How to prune according to the species and season.

in #farms5 years ago




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Pruning is a technique of care and maintenance of plants that will change the appearance of the shrubs, which also intervenes in growth.

Pruning: what does this mean?

Pruning is defined as a set of cultural interventions that will be carried out on trees and plants. In general, these treatments are reserved for screws, olive, fruit trees, hedges and roses and falls within the typical operations of gardening.

When running, it is always good not to improvise. In fact, there are specific rules and techniques to follow, to avoid that irreparable damage can sometimes be committed.

What is pruning good for?

There are different motivations. Let's see the main ones.

  • It serves to improve the growth of the plant, favoring the production of fruits and flowers. This way you will always leave space for new releases.
  • Prevents the appearance of diseases and therefore protects the health of the plant.
  • Protects the immediate surrounding environment, preventing dry branches from falling accidentally. * In addition, these treatments are necessary in cases of trees bordering land belonging to other properties.
  • Improves the aesthetics of the plant and consequently the image of avenues and gardens. Just think of the great success of topiary art, a true profession.
  • It improves the fructification and the flowering, directing the energies of the plant towards its development with respect to the bud of new branches and leaves.

Why prune the plants?

Why cut the trees?

In what plants

All plants should be pruned, whether large trunks or shrubs and smaller garden trees, but thinning should also be done in small plants, shrubs, vegetables and herbs.

A separate chapter refers to the interventions in bonsai, necessary for the creation of their knots and their structure, which acquires an artistic character.

Types of pruning

There are several types that we can distinguish in two large families: ordinary and extraordinary prunings.

In general, all those interventions that are repeated regularly each year are defined as ordinary, while those performed for specific reasons will be extraordinary.

Pruning

It is used to define the structure of a young plant, which affects its future growth.

It is done until the plant is about 10 years old. The objective is also to increase productivity, especially if it is a fruit tree.

Maintenance pruning

Similar to the previous one, but it is done in mature plants. Therefore, the goal is to contain the given shape while maintaining a pleasing appearance. The branches are eliminated both in height and width, shortening them.

Transplant pruning

This type should be done when planting. It is necessary to avoid that the roots have difficulties to nourish a well developed hair.

Elimination of pruning

Its objective is to eliminate the dry parts of the plant. In this way the risk of possible diseases is avoided, in addition to having an ornamental value.

You can also intervene in an already sick plant with a healing purpose. This type of technique also includes ensuring: a dry branch could fall suddenly, which represents a danger to anyone.


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Production pruning

Depending on the period in which it is carried out, it will be called green pruning (in summer) or dry pruning (in winter). We try to lighten the plant that, meanwhile, has developed a thick and exuberant foliage.

In this way the energy expenditure will be redistributed. In this way it is possible to improve the production of the plant.

Cover

These are interventions of an extraordinary nature, especially because they can really compromise the welfare of the plant. Therefore, roasting is done only in very exceptional situations and consists of eliminating all branches.

Pruning: how to do it.

Once you understand the various types of pruning, it is time to move on to the practical part, which is also the most complex.

An intervention of this type requires, in fact, experience and good knowledge of the structure of the plant, so it is often done by an experienced gardener.

It also implies a certain amount of physical energy, so it is good that the younger ones are careful to improvise.

Pruning techniques

There are four main techniques that must be associated to obtain appreciable results.

Thinning

To thin the hair, we proceed with a complete cut of different branches of its articulation with the trunk. This operation allows the passage of more light and air to the inner part of the plant, thus decreasing moisture and gives a more complete and balanced foliage.

Back pruning

To push a plant to follow the development through a secondary branch, the main part is eliminated, that is, the end of the main branch shortly after its union with the secondary branch. The latter becomes the new peak of development.

It is a cut of containment of the crown suitable especially in the most robust plants, through the intervention in its larger branches. It promotes its production of gems and therefore a more vigorous growth in other areas than that in which the return pruning was carried out. This gives the plant a more balanced and aesthetically appreciable development.

Speronatura

After the return pruning, it is the most drastic intervention. Completely removes part of the foliage, to thicken the altered parts and give more vigor to the buds present. Rebalances an area that is otherwise prone to weight loss

Corte-Back

Only the final parts of the branches are eliminated, and it is a light pruning intervention, which limits growth in one direction of the crown. In fact, the elimination of the apical part reinforces the part around, contributing to the birth of new lateral gems.

It is suitable to rebalance the foliage of vigorous plants, while running the risk of depleting the energies of the weakest.

Where to prune a branch

The first thing you should know is that each branch must be cut carefully, considering a whole series of factors.

If a branch has to be completely eliminated, it is good to consider that there is a collar, through which the branch joins the rest of the stem.

This part is important for survival, as it helps protect against external attacks. Therefore, the cut should never affect the collar and should always be clean.

