Some amateur gardeners do not consider it necessary to prune stone trees such as cherries and cherries.
However, this is wrong. Pruning allows the tree to extend life, rejuvenates it, protects against diseases and pests, and also contributes to the ripening of a healthy and abundant harvest of berries.
In the first years of life pruning forms the crown of the tree, which is important for its further fruiting.
How to properly, and in what time frame cutting prunes, we consider in this article.
About trimming time:
in the spring
Spring pruning is necessary for trees, as well as autumn. The main rule that must be adhered to is that the tree should not yet get out of the state of rest, that is, it does not begin sap flow yet. therefore pruning is carried out no later than the beginning of March.
In addition, stable and warm weather should already be established, and sudden night frosts after pruning will extremely harm the tree.
In no case can not trim the ends of the branches and remove growth buds. This will cause the entire injured branch to dry out.
Thin deciduous dense crown should be polarized, but not all at once.
If all the conditions of the correct spring pruning are met, then the cherry will direct all its forces to the side branches and in the summer will delight you with an excellent healthy appearance and high-quality harvest.
summer
Sometimes pruning is done in the summer, as some gardeners believe that the tree was too stressed in the winter to be even more stressed in the spring.
This type of pruning also showed excellent results.
However, it should be noted that start harvesting only after harvest. It is remarkable in that it is suitable for all landing regions. But, precisely in the northern regions, it is preferable.
The tree after summer pruning manages to gain strength and prepare well for the winter cold.
in the autumn
Like other fruit trees, autumn Cherry pruning should be done from mid-September to late fall. However, it is necessary to take into account the planting region of the garden, because if for the southern areas pruning in November is quite normal, then for the northern ones such a late procedure can be detrimental for a tree.
The main criterion for the start of pruning should be that the tree has already entered a state of rest, but at the same time the time of frost has not yet arrived. After the tree has dropped the foliage, pruning is carried out mainly in the southern regions.
Young the trees of the first year of life in the first autumn should not be cut. The cherries are still not sufficiently strong enough to survive during a frost after such a procedure. The next year, the saplings must be pruned. This will not only form their crown, but also relieve dry and abnormally growing branches.
Pruning in the fall is also necessary for sanitary purposes. After all, to prevent infection by any disease or pests of the entire garden, need to trim diseased branches and burn. Older running trees need to be pruned in several stages, that is, within a few years.
Firstly removed the largest, oldest branches, then those that grow incorrectly, in the direction of the trunk or at right angles, branches, creating excessive density and intertwining with each other. A tree with such a crown will lack in sunlight and air flow, which leads to an increase in morbidity and a decrease in the size of the berries.
If pruning is carried out globally in one season, the tree will not recover after such a rough intervention and may cease to bear fruit or even die.
If, however, one gradually removes the extra twigs, starting with the large ones, this will in no way impair the yield, but even vice versa. Very often, the correct pruning of branches returns old, neglected, diseased trees to life. Such pruning is called thinning.
There is also another type of trimming - shortening. During such an event it is necessary to remove only part of the increment. In a two-year-old tree, a twig longer than 60 cm long is cut to 1/3.
Cherry Cutting Process
The process of trimming the cherry tree should begin with the fact that it is necessary to study thoroughly all information materials. And if you still do not feel confident in this matter, it is better, at first, to use the services of specialists. After all, making mistakes in this event is unacceptable. The choice of branches thoughtlessly and without any scheme may harm the tree more than if you did not touch it at all.
Cherry, like other fruit trees, grows in a nursery up to one year. After, she immediately needs pruning, with the aim of forming the height of the trunk and the correct form of a deciduous crown.
Young annual tree pruned at a height of about 50-70cm. If in the process of growth the tree has not reached the recommended height, then pruning is left for the next year. A properly formed crown of a tree should take a cup-shaped or discharged-tiered form. How do they differ and what are the features of their bookmarks.
Description of trimming scheme
Trimming scheme for discharged-tier crown, implies such actions:
- The first tier of branches should consist of two adjacent branches of the main order and thirds, which will be located 20 cm above them;
- The second tier is located above 70cm from the first and consists of only two branches;
- At a height of 35 cm from the second tier, only one branch is left. A year later, after its laying, the center conductor must be cut.
This form of crown is preferred for sweet cherries with a large number of branches, because it consists of six main branches.
The cup-shaped form of sweet cherry consists of four or five skeletal branches.
