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How to trim and shape the crown of a plum tree in spring, summer and autumn

Almost every gardener is interested in how to properly cut a plum. This tree is quite unpretentious, many varieties reproduce by root shoots. You can always get as much planting material as you need. But then the problems begin: the tree gives abundant annual growth. And this does not mean that a good harvest will be obtained: extra shoots thicken the crown, shade the fruits. The cream just doesn't ripen. To ensure regular fruiting, the grower should prune plum trees.

Plum pruning objectives

For a good harvest of plums, the following basic conditions must be met:

provide ripening fruits with enough sunlight (this cannot be done without thinning the crown);
let the wood of fruiting shoots fully mature (for this, the weak ones should be cut out);
protect the tree and fruits from pests (for regular inspection, it is required to remove excess branches);
prevent possible diseases (it is ineffective to carry out preventive spraying of the thickened crown);
ensure the possibility of uniform filling and ripening of fruits (for this it is recommended to thin out the crown, remove weak shoots with fine cream).

After strong wind, snow or rain, there are many damaged branches in the garden. They should also be cut out.

Sanitary

This type of pruning of plums is performed by all gardeners. Over the years, the tree:

suffers from bad weather;
the wind breaks branches;
snow sticks to the shoots and causes damage;
harmful insects parasitize in bark and wood and cause the shoots to dry out;
winter cold causes the death of fruiting shoots.

In order to preserve the variety and prolong fruiting, sanitary pruning is carried out. Correct implementation ensures healthy harvests.

Sanitary pruning is carried out at any time of the year. But the air temperature should not drop below -5 degrees Celsius.

Thinning

In the course of life, the plum releases too many shoots. This is especially true of varieties of folk selection and old species. Not all shoots will begin to bear fruit in the future, and they will take away the strength from the tree.Many branches cross, rub against each other. As a result, the cortex is damaged, and infection penetrates into the wounds. The plant begins to ache, fruiting stops. Subsequently, the tree may die. The abundance of shoots leads to shading of the crown and ripening fruits.

In addition, it is important to understand: weak branches cannot produce healthy and large berries.

The tree should direct nutrition and moisture to ripening fruits. And you have to share with useless branches. And in this case, no amount of food and watering will provide the gardener with a decent harvest of plums. Thinning pruning is done to prevent damage to the tree and to ensure stable fruit production.

Formative

This type of pruning is carried out to give the tree an ideal crown shape for ease of maintenance and to ensure abundant fruiting. It should be started from the moment the tree is planted in the garden. A well-formed crown gives the plum a decorative effect. Often, formative pruning is combined with thinning and sanitary pruning. This happens in the event of unforeseen whims of nature or with an unexpectedly large increase.

Formative pruning is stressful for the tree. It is carried out when sap flow has not yet begun (in February-March) or has already stopped (October-November).

Anti-aging

Rough enough procedure. It is recommended to do it when the gardener wants to restore the fruiting of a valuable plum variety.

The essence of this operation:

all old branches are removed;
young are cut out (crossing, rubbing against each other, shading the crown, growing inside the crown);
the rest are shortened by 1/3 part.

The tree perceives the situation as critical, life-threatening. After such a procedure, the drain either dies or restores fruiting. But you should not expect a miracle: the tree will give an average yield of 1-2 years, and then fruiting will stop again.

Required tools and materials

Before carrying out the procedure, it is recommended to prepare everything you need. The gardener will need:

sharp pruning shears for cutting branches up to 0.7 cm in diameter;
saw a hacksaw with a fine pitch;
lopper for removing uncomfortable branches;
a sharp knife for cleaning slices;
garden ladder for processing tall trees;
disinfectant solution for disinfecting tools (alcohol, vodka, potassium permanganate);
basket for cut shoots;
gloves to protect hands from cuts;
garden pitch with a spatula or oil paint with a brush for covering sections with a diameter of 1 cm.

Before carrying out the operation, you should determine what type of trimming will be carried out and study the instructions.

Dates of the procedure

Gardeners are interested in what month is best to prune a plum tree. It depends on the type of pruning, the age of the tree and the climatic conditions. Forming is preferably carried out before the start of sap flow or after its end. The same applies to the anti-aging procedure.

Sanitary pruning is carried out at any time of the year, as needed. Don't wait until late fall to cut out damaged or shriveled branches. In summer, it is useful to carry out a small crown for plums. Thinning pruning will help rid the tree of fattening, useless shoots.

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It is important to remember: the older the plum, the sooner sap flow will begin, which means that pruning must be started earlier.

Spring pruning features

Botanists say that early spring is the ideal time for formative pruning and tree rejuvenation. Unnecessary shoots are cut out from the plum, and instead, fruit buds are laid. But the procedure must be completed before the final awakening of the tree, because any intervention of the plum is perceived as stress. The temperature during the operation should not fall below -5 degrees Celsius. It is not recommended to prune plums in rain or snow.

Autumn pruning

After fruiting, the tree prepares for a difficult period in its life - winter. It is recommended to cut out unripe shoots: they will freeze out during cold weather. Too long must be shortened.

At this time, you can carry out shaping and rejuvenating procedures. To do this, you should choose a calm day, since fungal spores and pathogenic bacteria are often carried by air currents. There should be no rain either: under a layer of garden varnish, fungus easily settles on wet wood. It then penetrates the wood and damages the tree.

In the fall, it is useful to do a thinning pruning of the plum tree. While not all the leaves have fallen yet, it is clear which shoots are thickening the crown.

