One of the oldest known fruit trees is the apple tree. It is a tree whose fruit is one of the most consumed on the entire planet. Therefore, it is very common for many people to have an apple tree in their garden. The apple tree has some maintenance tasks such as pruning that generates some doubts. The apple tree pruning It requires knowing some aspects to be able to do it correctly and keep our tree in good condition.
Therefore, we are going to dedicate this article to tell you everything you need to know about apple tree pruning.
Curiosities of the apple tree
We are going to give in this article some tips on pruning the apple tree in general. Keep in mind that there are different varieties of apple tree and some of them have totally different characteristics. This makes not all the advice that we are going to give works in the same way in all cases. Once you finish reading this entire article and all the advice that we are going to give, you must analyze the information and apply it in the best way. In case of doubts you can ask in the comment box.
Among the curiosities that the apple tree has, there is that of its origin. And it is that the exact origin of the apple tree is not known. There are many experts who indicate that its origin comes from the Caucasus mountains. Other authors bet because the species Malus sieversii It is a wild species that grows in mountainous regions of Asia and could be the apple tree that would have given the first species of this fruit tree. This tree has been on our planet for more than 20 thousand years.
Today it has more than 7500 species of apple trees around the world. This makes the pruning of the apple tree more individualized depending on the parity we are dealing with. The fruit can be stored for several months without losing its freshnesseven though it cannot be stored for more than one year. In addition, although it is not well known, it can be given various medicinal uses. Among them, there are uses such as relieving heartburn, diuretic and purifying action, helps against the increase in cholesterol, lowers blood pressure, among others.
The apple can be placed next to any other fruit and helps speed up the ripening of the fruit it accompanies. If you want to have healthy and clean teeth, one of the uses that can be given to the apple is to clean the teeth. And it contains an acid that helps keep teeth healthy and clean.
Pruning the apple tree
Once we know something more about this tree, we will analyze what are the techniques to carry out the pruning of the apple tree. We start with the necessary tools according to the type of pruning and the age of the apple tree. Let's see what are the main tools that are needed for this:
- Chainsaw
- Pruning shears
- If your apple tree is tall enough a ladder
- Basic safety elements such as gloves, glasses.
Once we know all the necessary tools for this, we are going to see how to prune an apple tree. You should never start pruning if it is not clear what your goals are. The first of all is to know what you are looking for with pruning. Among the different objectives that are usually present in this type of activities we find the following:
- Form a small apple plant
- Increase and optimize tree production
- Extend the life of an older apple tree
These are the main reasons why pruning is carried out. Depending on each objective, we are going to give the main tips.
Pruning the young apple tree
When the plant is in its early years it will need training pruning just like almost all fruit trees. What will be sought in this work is to achieve a totally balanced crown that has vigorous branches that are capable of supporting good fruiting without breaking. The more abundant fruiting the tree has, the more damage it can cause to the branches.
Pruning should be done at the time the apple tree begins its production stage. It can take the first 4 years planted. At the time of the first pruning we must be clear about the structure or shape that we want to give it.
Formation pruning should start from planting. We select plus or minus a height from the ground of 75 centimeters. This cut generates new shoots from which we can select a new guide and some more branches distributed on the stem. The last selected branches should be forced at insertion angles of about 60 degrees. In this way, we are able to promote fruit production and increase the strength of the tree.
For the following spring we must make an area similar to the previous one. We must cut a guide 75 centimeters from the last branch of the scaffolding. This way we can select new branches and we can cut the suckers and branches that are not part of the scaffolding.
Fruiting pruning
The other pruning is done when the apple tree is already an adult. What is sought is to renew the fruitful branches, reduce the number of flower buds and favor the lighting and aeration of the plant.
As a general rule, we know that a perfect time for apple tree pruning should be one in which the development rate is low. Usually, this stage occurs in the autumn and winter season. This rule can be flexible depending on the area in which we are living and the type of pruning we are going to carry out. In places that have very harsh winters, it is not recommended to prune in autumn if not to leave it for the end of winter. Thanks to this wait, we do not expose the cuts to low temperatures or damage the tree.
I hope that with this information you can learn more about pruning the apple tree and its characteristics.