Apricot Tree Summer Pruning Methods and Technical Key Points
How do you prune apricot trees in summer? What are the differences between summer pruning for young trees and old trees? Please provide an introduction. Summer pruning of apricot trees is an important part of the whole year's pruning. Reasonable summer pruning plays an important role in helping young trees take shape quickly and in increasing the yield of trees in their first fruiting year the following year. Pruning young trees: when summer pruning young trees, the water sprouts...
How do you prune apricot trees in summer? What are the differences between summer pruning for young trees and old trees? Please provide an introduction.
Summer pruning of apricot trees is an important part of the whole year's pruning. Reasonable summer pruning plays an important role in helping young trees take shape quickly and in increasing the yield of trees in their first fruiting year the following year.
Pruning young trees: summer pruning
For water sprouts, competing branches and upward-growing branches among the new shoots of young trees, heavy heading back or removal is required. For the extension branches of the main and lateral branches and the central leader, pinching should be done in late June to stimulate the sprouting of secondary branches and increase branch and bud order and quantity. This not only helps the canopy of the apricot tree form earlier and moderates branch vigor, but also reduces ineffective branch growth. Removing excessive and overly dense branches can improve ventilation and light conditions for young trees.
Pruning trees in the initial fruiting stage
In summer pruning, apricot trees in the initial fruiting stage should mainly be thinned or heavily cut back. Remove or heavily cut back or head back competing branches, upward-growing branches and water sprouts, and reasonably thin overly dense branches to improve ventilation and light and prevent the growth of ineffective branches.
Pruning old trees
For renewing and rejuvenating old apricot trees, summer pruning is very important. For example, large branches cut back in winter will produce many new shoots on them the following year with strong growth vigor. During summer pruning, their upward-growing branches and water sprouts should be removed or cut back to reduce the growth of useless branches and increase the rapid growth of retained branches. Remove overly dense branches, and cut back the vigorous main growing points to induce secondary branches and increase the number of branches and buds. Summer pruning should be carried out multiple times from June to August.
Precautions
In order to fully supply nutrients to retained branches and remove useless branches, summer pruning should be carried out on secondary shoots newly grown in spring. In our province, this is generally done from June to August.
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