When To Prune Apricot Trees? It is a cut-back and many people find the task overwhelming, but if you don’t behave yourself it is likely to be.
There are three main reasons why you should prune your tree, but it may be that not everyone cuts as much as you, not even the experts. The best trees are those that do the pruning, so there is a good reason why the tree should be pruned at least once a year.
If you do not prune the fruit of the tree, it will quickly return to its original size and cause damage to your tree.
This is part 8 of a series of 11 articles, and I recommend starting from the beginning to get a full background on the cultivation of apricot trees.
Why We Pre-Prune
Pruning helps to bring the tree’s upper growth into line with the root system, giving the roots time to settle in the garden for spring growth. When you dig a tree out of the field to reach it, the root balls lose the tiny forage roots needed to absorb moisture and nutrients.
When the roots of a bare tree such as Stark Bro’s arrive, a specialist will cut the tree back to its original shape and size.
If for any reason you do not need to prune the fruit tree during the rest period, you can always wait until the next spring or summer. If you are planning to prune when planting, the only thing you will do at this point is to break off branches and roots.
Making it easy can be a good source to answer your questions and guide you through the cutting process, as well as a good source of information about the condition and health of the tree.
Stimulation
In a single growing season, a pruned tree is larger and more suitable than an unpruned tree. Cut back the tree with the remaining buds, leaves, roots, branches and roots of the mature tree and the buds of all other trees.
Shaping
The natural shape is not always the best for fruit production. More importantly, fruit trees need to be shaped, and the better the shape, the higher the quality of the fruit.
V-shaped steps are an open invitation to later catastrophic cracks, especially when the tree matures with a large bumper. In the nursery, the trees I received from Stark Bro were cut in rows to the right shape, and I continued to cut the right tree at home. I made small, easy-to-heal cuts to keep the cuts in shape all year round.
The new growth will be wonderful, but if you cut diagonally and decide to save, it will cause more damage to the tree than the original cut.
If you want the vigorous new growth to spread away from the center of the tree, cut it outwards. Each branch has buds pointing in different directions, but all buds are outward-facing – forward. This helps your tree to grow in a spread-out form – out form, and helps it to spread out in a vigorous form.
Prune For Success
If cut at the right time and in the right way, the fruit on the tree will develop well after a few years. By pruning, more thinning and head cuts can be made, making it more susceptible to pests and diseases.
Help the tree form a strong framework.
Remove all branches that cross or are disturbed by weak branches or that disturb the branch, such as branches of a tree or branch of a tree.
You do not want your tree to become too thick or overcrowded, but a certain thinning is necessary for light to enter the tree and its height to be appropriate. Also remove branches that swing back from the center of the tree, such as branches of a tree or branches from a branch of another tree.
This goal promotes improved storage, which is the overarching goal, and you will be satisfied with the result. The longer the thinning, the greater the storage capacity and the better the quality of the tree, and the higher the value of your tree.
Prune trees to a V-Shape.
For the trunk, three to five protruding scaffolding arms are selected and maintained to control the shape of the tree. All limbs should point in different directions and should be no less than 18 and no more than 36 ‘from the ground, so that the growth is evenly balanced by the ground with the scaffolding arms. Any growth that occurs on a 6’ trunk scaffold should be removed and any remaining branches, limbs or other parts of a trunk that are not the trunks and limbs of other branches cut off.
If for some reason the main branch could not be selected last season, it will be selected again this season with the help of scaffolding arms.
To maintain a balanced tree, it is necessary that all scaffolding branches grow at approximately the same rate. If the scaffolding branches dominate the tree, they should be returned to a size proportional to each other. Avoid felling or oversteering the scaffolding tree, as this is not only necessary to maintain the balance of the trees, but also for safety. After the first season all branches and scaffolding should be removed, except one main branch and one or two smaller branches.
Pruning Whips (Unbranched Trees)
When the new branches grow 3 – 5 ” ‘, select a shoot that should grow from the scaffold arm 3.5’ ”. At 28 – 36 ‘in the soil, back – cuttings at planting time, 1 / 4’ from the base of the tree and 2 / 3 ‘to the top of each branch.
Off-season pruning
Even if the season is not the best, you can cut it in winter, even if it is only a few days. Emergencies are necessary when the wind or heavy fruit cargoes break off the branches or cause damage.
If you wait until winter and see a fast-growing water shoot, you can remove it by cutting back the ragged edge. Cut with a smooth cut that does not leave a blunt stump, or cut it back from behind.
Several reasons to thin fruit:
This is a natural process that allows the tree to ripen under load, but in May and June many fruit trees will fall. In May or June, many fruit trees will fall in North America, Europe, Asia, Africa and the Middle East, and this is one of the main reasons.
Trees can bear fruit for up to two years, but one year they can bear heavy fruit and the next year they can bear light fruit. The storage habit is corrected so that trees can bear fruit in two years and light fruit in three years and vice versa.
Apricot Trees
The best time for thin apricot trees is when the fruit is about 3-4 weeks after the first flowering, about 1 inch in diameter.
If the tree is a strong producer, thin out the apricots in the first few weeks after flowering and place the spaces between the fruits about 6 cm apart before frost.
Peach and Nectarine Trees
A good time for thin peaches and nectarines: place the fruits 6-10 cm between the branches and refrigerate for a few hours.
