones, shortening them, while strong annual branches 60 cm long cut to half length, or even more, and overgrowing and small ones are not cut off at all. The main conductor is cut above the branch that grows last.

The yielding apricot is pruned to lighten the tree, while removing branches that grow inside the plant and thicken it. Pruning is also done to stimulate the growth of strong shoots, on which fruits are mainly formed later, and to prevent overloading the crop with a crop and baldness of its branches.

There is also a rejuvenating pruning of fruit trees, which is carried out in case of suspension of shoot growth in a plant.

This type of pruning is based on the excellent ability of the apricot to recover. Pruning is carried out under the condition that the shoots of the annual tree have grown up to 30 cm long. This procedure is carried out by transferring the side branches to a zone of strong shoot growth.

Pruning apricots in autumn

The apricot tree differs from other fruit trees in that the ovary does not drop on its own, and fruits ripen from most of its inflorescences. This feature of this fruit tree leads to a strong congestion with fruits, and this leads to the depletion of the culture and the breaking off of its branches.

Therefore, in order to maintain the normal and balanced condition of the fruits, leaves and branches of the tree, it should be pruned in autumn. In autumn, they produce shaping, regulating and rejuvenating pruning.

What are the pruning times?

autumn pruning apricot tree held in October, or rather in its middle. At the same time, not all varieties of apricot are pruned in autumn, but only early and middle varieties of this crop.

Restoration of growth in a tree is carried out by very strong pruning of perennial wood. Namely, in the second and third years after, a third of the fruit branches are removed, using a sparse-tiered system of formation of 5-6 branches of the plant skeleton. At this time, professional gardeners also recommend pinching the main branches, on which 12-15 leaves appeared.

The growing long fruit branches are shortened to 50 cm. At the same time, all cuts on the tree are made with a saw, a very sharp knife, or a secateurs, while doing this carefully, so as not to hurt the wood. It is very important to treat all cuts after cutting with a previously prepared garden pitch.

Autumn pruning of apricots

Early in the spring, shaping, sanitary, and rejuvenating pruning of the apricot tree is carried out. The shape of the crown of the apricot is laid at will, forming a bowl, a palmette or a bush. In this case, I use a sparse-tiered cropping system.

Still in the spring fruit tree cut for the first time. Sections are made on the kidney, which is located on the side that is opposite to the grafting site. This is done to preserve the vertical growth of the central trunk.

The task of the main post-planting pruning is to correct the shortcomings that exist in the structure of the young crown, determine the location, quantity, and strength with which the main branches grow, and provide the conductor with a leading position.

About the timing of pruning in the spring

Spring apricot pruning is carried out after the temperature rises, before the first leaves appear.

The first pruning of a tree after planting is carried out at the age of one year at least three to four weeks by the beginning of the growing season.

If a two-year-old plant was used to lay the garden, the first pruning is also done in early spring, a year after planting. During this time, the branches will not give strong growth, and the trees that have not been pruned due to the growth of leaves on larger area, will develop a strong rhizome.

Sanitary pruning and crown cleaning from dry, improperly growing, thickening branches can be produced at all stages of tree development at any time.

Pruning an apricot tree in summer

In summer, the apricot fruit tree is rejuvenated pruned. Summer pruning of apricot contributes to the formation of a huge number of new branches. and wood fouling of bare parts of semi-skeletal and skeletal branches.

Early summer pruning ensures a strong growth of the tree, the plant has time to restore foliage, and lay fruitful buds on secondary shoots. With late summer pruning, the second wave of growth does not occur, and the tree does not lay flower buds, while its leaf cover also decreases. It is worth noting that the wounds inflicted in the summer heal perfectly.

Summer pruning dates

pruning, which rejuvenates the tree produced in early June. At the same time, a year after such pruning, fruiting increases, fruits become larger and better, and the disease rate of the tree decreases. You can enjoy the results of pruning in the summer for three years. Therefore, it is carried out for three years once.

It is very important to remember that if the tree does not have enough moisture or there is not enough nutrients, pruning in June should not be carried out, this can significantly worsen the condition of the plant.

What tools to use

When planning a garden, a novice gardener should definitely acquire the necessary equipment.

