Apple trees truly are giving trees. In spring, their fragrant, pale blossoms dot the landscape with a welcome, hopeful change from the soggy grays and browns of late winter. In summer, their lush foliage offers shade from the bright sun.
秋天,他们多汁的果实是最美好的回忆——苹果园里的干草,烤箱里的馅饼,温热的苹果酒温暖结霜的鼻子,解冻冰凉的手指。最后,在冬天,是时候让一个自耕农给他们的树一些爱,并为下一个生长季节修剪它们。
To put it simply, pruning is selectively and carefully cutting material from your trees in order to keep them healthy and/or create the desired shape. Pruning works with the tree’s “instincts” to spur it into structurally balanced growth, help it vigorously produce leaves and fruit, or heal damage more quickly.
To the nervous, first-time pruner, loppers in hand, it may seem somewhat counter-intuitive to cut the branches off of a tree that you’re trying to help grow. But the first key to pruning is to think of apple trees in plant terms, not human terms.
通常情况下,当一株植物受损时,它的反应是用疤痕组织封住受伤的地方,然后在伤口下面长出新芽。This trait allows the pruner to work with the plant to create everything from prize-winning large fruits to seahorse-shapedtopiary.
修剪既是一项非常基本的技能,也是一个高度发达的世界。在这篇文章中,我们将继续讨论后面的问题。If you are interested, however,Royal Horticultural Society’s bookPruning & Training,克里斯托弗·布里克尔和大卫·乔伊斯的作品,是一部迷人的、摄影精良的、深入的关于训练、塑造和指导几乎所有植物的艺术作品。
Why Prune?
Quick Crop Blog sums it up nicely withthese three reasons to prune an apple tree:
1. Establishing The Structure Of The Tree Makes It Easier To Maintain
A basic, easy-to-maintain form of an apple tree isthe “bush” shape.如果你有机会从头开始与年轻的树,但是一个新手,当涉及到果树管理,这种形式将让你达到大多数的水果没有一个高高的梯子。您还可以轻松地进行树枝、芽和花的管理。
只要记住,低矮的灌木形状可以成为鹿的通宵自助餐!If you live in an area with a high population of ravenous white tails, the taller,old-fashioned “standard” shapefor an apple tree will keep more of the fruit out of reach.
然而,保持苹果树的形状并非纯粹的美学或人体工程学。一棵平衡的、平均分枝的树在结构上更稳固,为你的苹果作物提供支撑它的强壮枝条。
2. Removing Dead, Diseased Or Damaged Wood Keep The Tree Healthy
Trees are living things, and like any living thing, they sometimes get sick or hurt. Storms break branches, fungus infects broken bark, and insects infest holes.
Removal of problematic areas allows the tree to focus all its energy into creating blossoms, foliage, and of course, fruit.
Any bad branches left attached may sap the tree’s energy or allow disease to enter and kill offthe whole tree.
3. Pruning Allows Sunlight To Access The Ripening Fruits
You may notice that on an unpruned apple tree the majority of the fruit is borne on the uppermost areas of the crown. Thinning out the branches of an apple tree brings all that fruiting potential back into arm’s reach!
How To Prune Apple Trees
When To Cut
Typically, the best time to prune an apple tree is in the winter, when the tree is totally dormant and ravenous bugs and fungal spores are at a minimum. You don’t want to prune it too early—if you cut branches while the tree is still active, you may stimulate the tree to put out new growth right as the cold weather is setting in.
Some of the fancier forms for apple trees, such as theespalier and cordon form, require summer pruning—research the “Lorette System”如果你准备好迎接挑战!
How To Cut
Four tools essential for pruning work are a sharp set of hand pruners (also called secauters), long-handled loppers, pruning saws, and a sharp knife. Each tool is ideal for a different thickness of twig and branch.
Secateurs should only be used with branches and twigs no thicker than a pencil. When you make these cuts, be sure to make sure you do not cut into or beneath the level of the leaf bud nearest your cut.
Loppers are best for bigger branches that still fit entirely within the “bite” of the blade.
Any bigger than that, and the pruning sawis your best option. These curved saws are ideal for green wood—their teeth don’t get all clogged up like a regular household saw might. For branch removal large enough to require a saw, cut off the bulk of the branch first to reduce the weight, then make the clean cut above the branch collar.
Clean up any cut that looks rough with the sharp knife. The cleanliness of each cut is crucial to the health of your tree. Think of yourself as a surgeon—just as with human skin, a clean slice heals much more quickly than a ragged, jagged cut.
And as you will see, part of making a clean cut is making sure you use the right tool for the job. If, for example, you find yourself tugging and wrestling with the secateurs to get through a branch, you’re trying to hack through too large a piece. Your cut will be ragged and will do more damage than good!
So, how do you know where to cut? Start with the branch collar—probably the most important part of a tree’s body to know.
This grouping of cells at the base of a limb is the wood-generation powerhouse of the tree. It is situated close to the main trunk of the tree itself, often above the bark ridge—the place where branch and trunk merge.
