Spring pruning apricot
Apricots need a regular "trimming", perhaps more than all fruit trees. After all, they annually give more young growth. For example, in an apple tree, this process is not so active and young branches grow many times less. If you do not trim, do not cut the crown, over time it will become thickened. This will prevent the free access of light and air and, as a result, the tree will begin to ache. In addition, the quality and quantity of the harvest will significantly decrease, the fruits are crushed, they will ripen for a long time, and it will not be very convenient to harvest them.
How to prune apricots?
Proceed to pruning necessary in early spring, before buds begin to bloom. The beginning of March is the right time. However, apricots are not afraid of pruning and tolerate it well even in summer.
The main task of the gardener in the spring is thinning and shaping the crown. Old trees in this way also rejuvenate, stimulating the appearance of new shoots and removing dried ones.
To do this, you need to cut off on apricots:
- branches that grow inside the crown;
- branches intersecting with each other;
- small young growth on a tree trunk;
- tops;
- damaged, dry and diseased branches.
The branches should be removed close to the trunk, without leaving hemp.
If the lower branches of the tree are too close to the ground and obstruct free passage under them, they can also be cut.
To rejuvenate the old tree, old fruit branches should be removed every 5 years. But this must be done gradually, stretching the process for three years, since with the simultaneous pruning of all branches, the apricot may die.
Spring pruning of young apricots
Young seedlings should be pruned for the first time one year after planting. In the first year, it is not recommended to do this, so that the seedling grows a strong root system. Moreover, in a year the crown of the tree simply does not have time to overgrow much.
The next year, you can already begin to form a crown in the shape of a ball, cutting off the new branches that have formed. After another year, young shoots must be cut evenly so that they do not stand out from the crown and receive the same nutrition. If the side branches are weak, they can be pinched to allow fruit. In the future, on young apricots, you should regularly remove branches that grow faster than others, as well as with an incorrect arrangement.
Apricot pruning in spring - video