Namely, to take care of fruit trees and not only, you need:

• air or hand pruner
• garden, copulation and budding grafting knives
• garden file
• triangular file
• special paste
• straightening belt and point cutting tool
• donkey and bar
• twine for fastening branches
• chisel for cleaning wounds
• means to close them garden var, dye)

Preparing tools for work

First of all, all the tool must be very carefully sharpened. When sharpening a garden, budding and copulating knife, first they chamfer. In such knives, as a rule, it is located on one side. It is grinded until a wedge appears from the sting of the blade to the butt, without bends and blockages.

After that, the sharpening of the knife is continued on a fine-grained block. To this end, the blade of the knife, where the chamfer was located, is pressed against the bar or touchstone over the entire surface, while simultaneously moving it forward and upward, starting from the upper edge of the blade to the lower edge forward. And on the other hand, so that blockages do not form, at this time slightly correct the sting of the blade.

After that, the knife is corrected with a whetstone. During sharpening, the bar and the touchstone are abundantly wetted with water. This is done to remove sawdust from iron and carborundum and graphite masses.

The grafting knife is additionally corrected on a belt, which is previously lubricated with a special paste. If the sharpness of the tool is similar to the sharpness of a razor, it is ready for work. If the garden knife is not very dull, it is corrected on the whetstone, straight when it is in use, and the grafting knives are also corrected additionally on the belt.

A very blunt or new pruner is disassembled for sharpening. At the same time, in sequence and according to the rules for sharpening the blade, as for garden knives. After they have been assembled, the tool is checked to see how it works after that.

A well-oiled pruner has only two points that contact the blade with the counter-plate: near the articulation of the hinge and near the top of the corner where the blade and the counter-cut plate meet. If there is no such contact, it is necessary to tighten the nut, and if the pruner opens and closes tightly, then release it. Sharpening and editing the pruner during operation is carried out without disassembling it.

A garden saw is prepared for work by properly setting its teeth. For this purpose, one tooth of a slender man is bent to the left, the next to the right, and so on. In this case, the sharpened side of the tooth should be inward. The bending angle is maintained equally for all teeth.

To avoid mistakes, the saw is raised from time to time to eye level, and they look to see if the teeth are out of line. And if necessary, immediately correct. If the wiring is done correctly, the rows of teeth are clearly visible, while the saddle between them is visible.

At the top of the teeth, the saw should be one and a half times larger than the thickness of its blade. If it suddenly turns out to be less, the file will jam, and if it is more, the cut will be uneven. The teeth are sharpened with a file only along the edge from the side located inside.

Tool care plays an important role

It is impossible that during operation the tool is very blunt. After finishing work, clean off the dirt from the entire tool and wipe it dry. If you do not plan to use the tool long time, to prevent the appearance of rust, it is required to lubricate all its metal parts.

The spring at the secateurs is removed, it is stored separately. If rust still appears on the tool during storage, it must be thoroughly cleaned and again liberally lubricated.

What are the features of pruning apricot?

Given some patterns of pruning, you can achieve the effectiveness of the expected result. Thus pruning is most effective only if:

• it is aimed at a specific goal and solves certain problems;
• if it is carried out according to the laws of growth and fertility of the tree;
• if it is carried out, taking into account the possibility of a reaction to one or another reception of a tree of a given variety, age and condition;
• if during pruning only those methods are used that, according to a specific situation, with the slightest violation of the normal state of the plant, bring us closest to solving the problem;
• if tree pruning is done in best timing;
• if pruning is carried out at the highest agrotechnical level in combination with other activities related to tree and soil care;
• if doing pruning, have hands-on experience with wood and tools.

During pruning, it is also very important to take into account the patterns of growth and fruiting of the apricot tree. Note that n e all the buds in the spring begin to grow. Some of them do not wake up.

The ratio of those buds that have blossomed to the number of those that have not blossomed, but which were laid on a one-year-old strong branch, determines the awakening of the kidneys. The lower the wakefulness, the more inclined the trees are to form long, bare, ankle-length branches.

From those buds that have awakened, deciduous rosettes and shoots of various lengths and purposes are formed. The number of long branches of the vegetative type shows the shoot-forming ability of the tree. The more shoot formation a tree has, the more it thickens over time.