你绝对不要切到树枝环或树皮脊,这样会破坏植物抵抗感染的天然防御系统。
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You want to cut right above the branch collar, leaving no stub. If a stub is left, it will die jutting out, preventing the branch collar from closing over the wound and making a complete, healed scab.
This branch above was pruned poorly, with the branch trimmed far away from the branch collar. The wound was never able to heal the stump—it was too long. As a result, the dead branch is rotting, allowing disease and decay to enter the living tissue.
What To Cut
If you, like many homesteaders, have inherited apple trees with your property, you may need to do some triage to salvage them from years of neglect. Resist the urge to go crazy with the pruners, though! Pruning any tree too hard will result in a profusion of weak, congested growth that may give you even more trouble to deal with.
Pruning is a multi-year exercise in patience. Do a little bit every year, giving your trees the chance to recover and become more healthy over time. A good rule of thumb is to not remove any more than a quarter of the tree’s crown every year and to focus on restoring health, not getting an immediate bumper crop.
不管你想让你的树长成什么样子,你首先需要修剪的是任何死亡、受损或患病的生长物。
Then, take a good look up and down your tree and look for any branches that are crossed and rubbing against each other—you’ll want to retain the younger or healthier branch, if possible. Look at the base and remove any suckers—fast-growing shoots from the base that are only going to steal nutrition from the fruit.
Finally, look for congested areas where sunlight and air don’t have enough access to the branches. InRestoration Agriculture,马克·谢泼德分享了一种非正统的方式来记住该修剪多少:“修剪树枝之间的空隙,这样知更鸟就可以从上面飞过,而不会碰到它的翅膀。但是如果你把猫扔过去,它却抓不住树枝,那你就砍得太多了。”
Thin out what you can, airing on the side of caution to make sure you don’t remove too much. Remember, pruning is a multi-year affair. The end result should be a balanced-looking, strongly branched tree that has plenty of room for sunlight and airflow. It may take a while to get what you want, but it’s worth it in the end.
What Happens If You Don’t Prune Your Trees
Some folks may choose to take a “hands-off” approach to their fruit trees,knowing that plants just want to make fruit, whether they are pruned or not. If you don’t prune your trees, there are risks and benefits. Apples are usually grown on the outermost parts of a branch, particularly where they receive ample sunlight. In a mature, unpruned tree, that area is often the upper crown of the tree—far out of reach.
我想,“自然生长”的树的好处首先是不用维持人工形状。虽然更花哨的形式——栅栏、警戒线、扇子、踏板和棕榈——既漂亮又实用,但它们需要熟练的手和维护来保持健康。
Even if you decide to go with a more easy-going approach to your trees—or if you inherited an older, unmaintained orchard—it is still a good idea to go over your trees a few times a year, especially after a storm. Removing dead or damaged branches help the tree put its energy into its good branches, resulting in more fruit and longer-lived trees.
Some Other Things To Consider
首先,这看起来很明显,确保树木在阳光充足的地方。苹果是“阳光充足”的植物,所以朝东或朝北的斜坡是确保它们每天至少得到6小时阳光照射的理想选择。如果它们被其他更高的树或建筑遮蔽,它们既不会茁壮成长,也不会结出很多果实。2022世界杯四强亚盘赔率
此外,确保它们在排水良好的土壤中。被水浸泡太久的树木可能会死亡。同时,一定要给他们充足的水,尤其是新栽的树。他们需要它来发展良好的根系。
提供一层厚厚的有机覆盖物将有助于保持树木湿润,同时在物质分解时提供缓慢释放的营养物质。只是要确保不要把护根物直接堆在任何可以在其中筑巢过冬的树的树皮上,用你的树皮当零食。
如果你从树上剪下了病枝,一定要把碎片捡起来烧掉。如果你在附近堆肥,或者把它们留在树木周围,感染会继续扩散到你的树木上。
Pruning is an accessible skill for any orchard-keeper, from the complete novice to the skilled tree-trainer. Do your future pies and cider a favor and keep those trees in healthy shape!
Related Post:What Is Fruit Tree Grafting?
Resources
- Pruning Apple Trees, Stark Bros
- How To Prune An Overgrown Apple Tree, The Spruce
- How To Prune Your Fruit Trees, Modern Farmer
- An Introduction To Pruning Apple Trees, Quickcrop Blog
- Fedco Trees Tips for Renovating Old Apple Trees, Fedco Seeds
- Pruning Apple Trees, Provident Living Today
- Training And Pruning Apple Trees, University Of Wisconsin Extension
- The 1-2-3 Rule Of Pruning, Good Fruit Grower
- Growing Apples, The Old Farmer’s Almanac
Kmc Rimssays
That’s a thorough details and tips for pruning that is applicable not only for Apple trees but other fruit trees in general.
Wren Everettsays
Thanks so much! I do hope it is helpful. And yes! Much of this information is totally applicable to pretty much any other fruiting tree–I just have the most experience with apple trees.
Ella Starrsays
Thank you for talking about how it can seem not right to cut branches off a growing tree. I want to start my garden this summer actually. I will also find a good tree trimming service in my area.