How to prune a columnar apple tree in autumn: features, timing, patterns

The dream of any summer resident is a garden, quickly entering the time of fruiting. Colon-shaped apple trees make this dream come true. To create a garden does not need a lot of space. In a small suburban area, you can plant several trees of different varieties. In order for them to bear fruit, you need to master the technology of pruning colon-shaped apple trees.

Description and characteristics of the variety

The first cultivar of a columnar apple tree (Leader) appeared in 1964. The first seedling was the result of a natural mutation. On one of the skeletal branches of the Macintosh apple tree, lateral shoots were completely absent, the fruits clung to it along its entire length. This unusual property was noticed and fixed by breeders; it is explained by the presence of the CO gene.

Now in the gardens grow two varieties of columnar apple trees:

• having the CO gene;
• ordinary variety grafted onto a super dwarf clonal stock, shaped like a column.

The crown of the trees is formed by branches extending from the trunk at an acute angle, growing along the central conductor. The trunk is thickened, covered with many small branches (spear, pillows, gloves).

Lateral shoots are thick with short internodes. At the top of the central shoot is the apical kidney. When it dies (freezing, mechanical injury), growth stops.

Coloniform apple trees on dwarf rootstocks enter fruiting in the first year of life, and on vigorous ones - only for 2-3 years. The crop has been growing steadily for 5-6 years. For the apple tree to bear fruit for 15 years, she needs planned care. First of all, it comes down to the correct pruning.

Varieties that Russian summer residents love to grow are shown in the table.

The rules for the formation of columnar apple trees

A well-formed crown of a colon-shaped apple tree is a trunk plus non-long gloves extending from it at an angle of 30-45 degrees. A running tree looks like a pyramidal poplar.

Why do you need to trim

Pruning the crown of apple-shaped apple trees in autumn is necessary, first of all, to fruit trees on an ordinary dwarf rootstock. Without it, they will turn from a column into ordinary apple trees with a branched, multi-tiered crown. The main purpose of trimming:

• rejuvenation - replacing old shoots with new ones;
• load control - removal of unnecessary shoots to improve nutrition of fruiting shoots;
• stimulation of the appearance of new fruit buds;
• control of the state of the crown (light, compact form).

As a result of the correct forming pruning, the summer resident receives a long fruiting tree.Quality fruits ripening on time, meeting varietal characteristics (taste, color, size, keeping quality).

When to start pruning an apple tree

Already in the first autumn after spring planting, it is required to prune a columnar apple tree. All side shoots are shortened by 2 buds. Do not touch only the apical, it is located on the top of the central shoot (trunk). An ideal cut is a slice made at an angle of 30 °.

Of these buds, 2 shoots will form per season. Next year they will become the material for the formation of a new fruit link. Formative pruning is carried out annually throughout the life of the tree. One branch bears fruit for 5 years, then it is cut into a ring.

Trimming is carried out at different times:

• late winter;
• in the spring before the onset of sap flow;
• summer;
• in the fall.

In winter, damaged weatherproof shoots are removed. In the spring, they pinch the tops of young shoots. With its help stimulate the growth of green mass. In summer, excess growth is removed, which takes away nutrients from the colon tree.

What tools will be needed

The health of a tree depends on the quality of garden tools. To correctly crop a columnar apple tree, you will need tools:

• sharp garden knife for cutting small shoots;
• long-handled garden shears for working with long branches;
• secateurs for short shoots.

As an auxiliary tool you need a garden stepladder, a wheelbarrow for collecting plant debris. Slices are covered with garden var.

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Schemes and forms of correct trimming

The column is formed more than one year. In order for the apple trees to acquire a beautiful, classic shape, when pruning a columnar apple tree in autumn, special rules must be followed. There are 2 cropping schemes. The first is performed in the following sequence:

1. During the first pruning of an annual apple tree, all side shoots are shortened by 2 buds, the top of the head is not touched.
2. After a year, 2 shoots will form from the left kidneys. One (far from the trunk) is left for fruiting, the second (near) is shortened by 2 buds. Five-year branches are cut into a ring.
3. Freezing of the apical kidney occurs often. For replacement, choose a strong vertical shoot growing in the upper part of the crown. It will take some time for it to grow back. A tree is shortened only if its height is 3 meters or more.

According to the second scheme, pruning of columnar apple trees in autumn is carried out for 5 years.

Autumn Technique

They start work after all the foliage has circled. Always leave 1-2 top shoots to replace. If in winter the apical kidney freezes or receives mechanical damage, one is left, the second is shortened.

Slices are performed at an angle of 45 °. At the same time, they recede by 2 cm from the distant kidney. Annual shoots are cut into 2 buds. The shoot bearing fruit this season (2 year old) is cut out. Five-year fruit links are removed.

In the fall, sanitary pruning is carried out. Remove damaged, weak, horizontally growing branches. All work is carried out after the sap flow in the trees has stopped. Use clean tools. Sections are immediately covered with var.

Cropping Features

There are features in the formation of the crown of a columnar apple tree. The schemes that were used when working with ordinary varieties will not come in handy.Only advice on how to make the perfect cut remains relevant:

• start pruning from the lower branches;
• direct the section from the kidney;
• back up from the kidney by 2 cm;
• use a sharp tool, make a smooth cut;
• to cover wounds with var.

How to thin out the crown to get large fruits

Large fruits are obtained due to the annual formation of fruit links, removal of weakened (damaged) branches, normalization of flowers first, then ovaries. When forming a fruit link, the following schemes are followed:

• 2 buds shorten the annual shoot, located closer to the horizontal branch;
• distant escape is left for fruiting.

Flowers of a columnar apple tree are collected in a bouquet. During flowering, the entire trunk and fruiting shoots are covered with snow-white inflorescences. The root system of the tree will not provide all the fruit that has been planted with nutrients.

To teach large fruits, part of the inflorescences are removed. On each fruit twig leave no more than 2 bouquets. Rationing is carried out again after the ovary becomes the size of a cherry.

How to correctly trim long fruiting

Each fruiting link has been productive for 5 years. At 6 years old, they cut it out. The older the apple tree, the higher the fruit branches are located along the trunk. The average fruiting period of columnar apple trees is 12-15 years.

If the apple tree begins to degenerate earlier, then it can be rejuvenated:

• cut the trunk at a height of 0.6 m;
• after the shoots regrow, select one, the most powerful, tie it upright to the support;
• cut the remaining branches when the tree grows up, start forming it according to one of 2 schemes.

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Possible mistakes

The quality of the cut affects the further growth of shoots. Mistakes that beginner gardeners make:

1. Use a blunt tool, get a shaggy cut, injure the wood.
2. They leave long stumps, which leads to the death of the shoot.
3. The cut is done close to the kidney, this inhibits its growth.

Finally

Proper pruning increases the yield of columnar apple trees. The tree forms a beautiful, compact crown, which is easy to care for. Fruits receive the necessary portion of light and nutrients. Learn about all the intricacies of crown care will help the video for beginners.