How to prune an apricot after winter for a good harvest

Pruning apricot in spring: when and how to do it right. This was reported by SSPDaily.

Why you need to prune apricot in spring

Apricot pruning in spring is an important part of plant care. The procedure is necessary in order to:

• Improve access to sunlight.
• Provide adequate ventilation in the crown.
• To prevent various diseases and pest control.

When to prune apricot

Pruning should be done when the tree is still sleeping, before the buds appear. If you prune during sap flow, the likelihood of disease increases. Carrying out a similar procedure in the fall weakens the plant before winter frosts, this does not apply to winter-hardy species.

In the southern regions, apricot should be pruned at the end of March, in the central and northern regions - in mid-April.

Types of apricot pruning in spring

• Pruning, which is intended to form the crown of a young tree, is usually carried out in the first year of life. The base and skeleton of the tree are created.
• Rejuvenation pruning is carried out to restore the growth of a tree that is already bearing fruit. It is about caring for old trees that need a similar procedure every year, every spring and summer.

• Regulatory pruning of adult trees that bear fruit helps to regulate fruiting and growth in case of weak growth.
• Sanitary pruning is relevant for plants of all ages, because its purpose is to remove diseased, rotten, dry and damaged branches. You can carry out this kind of pruning regardless of the season and without any scheme.

How to prune apricot in spring

• In the process, it is necessary to maintain the size of annual growths up to 50 cm.

• It is important to remove no more than a third of the total number of branches of the skeletal plan.
• For pruning, choose a young, healthy plant whose annual growth exceeds 40 cm.
• An unbranched apricot can be shortened by 30 cm. When working with branched, it is important not to forget about crown formation.
• For vigorous varieties, a discharged-tiered method of pruning is used, for weakly growing varieties - a vase-shaped one. The discharged-tiered form is formed from 5 skeletal branches, between which there should be a distance of 35-40 cm. For the vase shape, the branches are cut around the trunk.

The procedure should be done with a well-sharpened tool, and the cut site should be treated.

Processing of cuts is necessary to eliminate the possibility of moisture and rotting. Most often, a garden var is used for this, after preheating it in a water bath.

Which branches must be cut in spring

Remove all dead, dry, and damaged branches. This will help save energy for the healthy parts of the plant. Sick branches should be burned.

Choose one or more vertical branches, depending on the type of pruning you are doing. Direct the growth of the branches to create an open crown for better access to light and air.

Thick branches that compete with the conductor should also be removed.

Prune branches that compete for space and light and densely dense branches.

Remove crooked branches and those that shade and rub against each other.

Trim branches that grow at an acute angle and create a kind of "fork".

Trim branches that grow at an obtuse downward angle.

Remove shoots below 1 tier.