Proceeding from this, during pruning, one must remember about the potential (varietal) and real (at a given period of growth, the state of plants) awakening of the buds and the shoot-forming ability in order to prevent thickening of the crown instead of thinning it out, and, conversely, not to thin out the already rare crown.

When determining the shoot-forming ability, strong shoots that appear in the middle of drooping, arcuate, those that are aging, have mechanical damage or are frozen, are not taken into account.

Plants have the ability to grow stronger branches by alternating branched and not very branched shoot segments. This morphological feature of the crown structure is called layering and is taken into account during the formation and pruning of the tree.

In addition to the described feature of tree branching, it is also important do not forget about the direction and strength of the growth of branches, since this affects the crown, its overall size, as well as the placement of fruit and vegetative formations.

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Apricot pruning in spring - a diagram or how to make the tree bear fruit well

When apricot pruning is required in the spring, the scheme will help to correctly implement the agricultural technique, with the help of which healthy growth of the tree and abundant fruiting is achieved. Young trees, in comparison with old ones, need gentle pruning. An old apricot must be constantly rejuvenated in order to maintain the growth processes necessary for the formation of new shoots and branches.

Apricot pruning dates

The best time for the procedure is the period of vegetative dormancy, starting in autumn and ending in spring. Until the trees begin to bud. Naturally, it is carried out taking into account climate zone cultivation. For example, in southern regions, in the Kuban, in the Astrakhan, Rostov regions - you can cut an apricot from the end of October, in the Urals and Siberia, and other northern regions, it is better to wait for spring, because. In winter, there is a high chance of freezing.

In any case, the manipulation, whether it be spring or autumn, should take place in conditions where the street temperature is at least +8 ̊С. Otherwise, the plants can be severely damaged.

Young cultures need to be cut in time. Late pruning can significantly weaken immature plants, resulting in trees that take a long time to recover and get sick.

If it was not possible to carry out the manipulation in due time, do not despair, the process can be postponed until the right moment. In the meantime, there will be an opportunity to study in more detail biological features plants and crown formation scheme.

Crown formation and pruning scheme

In autumn, old trees rejuvenate. Remove old branches and thicken the crown, as a result, the tree becomes even stronger and more winter-hardy, the fruits grow larger and sweeter. It is better not to cut a young apricot in autumn, leave it until spring, because. the tree may not have time to get stronger before the onset of stable cold weather and the arrival of frost.

The crown must be formed, adhering to the discharged-tiered system. It is best when two branches are left in the tiers, the angle of divergence of which is 180 ̊С. It is possible to form a crown by placing single skeletal branches every 0.3-0.4 m so that they are not one under the other, and the upper shoots are not larger in relation to the lower ones and do not obscure the latter.

apricot pruning BEFORE - pictured
apricot pruning AFTER - photo

If it was produced correctly, the culture develops well. Then the first branch is laid at a height of 0.5-0.6 m, a low trunk will reduce the likelihood of damage. When forming, pruning is done in such a way that 6-8 core skeletal branches remain. On the lower skeletal branches, 1-2 shoots of the second order should be left.

Between the main branches that make up the skeleton of the tree, semi-skeletal and overgrowing branches are also laid. An apricot is also formed with four main branches. These three formations are considered almost equivalent.

Apricot until the age of 6 years forms strong branches. However, branching is already rather weak. In a young tree up to the age of six, it is necessary to shorten strong branches and leave about 0.6 m for branching to grow.

In late spring (May) or summer (June), many experienced gardeners make a pinch, which enhances the appearance of new branches. In summer, thinning pruning is done, removing shoots that grow inside the tree and cut out competitive branches.

The main fruits of apricot are formed on branches of 1-3 years of age, more than 1/3 is placed on one-year-old wood. The main purpose of pruning in the spring is to obtain annual growths 35-40 cm long.

The flowering of fruit buds on long branches and summer premature branches begins a little later (4-8 days) than those located in the middle of normal shoots, bouquet branches, so they are less likely to return spring frosts, as a result of which they grow strongly. Conducting summer pruning on apricot, you can increase the future harvest.

When growths appear on the bushes that do not exceed a length of 30 cm, it is necessary to carry out anti-aging pruning. How to do it? The scheme is this - cut two- and three-year-old wood. At the same time, the crown is reduced so that the tree is better illuminated by the sun. manipulation with good care, resumes the growth of new branches.