How to rejuvenate an old apple tree in the garden: basic rules
Apples are the most popular garden fruits in our country. There are many baking recipes based on them, and what delicious compotes with them! Jam, jams and other desserts are also made from apples. Even oral folklore reflects people's sympathy for this fruit: "Rejuvenating apples", "Golden apple and saucer", "Horses in apples". However, grow a tree and care for it properly, that it may rejoice in its fruits, you need to be able to. After all, with age, apple trees cease to enjoy a rich harvest, and the fruits grow so high, that apples can be eaten only by birds. In this case, it's time to rejuvenate your beauty. But before you rejuvenate an old apple tree by pruning, you should carefully read the basic rules and techniques of the process.
Why do you need to rejuvenate trees
Fruit trees retain the ability to bear fruit well 30 years. After this period, they are recommended to be uprooted. What shall I do, if the tree has not yet reached maturity, and the first signs of aging have already appeared? It is not necessary to hurry to get rid of it. Rejuvenating pruning of apple trees will help to restore abundant harvests.
You should not worry about the taste of the fruit after pruning - they will not change. With the help of rejuvenation you will achieve several goals: rid the tree of old and diseased branches, form the crown of the tree, adjust the height, which will help make picking apples easier, and it will be easier to take care of the tree. It is especially important to know the measure recommended, so as not to damage the tree.
How to identify an aging tree
If the apple trees grew in favorable conditions and received proper care, the first signs of aging will begin to appear in the late third decade. The root system and the aboveground part cease to function in the same mode. The apical shoots are the first to suffer, farthest from the roots. Then the branches of the highest order age. At the very end, the above-ground trunk and root system are subject to change. Aging tree can be identified by a number of features:
- active sustainable growth and fruiting are replaced by progressive growth, there is a weakening of the growth of the "skeleton" of the tree, overgrown twigs die;
- branches of the "skeleton" almost stop growing, growths and deciduous rosettes completely stop growing;
- exposure of skeletal branches: yields do not suffer from this, changes are reflected in the taste and appearance of apples;
- change of crop year to non-crop year;
- skeletal branches stop growing, fruits lose quality.
Basic principles of rejuvenation
Rejuvenation of apple trees by pruning should be carefully planned. Follow these rules, and half of the successful outcome of the case is guaranteed to you:
- Make sure, that the old apple tree is healthy, and the "skeleton" is strong: rejuvenate diseased and rotten trees is impractical.
- Rejuvenation should be carried out in the "rest period" (before the "juice period" begins). Since the crown of the apple tree at this time can be well considered, then look for a more convenient time.
- Prepare everything you need in advance - from pruning tools to ladders.
- Prune dry branches at the base - so you thin the crown.
- Remove broken, deformed and woven branches.
- It is recommended to prune large branches, rather than a large number of small ones.
- Be sure to remove the branches, growing inside the crown, so that they do not interfere with the growth of young shoots.
- Prune adult old trees in the fall.
- Get rid of bare and diseased branches.
step-by-step pruning
Rejuvenation of old apple trees is best done in stages over several years.
Autumn rejuvenation in the first year. In the first year of pruning is carried out in autumn. To begin with, remove the dead, damaged branches, twigs and shoots. Particular attention should be paid to the presence of colored spots on the branches, corrugated areas, places of peeling bark. These signs may indicate the presence of the disease, which penetrates the tree through wounds and fractures, gradually weakening and killing him. In this case, the branches should be cut to a healthy place, without leaving a stump.
How to properly prune large branches, so that they do not split and knock out part of the trunk? Branches of large sizes cut down gradually: first cut through a third of the top, then from the bottom up to the started cut. Then identify the new leading branch and prune the crown accordingly. If there are several such branches, then leave the younger and stronger. Do not rush and do not cut more than three large branches in one year.
Then decide on the height. Tall trees are difficult to prune and protect against diseases and pests, therefore the recommended height is up to 5 meters. However, if the tree is several times higher, then in the first year you can remove no more than a third. A well-liquefied crown will allow light rays to penetrate to the lower branches.
Rejuvenation of the second year. The following year, the old apple tree is rejuvenated in the spring. First of all, deal with new shoots and "wolves". Leave one run on strong branches, follow, that as a result knots were proportional. Apples will grow on young branches. Choose a powerful escape and use a wire to give it a horizontal position (as far as possible). Do it carefully, so as not to break it. You need to get rid of extra "Volchkov". Late autumn, if necessary, cut the height and thin the branches of the "skeleton".
Spring and summer of the third year. Remove the wire from the branches and get rid of other "wolves". Some suitable ones can be left for potential fruit branches. They are treated in the same way, using wire.
further care
After rejuvenation of old apple trees in the spring and autumn by pruning the tree should be fed, by applying fertilizers to the stem circles. They do this with organic fertilizers. Potassium and phosphorus fertilizers are best applied in the fall. In the spring it will be enough to loosen the ground. In summer, make zinc and boron.
Now you know, how to rejuvenate an apple tree. It remains only to apply the knowledge gained!
Video "Rejuvenation of an old apple tree"
In this video you will learn about it, how to properly rejuvenate old apple trees in the garden.
