/ How to rejuvenate the old apple tree with pruning in the fall?

How to rejuvenate the old apple tree with pruning in the fall?

To date, the owners of suburbanThe plot, as a rule, has a garden in which fruit trees grow, namely: apple trees, pears, plums, peaches and much more. To ensure that they yield a good harvest, they need proper care. As the apple tree grows, its yield gradually decreases. Therefore, if you want to bring the tree back to normal, you should periodically perform its rejuvenation. By this means a significant pruning of the crown for the purpose of unloading the apple tree. Rejuvenation favorably affects the growth of new shoots and an increase in yields. But in order to get the maximum result, you need to know how to properly rejuvenate the old apple tree.

How does the aging of the tree occur, and what can it lead to?

how to rejuvenate an old apple tree
So, is it possible to rejuvenate the old apple tree? The answer is unequivocal: it is not just possible, but it is necessary. But before we talk about how to properly perform this procedure, let's first figure out how the aging of the tree. The cause of aging of trees is the disturbance of metabolic processes between the root system and the trunk, as a result of which the upper part of the crown first, and then the remaining branches begin to age.

The aging process occurs in the following sequence:

  1. The apple tree starts to grow and develop more slowly, its fruiting deteriorates, and the overgrown branches begin to die.
  2. The apple tree completely stops its growth and development, as a result of which the quality of the crop is greatly reduced. In addition, the tree begins to yield not every year.
  3. Dying off of a substantial part of skeletal and overgrown branches with loss of fruit taste.
  4. Complete destruction of the tree, including the root system. In this case, it is already impossible to save the apple tree.

Thus, to prevent the death of the tree, every gardener should know how to rejuvenate the old apple tree.

What gives rejuvenation?

Every experienced gardener knows that pruningapple trees is a very important procedure, which in its value is not inferior to top dressing, as well as protecting trees from diseases and pests. Rejuvenating pruning of old apple trees in the fall allows you to maintain the fruitfulness of apple trees at a high level while preserving the palatability of the fruit. During pruning, it is first necessary to remove the dead and affected branches of fungal or viral diseases. In addition, in the process of pruning, you can give the crown a correct and aesthetic form and make the tree lower, so harvesting will be much easier.

Optimum time for rejuvenation

how to rejuvenate the apple tree
Before talking about how to rejuvenate the oldapple tree, let's first figure out when it's best to do it. To date, among many experienced gardeners, there has been a fierce debate about when it is better to perform pruning: in autumn or in spring.

Professionals, in turn, advise:

  • In the spring, before the onset of the vegetative period, perform rejuvenation of seedlings. Thanks to this, young trees will be able to get stronger and normally winter;
  • Autumn is optimal for rejuvenationperennial fruit trees. This is due to the fact that with the onset of colds, apple trees fall into a kind of dream, so pruning causes them least harm. In this case, apple trees can normally winter, and until spring all wounds will fully heal. About how to rejuvenate the apple tree in the fall, will be discussed further;
  • In the summer, only superficial rejuvenation with a slight thinning of the crown should be performed;
  • in regions with mild climate and warm winter, young trees can be cut in winter, but one should be very careful not to damage the bark of trees.

Considering all described above, it is possible to draw a conclusion,that the most suitable time of the year for pruning trees in your garden is autumn. Only at this time you can cut the apple trees with minimal harm to them.

What tools will be required?

rejuvenating pruning apple trees in autumn
There is nothing in the rejuvenation of fruit treescomplex, but for its implementation you need only a garden pruner, two saws - one with a small, and the other with large teeth, and a ladder. It will also require a garden var, which will need to process the cuts to accelerate the healing process and prevent the development of various diseases. It is worth noting that the whole tool must be well sharpened to speed up the work process and cause the tree as little damage as possible.

Ways to rejuvenate fruit trees

Before you begin rejuvenating a tree, firstyou need to carefully examine it. This is necessary in order to identify unnecessary shoots, which are always quite a lot in old trees. In the lower part of the trunk may be basal shoots, which also must be removed.

So, how to rejuvenate an old apple tree trim?

The following tree trimming technologies are available:

  1. Reduced crown.
  2. Anti-aging pruning.
  3. Maximum pruning.

It should be noted that the choice of the method of rejuvenation is very important, and it depends on the state of the tree, so let's look at each of them in more detail.

Thinning tree crown

how to rejuvenate the old apple tree
So, how to rejuvenate old apple trees? How to cut a tree if it did not have time to get old? In this case, the technology is used to reduce the crown. It is based on cutting off the top of the trunk and several thick branches that grow vertically. This method of rejuvenation allows you to lighten the crown and provide the tree with plenty of sunlight. If the tree is too tall, about two meters of the upper part of the trunk is cut.

