Good afternoon, my reader. Gardeners often resort to spring or autumn tree pruning. The advantage of these seasons is the emergence of access to all areas of the crown and good visibility due to fallen leaves. In winter, not all fruit crops can be pruned; it is only suitable for frost-resistant plants. These include apple trees, pears, plums, cherries and barberries. Winter pruning of pears, winter and summer apple trees is more common, taking into account the fact that the selected plant should bear fruit.
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For the event under study, a sunny day without precipitation is suitable, with a stable temperature of about -10 ° C, without the risk of a sharp cold snap. When the temperature is lower, the bark of the plant becomes fragile, it is easy to injure it, and the garden var is overgrown and does not fulfill its main function - processing of the cuts.
The positive effect of winter pruning is great: in spring, an apple or pear tree grows faster, shoots are actively formed, and in the fall the chance of obtaining a plentiful and tasty harvest increases. By the end of the cold season, sanitization is carried out by removing dried branches.
Basic rules for winter pruning
- First, the plant is freed from dead, withered and diseased branches, shoots that appear at the base of the trunk. These parts of the tree thicken the crown and can transmit infection to healthy branches.
- Shoots that grow inside the crown are removed.
- A quarter of densely growing shoots are removed to improve air circulation in the crown. If you overdo it and exceed the volume of cut shoots, this will lead to excess growth of stepsons.
- Reduce the length of last year's branches by leaving 2/3 and cutting over the bud. This is done in order to form the crown and more active emergence of new fruit branches.
- Large and strong branches cannot be removed in one season, this is a great stress for the plant. It is necessary to stretch this action for 2-3 winters, and if the tree grows too quickly, you can cut off the mighty branches in the summer.
- Winter is the time when fruit crops are especially actively populated by moths and caterpillars. If you find a clutch of these pests, immediately remove them from the bark, so you will protect not only a specific plant, but the entire garden from parasites.
- Traces of diseases, darkened areas of the bark, mechanical damage are best seen in winter, such areas are easier to cut off just then.
- It is important to disinfect instruments with an alcohol solution.
Trimming nuances you need to know
- Before this event, the appearance, variety and age of the fruit crop are taken into account. Weather conditions on the planned day and the purpose of pruning - this information must also be borne in mind.
- Too young plants are not able to endure winter pruning, their crown can only be processed at the beginning of spring, since the annual branches freeze very quickly.
- Before the process, you need to sharpen the tools, thanks to this, the cuts will be of high quality, and the wounds will not freeze. Summer varieties are cut first, later frost-resistant ones.
- If the winter is particularly frosty, it is better not to carry out seasonal pruning, because the risk of stem ulcers is high. You should work with fruit crops from February to April, then you will not harm them.
- Residents of southern Russia can start pruning as soon as trees and shrubs are dormant. In this way, the likelihood of transmission of diseases from the fruit crop to other plants is reduced.
Do you prune trees in winter?
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