Looking to grow a record harvest of Plums this year? I tell you when and how to do the first tree pruning

Every gardener dreams of achieving maximum yield. But, in order to do this, it is necessary to work very hard, study literature, apply new practices of tree pruning.

Today, almost every gardener has a plum. And this is not surprising, because it allows you to get delicious fruits that can be used both fresh and in the form of jam, marinades, compotes.

Correct pruning of plums is the key to a good harvest

Plum yield is highly dependent on correct pruning. The first pruning of plums is carried out from the first year. In the future, the tree needs to be pruned every year.

If you do not do this, then, as my practice has shown, the plum gives very small fruits, they become smaller, and the crown is rather thickened. This is why I started to practice pruning in the spring. Some are of the opinion that pruning is bad for the tree.

However, it is not. Indeed, in this way, in parallel, I struggle with gum, improve the size and taste of the fruit.

I prune plums in late March or early April, when frosts are no longer terrible, but the growing season has not yet begun. I personally have two pruning steps:

· Pruning consists in thinning, I remove excess branches, and also shorten all the shoots that grow upward by two-thirds;

· Shortening. At the same time, I shorten the growth of the last year by half so that new fruit branches appear on it. For this I use a special tool. After each pruning, I moisten the pruning sites with garden pitch.

It took 5 years for my young plum to form. In doing so, I left 5 large branches that are at an angle of 20 degrees from the trunk. Using the ropes, I guide the branches so that there is a distance of about 20 cm between them. The main branches are located on the lower tier. Thus, the tree does not grow upward and the fruit is very easy to get.

Winter pruning

Recently, I began to practice winter pruning of plums. I spend it in February, but only if the temperature is at least 15 degrees.

The main advantages

· Winter pruning is stress-free;

· Burnt and unusable branches are very easy to cut, and the appearance of cracks is reduced to zero;

· The ladder can be easily positioned around the tree and are not afraid of growing crops nearby.

The second plum has been growing for me for about 15 years, and during all this time I have carried out more than one pruning. The maximum tree height is 2.5 m. Sometimes I do anti-aging pruning by cutting down old skeletal branches and replacing them with new ones.