How and when to cut apricot?

Sunny, sweet apricot is grown today in almost every household plot. Inexperienced gardeners wonder about the appropriateness of a procedure such as pruning. This article answers this question in detail.

Can I cut apricot

All living things and trees, including ones, age over time. Gardeners with experience know that it is possible to extend the life and fruiting of a tree using pruning. The procedure is also necessary, as a preventive effect.

Broken by the wind or frozen branches of the fruit tree must be removed so that they do not thicken the crown. It is possible and necessary to crop culture due to the fact that it is not endowed with the function of self-unloading, that is, all the ovaries bear fruit, and this is fraught with the breaking of promising branches.

Basic Apricot Pruning Rules

In order not to inflict deep, long healing wounds on the plant, the tools must be sharpened before cutting. Be sure that all cutting blades are disinfected with any alcohol-containing product.

Did you know? The most winter-hardy Siberian apricot variety that can withstand temperatures up to -45 ° C is listed in the Red Book. Unfortunately, its fruits are only conditionally edible.

To form a crown

The formation of the crown must be carried out already at the annual seedling. The first procedure consists in the formation of a skeleton from a central shoot and two lateral ones. The distance between the branches is about 40 cm. Further, as the tree grows, a tree with 5-7 tiers of shoots is formed. The branches of the second order should be at a distance of 35 cm from each other. All competing and unpromising branches are cut out. The shoots growing inside also cut out so that the crown was not too dense.

Thinning during crown formation is a very important aspect: fruits need a lot of solar heat and light to maximize development and reveal taste. If the sun is not enough, the fruits will be acidic and harsh.

For rejuvenation

A rejuvenating procedure is necessary for adult trees with weak growth. Shoots growing only 20 cm in need of stimulation. After the procedure, the old shoots of apricot will begin to give good growth, increase fruiting and growth of young branches.

Read how to prune old apricots correctly.

For fruiting

Apricots are fruiting, whose age has reached 3-4 years. The culture does not reset the ovary, therefore, it needs a normalizing pruning. To maintain the strength of the plant on the formation of large and sweet fruits, some of the ovaries are cut off. The limitation of fruiting for the sake of quality, and not the quantity of the crop, prolongs the life of the plant.

For treatment

Sanitary pruning will help prevent disease of the entire tree in the event of a partial lesion. The affected branch is cut and treated with an antiseptic and var. This approach preserves the culture, helps to avoid long-term treatment. Also, during the sanitary procedure, broken, frozen shoots are removed.

Features pruning at different times of the year

In the spring, several types of pruning can be performed: anti-aging, sanitary and shaping. The main condition is to start the process before the movement of juices. If the tree is characterized by rapid growth and a new growth of more than 50 cm, then the branches are shortened by half the length. The choice of crown shape can be any convenient for the gardener, for example, according to the “belated bowl” scheme.

Sanitary and anti-aging are performed as needed. If the branches froze over the winter, they are removed so that the plant does not waste the strength necessary for the development of the buds to recover. Pruning for the purpose of rejuvenation is carried out if the frozen kidneys are not more than 30%.

The summer procedure gives the tree the opportunity to lay generative buds after fruiting. In addition, the process provides good growth until the end of the year. It must be taken into account that the procedure is carried out only when attentive care is provided for the culture. It is important in this case to water on time and monitor the cleanliness of the trunk circle.

In autumn, the crop needs a sanitary and standard type of pruning. The formation of apricot in the fall will provide high quality fruits for the next season. It is important to prepare the plant for winter: remove shoots damaged by insects or disease, wind. At the same time, the plants are sprayed, and the soil is saturated with nutrition.

Important! Autumn pruning is carried out only in winter-hardy varieties, since the procedure weakens the culture's resistance to low temperatures.

Apricot care after pruning

After removing the required number of shoots, the apricot tree in all cuts must be treated with garden varieties. This will allow the wounds to heal faster and protect the plant from infection.

Mechanical damage to the branches weakens the culture, so it needs increased attention of the gardener. Be sure to clean the near-stem circle from weeds, since they draw moisture and nutrients onto themselves. To restore strength, the plant needs timely watering and top dressing.

What will happen if you do not trim

If you leave a young seedling to grow a shapeless bush, little light will penetrate through the dense crown, it will be poorly ventilated. This, firstly, will not allow the fruit to gain enough sweetness, and secondly, it will create a risk for the disease with fungal infections.

Lack of rationing of branches will lead to chopping of fruits and breakage of branches from an abundance of crops. The lack of a sanitary procedure will increase the risk of disease, the lack of formation and rejuvenation will shorten the life of the culture.

Did you know? English writer John Webster called apricot oil a stimulant of conception.

To learn the rules of cleaning apricot crops under the force and a beginner in gardening. They are simple, do not take much time, and the result is a quality crop.