How to prune an Apple tree in the fall. Five Pruning Rules Every Summer Resident Should Know

How to properly prune an apple tree in the fall? There are only 5 rules that will help an ordinary summer resident get a big harvest and improve the quality of apples.

My trouble was that I always feel sorry for the tree I cut off. Well, let this branch remain, and this... The result is endless sores, thickening of the crown and, accordingly, small, nondescript apples.

But I was able to overcome myself by compiling 5 rules for pruning. Only 3 years have passed, and my family is with a bountiful harvest of apples.

Preparing for pruning

Whatever happened, that during the pruning of the apple tree, you were not let down by a sharp pruner or there was no garden varnish or even oil paint at hand at the right time.

You need to prepare for work:

· Purchase garden varnish or oil paint;

· Prepare (disinfect, clean from dirt and rust) secateurs, loppers;

· Find a hand saw (for cutting thick branches).

Preparation is a really important stage, somehow I did not have any varnish or paint available. I hoped for "maybe". As a result, the cut sites were infected and the weather was damp.

Pruning rules

You need to start at the very end of the summer season. After leaf fall, with the onset of the first frost, when sap flow in the plant almost stops.

1. Sanitary pruning. I remove all mechanically damaged, dry branches. This helps you estimate the trim size more accurately.

2. I transfer the upper part of the vertical branches to the lateral horizontal branches located outward. I do not touch the central conductor (trunk). Otherwise the tree will be crooked.

3. I clean the middle of the crown. I remove all rubbing, inwardly directed branches.

4. The branches going vertically upward, located around the trunk, are shortened to the required height. If necessary, I also cut the central trunk, but leave it 20-30 cm higher than the rest of the crown. After all, he is a leader.

5. The cuts must be vertical and smooth. This will exclude the collection of moisture and the development of rot.

I rub the places of the cuts with oil paint, you can use a garden variety.

I immediately take the cut and sawn branches off the site.

Useful Tips

During the autumn pruning of apple trees, fragments of twigs, pieces of bark are always showered into the trunk circle. It is difficult to collect them later, because in addition they were crushed with their feet.

Place an old sheet or blanket under the apple tree before you start pruning. This saves you a lot of work. Checked!

In conclusion, I want to say - there are many nuances when pruning apple trees. By following these simple 5 rules, you can tidy up your garden yourself. Good luck!