Autumn is the right time to bend fruit tree branches; growers should seize the best opportunity

Autumn is the right time to bend fruit tree branches

Branch bending is an important technical measure in the shaping and pruning of fruit trees. During the year, fruit tree branch bending is best carried out in late summer and early autumn. At this time the branches are supple and highly malleable, so their direction and angle can be changed at will as needed.

Generally, scaffold branches can be bent to 90 degrees, horizontal to the ground; branches of vigorously growing fruit trees should be bent to a slanting, drooping position. The thicker the main branch, the greater the bending angle required, so as to balance tree vigor.

Note that the branches to be bent should be more than 1 m long; if too small, methods such as twisting, pressing and wedging can be used to open the angle. For young vigorous trees, angle opening is suitable at 2-3 years of age, and it should not be done all at once but gradually over the years, so as to combine tree growth, canopy formation and fruiting. After bending, the vigorous shoots that emerge on the upper side of the branch can be trained into small and medium-sized branch groups, and those that are too dense should be thinned out promptly. The tying position of the rope should be chosen well, otherwise it will cause a small basal angle, drooping branch tips, and shoots sprouting at the arched middle part, affecting the growth of the extension shoot. After bending, make the branches occupy the space evenly; it is strictly forbidden to bundle several branches together and bend them at the same time.