Pruning techniques of Apple trees

Apple is a kind of health care fruit, which is very rich in nutritional value. Apple cultivation is also very widespread, not only in many parts of China, but also in more than 80 countries and regions around the world. Apple tree pruning is a technical job. Let's go with Xiaobian to understand the methods of apple tree pruning.

Pruning techniques of Apple trees

Apple trees should be pruned in winter, basically enough leaves to fall off; fertilize after the beginning of spring, dig a hole in the root 1.5 meters, apply organic fertilizer.

The methods of apple trees of different ages are different. The key for small trees is to set the trunk and cut off the central trunk on the basis of leaving three trunks with 120 degrees of each other at about 1 meter. After that, the upward branches of the trunk are removed and the outer branches are retained, so that the three trunks grow into round crowns. Adult tree pruning has three purposes: first, to adjust the size of the year, to remove some fruit branches to ensure adequate nutrition for fruit production; second, to keep the tree shape round and remove vertical long branches; and third, to make the crown dense and proper. to ensure good sunshine and ventilation.

Apple tree shaping and pruning index

1. Tree height: the height of the dwarfing trunk is 0.8 to 1.0 meters, the tree height is 3.0 to 3.5 meters, the tree trunk is 1.0 to 1.5 meters high, and the tree height is 2.5 to 3.0 meters. There is no handover between plants, and the operation channel of 1 to 1.5 meters between rows is retained, and the crown coverage rate is 75%.

2. The number of branches: the number of branches retained per mu of apple trees after cutting is about 80,000, of which the proportion of medium and short branches accounts for 70%, and the percentage of top flower branches accounts for about 30%.

3. Branch group: at the initial stage of happy shape, small and medium-sized branches were mainly cultivated, with emphasis on all kinds of oblique or inferior branches on the main branch, and then cultivated into a drooping large three-dimensional fruiting branch group year by year. The spindle-shaped branchlets are born in the state of the branch group and open at an angle.

Spindle pruning of apple trees

1. Apple tree structure: the tree height is 3.0 to 3.5 meters, the stem height is 0.7 to 0.8 meters, the central trunk is equipped with 20-25 main branches, the spacing is 10-15 cm, the angle of the main branches is 90-100 °, the upper and lower branches are shorter, the middle is slightly longer, and the crossing rate between plants is not more than 10%. Mainly used in dwarfing, short-branch varieties and Arbor temporary trees.

2. Pruning of young trees: the main points of pruning of young trees (1-5 years old) are to straighten the tree shape, promote the tree potential, and lay the foundation for early fruit and high yield. Strong seedlings are indefinitely dry, while weak seedlings (less than 1 m) are fixed at full buds. Remove the strong branches on the central trunk and strengthen the advantage of the central trunk. According to the requirements of the tree shape, starting from more than 70 cm from the ground, the small main branches are selected according to the distance of 10 cm to 15 cm. According to the principle of spiral arrangement, they are selected and retained year by year to meet the requirements of the spindle tree. Remove upper dorsal branches, overdense branches and overlapping branches.

3. Pruning of mature trees: the main points of pruning adult trees (≥ 6 years) are to improve the tree structure and cultivate fruiting branches. The central stem extends vertically, the small main branch extends uniaxially, and the branch-stem ratio is suitable at 1:3. The small main branches carry out dynamic management, according to the method of getting rid of the big and the small, the old and the new, there is a plan to focus on thinning the oversized main branches that exceed the main trunk 1 and 3, cultivate the small main branches, and the small main branches are arranged in a spiral. To cultivate the fruiting branches, one is to select the mediocre branches which are lateral and drooping as the fruiting branches, and the other is to remove the strong and prosperous branches on the back of the small main branches.

4. Pruning during the growing period: before and after sprouting, eye injuries were carried out on the missing parts of the central trunk and main branches above the buds to promote the formation of new branches. According to the requirements of the target tree shape, 1-year-old and 2-year-old branches should be pulled from mid-August to mid-September, and more than 3-year-old branches should be pulled from spring flowering to mid-May (before bagging). Take the step of "one push, two kneads, three presses and four positions". Make it pull to the required angle, and straight not "bow". The main branches which are not easy to form flowers are circumscribed from late May to early June to remove useless branches such as sprouting tillers, overgrown branches and over-dense branches. when the central trunk and main branches of young trees are extended to 40 cm, they are coring to promote branches.

Misunderstanding of Apple Tree shaping and pruning

1. Cut heavily and pull lightly. That is, the branch is pulled late and the opening angle is not in place. At present, there is a bad phenomenon of serious closeness in apple producing areas, which is caused by the fact that the branch is pulled too late and the angle is not in place. The correct approach is that in the second year after planting, the base angle of the branch should be opened; when the branch extension length reaches 40% of the plant distance, the branch should be pulled into 80-90 degrees in time, which is the key to building a good tree structure.

2. I am reluctant to go to Dazhi. Some trees have six or seven big branches at the bottom. Especially crowded, the light worsened, resulting in the death of the fruiting branch inside the main branch, the serious outward movement of the fruiting branch, and the external extension of the big branch to the "illegal" space, resulting in a dilemma of leaving a pity to affect the space. In order to solve this problem, we should remove the superfluous branches by stages and batches according to the principle of "elimination of the fittest", and make use of the lateral branches of the main branches to occupy the space. The large branches in the middle and upper part of the crown whose thickness of the basal stem is more than 1 / 2 should be renewed in time, and the nearby twigs extending uniaxially should be replaced. If it is impossible to renew, it is necessary to transform the big branch, go to the opening angle of the "big side left weak head", control its growth, cut its base in summer, promote the base hidden bud to germinate, and gradually cultivate into a new branch after branching.

3. The tree is too high and the trunk is too low. Trees that are too tall generally enter the full fruit period for 3-5 years, then they should drop their heads and adjust the height of the trees to 3-3.5 meters, which should not be higher than 80% of the row spacing. The height of the trunk should generally be 60cm to 80cm. If it is too low, it should be improved gradually, and the upper branch should be used instead of the lower branch. After the fruit tree is planted, it is necessary to choose a suitable part to leave the first layer of branches, and the following ones should be firmly erased to avoid future trouble.

As mentioned above, apple tree pruning is very important, which can not only make apple trees more beautiful and generous, but also prolong the life of apple trees. The pruning methods of apple trees are diversified, and as long as they master the skills, they are more or less the same. The edible value of apples is very high, and eating apples can also lose weight and beauty.