The cut should be made from the bottom and upwards, keeping a distance from the collar equal to approximately one third of the diameter of the branch. In this way, scraping is avoided, that is, the internal fibers remain exposed, literally separating the crust. The cut should always be made at 45 ° and never straight.

Immediately afterwards it begins with a second cut, from top to bottom, at a distance of a few centimeters from the first. The last cut affects the area next to the collar and serves to permanently remove the branch.

If, on the other hand, a branch must be shortened, a gem is intervened immediately after, at a distance of approximately 6 mm.

How to prune fruit trees

The pruning of fruit trees is mainly done to obtain abundant production of good quality. It includes several activities, all aimed at reducing the dry ends that impoverish the tree and reduce fructification:

  • Orient buds to improve sun exposure (preferring horizontal shoots instead of vertical ones)
  • Remove the dry branches
  • Shorten the branches by removing the dry apical part.
  • Balance the weight of the fruit on the tree.


The basic rule is that a fruit tree should remain small and grow horizontally, because larger and taller trees are less productive. That is why the direction of pruning is always vertical.

And it goes against the natural growth of the plant, which in its place is ascending. In fact, the plant develops at the level of the terminal gem, which leads to a vertical development of the twig. When a part of a branch is removed, the gem just below the cut will develop further.

Another important thing is to recognize the type of gem that, in fruit trees, can be destined to become a woody gem (long, pointy, flattened towards the branch, gives rise to a branch with only leaves), yolk flower (swollen ) and round, perpendicular to the branch, give rise to twigs with flowers and leaves) or mixed (in the middle of the other two, produce both flowers and branches of wood).

Recognizing the buds of fruit trees is important because the buds of the flowers with fruits will be preserved during the pruning. In apple trees and pear trees, flower buds grow in three different types of branching:

If the tree is young, it is necessary to intervene especially in the flower buds, while in a more mature plant, it is better to prune the flower buds.

You always start from a horizontal branch up to your height, then you go around the tree and proceed like this:

  • Remove all vertical twigs: they will not bear fruit because they are not enough sap.
  • Remove dry and diseased branches.
  • Shorten the main horizontal branches by one third and cut immediately afterwards in front of a gem.
  • Make sure that the branch already has enough buds already flowered and some gems of the wood (which in case of illness or breakage, will be the "rescue gems").
  • Eliminate all branches that cross the chosen branch, can transmit diseases and do not transmit light or air to the heart of the foliage.
  • Remove apical parts thinner than branches, which will break under the weight of the fruit.
  • Go away to judge the shape of the foliage: it must be regular.

The cuts should be clean and clean, to reduce the scarring surface and reduce the entry to possible infections. Therefore, it is necessary to cover them with products that promote healing, such as Norwegian tar or curative putty.

Another important thing is to do a pruning job according to the type of fruit tree, which may or may not have the seed. To understand, the pomáceas (apple, pear, but ...) have a formation of buds and a development of branches different from the fruit of bone (cherry, peach, apricot, plum ...).

The term

When should pruning be done? Unless it is a green pruning, this should be done during the vegetative rest period.

This means that you have time from the fall to the following spring. Many realize it with the waning moon, since it seems that this improves the fructification.

To give some examples: in January you can prune the wisteria and the apple tree; The roses instead in the month of March.

What to wear in winter

Even if the weather is stiff, you can prune different plants, selecting those that have already fruited, and also making a good supply of firewood!

Among the fruit trees, the cut in the cold season should be reserved for the varieties that have already borne fruit, such as the pomáceo (apple, pear), the kiwi and the vine, whose fruits are ripe in autumn. Among the tall trees, work on willows.

What to prune in spring

This is the time for great pruning, but on what plants?

The general rule is to do it before the leaves come out. For shrubs of early flowering, only when they have finished their first flowering, to guarantee a greater abundance the following year.

Remember that an intervention at the wrong time can compromise flowering or even damage the plant.

Among the fruit trees, you can prune the stone fruits such as plum, apricot, peach and cherry. In this way, the appearance of various diseases is avoided.

Deciduous plants can be pruned from June, when they begin the fastest growth phase.

What to prune in summer

In the warmer period, it is good to concentrate only on plants that have already made their growth more vigorous and have already finished flowering.

You can cut both shrubs and deciduous trees to increase the growth and density of the foliage.

What to bring in the fall

Fall pruning is highly recommended for several reasons.

In this season, different plants lose their leaves and enter vegetative rest, this allows an easier pruning, especially in tall trees.

In addition, a tree at rest will heal pruning wounds faster and then more aggressive parasitic treatments can be carried out.

The most suitable species for an autumn cutting operation are:

  • Deciduous, every two or three years and only at the end of the fall of the leaves.
  • Coniferous, to compact the foliage and only if necessary.
  • Evergreen shrubs, whether in hedges or alone, should be treated with a maintenance pruning


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