When Is the Best Time to Prune an Apricot Tree? An Analysis of the Best Pruning Time
Summary The best time to prune an apricot tree is from late May to early June. During this period, carry out trunk and shoot training, keep 7-12 shoots with good angles, and then cut off all the remaining branches. In early November, spray urea on the tree to make the leaves drop early. Apricot trees need different pruning methods at different growth stages, which can increase the yield and fruit quality of the tree.
When growing apricot trees, in order to improve the fruit-setting rate, the trees must be pruned at the appropriate time every year during the growing process.
1. Pruning time for apricot trees
Generally, from late May to early June, carry out trunk and shoot training, select and keep 7-12 shoots with good angles, and cut off all the rest. When the new shoots grow to about 40cm, select about 3 for focused training and train them into a “V” shape or open-center shape. The remaining new shoots should be pinched to encourage a second flush of shoots. The upright shoots on the back should be pinched repeatedly, and excessive and overly dense branches should be removed. In early November, spray urea on the apricot tree to promote earlier leaf drop.
2. Pruning methods for apricot trees
1. Fruit enlargement stage
Pinch the new shoots multiple times to control excessive growth of new shoots, so as to improve the fruit-setting rate and single fruit weight. For upright new shoots on the back, they can be removed or twisted to prevent “trees growing on trees” and to avoid worsening the light inside the canopy. After harvesting the fruit and removing the film in early to mid-May, combine heading back with thinning out branches to ensure balanced tree growth and prevent compensatory vigorous growth.
2. Young tree stage
When pruning trees in winter, both shaping and fruiting should be taken into account. Lightly prune and leave the main branches, side branches, and extension branches long; generally, for shoots left at full length, cut back by 2/3. Vigorous-growing development branches with a relatively open angle should be left unpruned to encourage the sprouting of medium and short branches and increase the number of fruiting branches. After flower formation or fruiting, head them back in time to cultivate fruiting branch groups. Medium and short branches with larger angles form flowers more easily, so try not to prune them off.
For young trees with weaker growth, cut back appropriately, thin out overly dense branches and weak slender branches, keep more vigorous branches, and bend upright vigorous branches flat as auxiliary nurturing branches to encourage thick, strong medium and short fruiting branches.
3. Full fruit stage
Prune appropriately according to the specific condition of the branches to keep the fruiting position and growth vigor stable. Where there are strong branches, head back weak main branches, side branches, and perennial auxiliary nurturing branches to restore the tree's growth momentum, promptly renew and rejuvenate the lower part of the canopy and the inner branches, and let the tree continuously produce new healthy fruiting branches, so as to achieve the goal of increasing yield.
4. Tree aging stage
It is necessary to change the head, or head back at a relatively upright branch section, so as to promote the sprouting and renewal of latent buds. Well-positioned water sprouts can be cultivated into scaffold branches and fruiting branch groups. When pruning fruiting branch groups and fruiting branches, keep the strong branches and carry out renewal pruning on the lateral buds. For trees that are especially weak and cannot be renewed effectively, while strengthening fertilizer and water management, the main and side branches and large branch groups can also be heavily renewed on the whole tree at the 10-15 year section. A large number of new branches will sprout that same year; in summer, remove buds and pinch shoots, and in winter carry out shaping and pruning again. The following year they will bloom and bear fruit, and the yield will also recover.
When growing apricot trees, promptly prune off diseased branches and dead branches that would absorb the tree's nutrients, so as not to affect the growth and development of the apricot tree.