Pruning tips
You can give a few tips Novice gardeners who use experienced gardeners:
- If you doubt exactly which twig to prune, then start with shoots that grow down toward the ground;
- Remove the branches on the trunk located below 80-90cm from the soil level;
- If there is a strong vertical shoot, which unnecessarily thickens the crown of the tree, and also exerts excessive pressure on the horizontal branch, then it should be cut to the side shoot or bud;
- In the first five years, the stalk is growing too vigorously. At the same time, long one-year shoots are formed, which should be shortened to a length of 45-50 cm;
- To form strong semi-skeletal branches, it is necessary to wait until the length of the shoots reaches 70 cm. And only after that pruning by 20 cm is allowed, and no more, since one should also take into account the subordination of the shoots;
- Sprigs that do not serve to form the basis of the cap of the tree are cut to 30cm;
- When the height of the cherry reaches five meters, it is necessary to prune the main skeletal branches above the outer branch, which will limit its growth in height;
- In order for the tree not to experience abundant gamble from the wounds that have formed, the places of the cuts are carefully treated with garden pitch and painted with linseed oil or paint;
- We can not allow mutovatuyu arrangement of branches. On the lower tier of cherries, two semi-skeletal branches are placed at a distance of 50 cm from each other and from the stem. Slanted branches are best suited for this purpose. If the cup-shaped form of the tree crown is formed above the trunk, then five skeletal branches are usually used for its laying.
What are the features of trimming?
Consider some trimming features:
- Be sure to follow the angle of inclination of the growing branches. Best of all, when the twigs are located under the slope of 45-50 degrees. This can be achieved by garters. What for? The bark of the tree is very large and at an inclination level of more or less, large branches can break off, pulling a part of the bark behind them, which often leads to diseases and even cherries drying out. This is especially true of the branches of the lower tier. Due to the wrong level of tilt of the twigs, the tree may break;
- With a weak annual growth (elongation of shoots less than 0.3 m), enhanced trimming is necessary;
- To form a strong skeleton, it is necessary to cut out all the branches that can claim the role of the treetops;
- Most often it is better to remove one large branch than many young and small ones;
- Young trees should not be pruned intensively, otherwise it will affect their fruiting;
- The yield depends on the angle of growth of the branches. Horizontal branches are most fruitful;
- To accelerate the growth of branches, it is necessary to reduce the number of flower buds.
It is also interesting to read about the varieties of cherries for the middle band
After rejuvenation and recovery of the tree, all pruned branches must be folded and burned. Since they retain a huge amount of various diseases and pests. The fire will destroy all the larvae and spores, which will prevent infection of the entire garden.
I would like to draw your attention to the "non-surgical" type of cherry trimming - this is bending branches. In this way it is possible to change the growth rate of the branches, their angle of inclination and even make the tree get rid of the branch we do not need.
For example:
- if you gently turn the escape tip to the ground, then the cherry will perceive it as lost, which will lead to its subsequent death;
- you can stop the growth of a branch, if you give it a slightly wilted position;
- if the shoot is sharply curved downwards, then an escape of replacement will grow on the top of the fracture, and the remaining part of the branch will wither;
- if you need to increase the growth of the branch, then you need to give it a more upright position. The horizontal slope, on the contrary, will reduce the growth rate;
- Having achieved the angle of inclination of the side branch from the central trunk at 60-70 degrees, you will achieve a bookmark of a larger number of buds and a moderate growth in length.
What tools to use
When buying garden tools for trimming the garden, you need to pay attention to their quality and durability. After all, pruning trees is not an easy job and not every universal tool will cope with it.
It is best of all when in existence there are several options for work. Inexpensive handy material will not last long and the well-known saying “Miserly pays twice” in this kind of work, as pruning garden trees very often becomes relevant. What inventory do we need?
Consider.
- Tools that directly pruning:
- The pruner is a sharp cutting tool that is used to trim small branches (up to 25 mm);
- The pruning shear is very similar to a pruner. It has long handles, thanks to which, it is easy for them to work in hard-to-reach places or too thickened to the crown of the tree. It is used for thicker branches (from 30mm);
- Garden saw - indispensable for working with old trees and large branches;
- Knife - always available at the gardener at hand. It is convenient for them to carry out any work on stripping slices and other interventions that require accuracy;
- Scissors - mostly they give shape to shrubs, but sometimes they are used to work with young trees.
- Equipment for working in the garden and pruning trees.
- step ladder, for trimming tall trees;
- garden protective gloves to prevent injury to hands;
- goggles that protect your eyes from slivers and other debris that falls from the branches during pruning.
- Handy materials.
- the rope is simply necessary for fixing the bent branches;
- spacers - this device changes the branch angle, and also removes branches that interfere with the work, which are not going to cut;
- cuffs of rubber, plastic or thick fabric - protect the delicate bark of the branches from the tight garters.
Do not neglect the individual means of protection - glasses and mittens, their presence in the gardener greatly facilitates the work when pruning.
Since cherries are characterized by rather soft and fragile wood, experienced gardeners do not recommend pruning the branches with pruners. These tools unnecessarily damage the ends of the tender twigs. For this purpose Preferred use of garden saws and knives.
But, anyway, the choice is yours. Be sure to pay attention to the fact that all cutting tools must be well sharpened.