To the inner part of the crown received morethe amount of sunlight it should thin. This will allow to collect large yields, and apples will have the best taste. Pruning and damaged branches, as well as those that grow too slowly and develop poorly, are pruned. You can also delete branches that grow incorrectly. If the crown is too thick, then healthy branches that are redundant are also pruned.

Apple rejuvenation technique

Rejuvenating pruning of apple trees in autumn is appliedfor rejuvenation of perennial trees. It is based on shortening the old branches so that the diameter of the crown is less than about one and a half meters. Weak and poorly growing branches located in the lower part of the trunk are completely cut off. It is important to follow the rule of subordination: the length of the main branch must be greater than that of the branches. There is no need to touch thick branches located in the lower part of the trunk, because otherwise there will be a lot of wounds on the tree, which can lead to the death of the apple tree.

Maximum trim

anti-aging pruning of old apple trees in autumn
This method of rejuvenation is applied at the beginningspring, so that the tree had time to get stronger and gain strength before the onset of winter. It is recommended to perform pruning on dry and warm days. Rejuvenation should begin with the branches located on the most voluminous parts of the branches. The following are cut off thick and long branches that are heavily thickened. It should be cut at the root, so there is no stumps left, since they can cause the onset of rotting processes or the development of various diseases. To speed up the healing of wounds of the site of the cuts need to process garden pitch.

It is worth noting that using the techniquemaximum pruning, it is very important to adhere to the principle of truncation of trees, which is based on the fact that the lower branches are the longest. Young apple trees should be rejuvenated immediately, by trimming the upper part of the trunk and giving the crown a running shape.

Modern way of rejuvenation

If you do not know how to rejuvenate an apple tree most effectively, then you can use the modern rejuvenation technique used by professionals.

This method is implemented in two stages:

  1. In the fall, deep pruning of the apple tree is performed, in which most of the branches are removed from the south side. The cuts are treated with garden pitch.
  2. After the trimmed side gives the first harvest, you can proceed to the rejuvenation of the northern part of the tree.

This method works fine and is time-tested, so you can safely use it in your garden.

Features care for garden trees after rejuvenation

We figured out how to rejuvenate the oldapple tree, so now you need to understand the features of tree care after pruning. This is very important, because it is the only way to ensure that the tree gets stronger and gain strength as soon as possible. After rejuvenation, fruit trees need feeding podsvolnyh circles. Organic fertilizers are best suited for this, based on 8 kg per square meter of soil. Nitrogen mixture will be very effective, for the preparation of which you will need 20 grams of urea, 10 grams of concentrated nitrogen-phosphorus fertilizer and 20 grams of potassium salt or wood ash. The latter is rich in trace elements that help reduce the level of acidity of the soil.

how to rejuvenate old apple trees how to prune
If you do not know how to rejuvenate the oldapple tree in the fall, then everything is pretty simple. After rejuvenation, according to any of the previously considered techniques, you should feed the tree with organic fertilizers rich in phosphorus and potassium. And in spring, when the snow melts, the soil around the trunk is dug up, which will ensure the flow of fresh air to the root system. To improve the quality of the crop in the summer it is recommended to use a solution of urea, as well as zinc or boron.

In the spring, at the stage of bud formation, it is recommended to feed the apple with nitrogen fertilizers. They will significantly increase the yield of fruit trees.

A few tips on rejuvenation from professionals

Many novice gardeners wonder abouthow to rejuvenate an apple tree in order to achieve maximum results. The basic rule of proper pruning of fruit trees is that pruning should begin immediately after planting the seedling in the garden. But here it is important to take into account the fact that there are certain rules for the implementation of rejuvenation, which depend on the age of the apple tree. During the first five years, the main efforts should be made to give the crown of the apple tree the right shape, as well as cutting the branches that were damaged or improperly growing. Trees that have reached the age of 20 are already considered old, and therefore need rejuvenation.

It is recommended to adhere to the following tips:

  • only healthy trees can be rejuvenated,who can recover and give a full harvest. If there are a lot of old or diseased branches on an apple tree, then rejuvenation will not bring any result;
  • in order to minimize damage to the apple tree during pruning, it is best to perform rejuvenation when the plant hibernates;
  • in the process of pruning should pay great attention to the illumination of the crown;
  • large branches should be cut as close to the trunk as possible so that no stumps are left;
  • It is mandatory to cut the branches that grow incorrectly or were broken.

Immediately it should be noted that if you even know how to rejuvenate the old apple tree, then you still can not quickly cope with this task. Therefore, sharpen the tool and be patient.

Conclusion

is it possible to rejuvenate the old apple tree
Actually look after fruit treesnot difficult. The most important thing is to follow certain recommendations. The rejuvenation of fruit trees is an obligatory procedure, without which it will be impossible to gather a high-quality and rich crop. Therefore, it should be performed at all stages of tree growth, starting from the moment of its planting. Do not neglect this procedure, because without it, not only will the yield of apple trees be significantly reduced, but the tree may even die over time.

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