Formation in summer

Other pome fruits are not pruned in summer. The exception is sanitary pruning. But the plum perfectly tolerates the intervention of the gardener. In late June or July, it is useful to carry out a light crown. At this time, fattening tops are removed, too long shoots are shortened by 1/3 of the length. Such operations increase the illumination of fruiting shoots and provide them with food. In the summer, dried branches that have not been noticed in spring are also cut out: they are clearly visible during this period.

Popular crown shapes

It is important for novice gardeners to determine what the crown of their plum will be. And only then begin to form it correctly. It is impossible to correct the mistakes made without reducing the yield.

Bowl

A plum cut in this way looks unusual. Advantage of the cupped crown: uniform illumination of ripening fruits in the center. How to get the bowl shape:

At a height of 50-60 cm, 3-4 strong shoots are selected. They should be at a 60 degree angle to the trunk. They are shortened by 1/3 of the length, and the rest are cut out.
The crown of the plant (central conductor) is completely excised.
In subsequent years, all shoots growing inside the crown are cut out. Skeletal branches are shortened.

Advantages of cropping: ease and speed of creation. Lack of a cup-shaped crown: with heavy snowfalls, snow adheres to the branches and is damaged.

Tiers

The formation of this type of crown occurs within 5 years. The optimal number of tiers is 3, the permissible tree height is 2.5 m. This shape allows you to easily carry out thinning and sanitary pruning, spray and harvest. Stages of creating a longline crown:

In the first year, the center conductor is cut at a height of 1.5 m from the soil surface. Side shoots are cut into a ring at a height of 0.6 m.
In the second year, 1 tier of branches is laid. To do this, choose 3-4 strong shoots growing at an angle of 60 degrees or more to the trunk. They are left, if necessary, shortened by 1/3 of the length, and the rest are cut into a ring. The center conductor is shortened over the strongest kidney.
In the third year, the second tier is formed. It is based on strong shoots, 20-30 cm apart from the branches of the 1st tier. The procedure consists in shortening 3-4 selected shoots and cutting the rest into a ring. The center conductor is cut again over the strong kidney. Do not forget about thinning and sanitary pruning.
In subsequent years, they form the third tier. If desired, the gardener can form a crown of 4-5 tiers.

This type of crown is traditional. Pruned plums are most commonly found in gardens.

Pyramidal

A beginner gardener can easily cope with the formation of a pyramidal crown. Work principles:

The center conductor is left uncut. It is shortened only if the plum does not grow well.
The branches forming the crown should fit the trunk. Fruit buds are formed on them. Shoots growing outward are cut out.
Too long shoots are shortened by 1/3 of the length.

Do not forget about carrying out sanitary and thinning scraps when forming a pyramidal crown.

Bush

This method of crown formation is used in case of irreversible damage to the trunk.Sometimes the gardener comes to the site in the spring and sees that the central conductor has been gnawed by mice or hares and cannot be restored.

In this case, you can try to save the variety. How to proceed:

Cut or trim the trunk below the damage. Cover the saw cut with garden pitch or oil paint.
Feed and water the remaining tree stump.
After a while, dormant buds will wake up and give shoots.
A new crown is formed from these shoots.
The strongest are left, the weak are cut out.
At the end of the season, the shoots are slightly shortened: this operation stimulates the growth of lateral shoots.

Further crown formation is reduced to leaving strong shoots, thinning shrubs and sanitary pruning.

Schemes and forms of the crown of young trees

Correct pruning of young cream in the first years of their life in the garden will ensure that fruiting begins on time. It is easy to care for such trees, including pruning later.

Pruning seedlings when planting in spring

The purpose of the initial pruning of the seedling is to facilitate its establishment in the garden. When planting young plums in spring, it is recommended:

cut all shoots to a height of 0.5 m from the soil surface;
shorten the center conductor at a height of 1.5 m.

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As a result, the root system of the young tree will be able to carry nutrients and moisture to the remaining shoots. Over the summer, the plant will create strong underground and ground parts.

How to shape in the first year

After a year of the life of the tree in the garden, a second pruning is necessary. For this, the center conductor is cut over the largest kidney. At the same time, too long shoots are shortened by 1/3, thickening and curved shoots are cut out. The purpose of the event: to make the crown comfortable for further work with the tree.

Pruning 2 year old plum

In the second and subsequent years, pruning is carried out according to the algorithm:

the central conductor is cut over the largest bud (while the length of the central conductor should not exceed 2.5 m);
the center conductor must be straight;
shorten branches that are too long;
cut out the shoots growing inward;
remove twigs rubbing against each other;
cut out fattening tops.

It is important to remember to prune the tree regularly.

Technology for pruning fruiting plums

Sometimes the summer resident acquires a plot with already existing plum trees. They are young enough and bear fruit. But pruning has not been done for a long time. What to do in such cases:

Look closely at the tree. It may be possible to establish what shape the crown was originally. In this case, it is enough to carry out sanitary and thinning pruning.
If the tree is badly damaged and neglected, then you can try to form the crown again. Let's say it is impossible to restore the tiered crown shape, but it turns out to create a cup-shaped one on the basis of the old one. In this case, pruning is carried out in several stages: it is important to bring the plant minimal stress.
If the tree in the garden has a well-formed crown and pruning was carried out regularly, then it is enough to make sanitary and thinning pruning.
To restore the fruiting of plums over 15 years old, rejuvenating pruning is recommended.

Plum is a tree with active shoot formation. Leaving the crown unattended means losing a significant part of the crop.

Rejuvenating old trees

If the tree is younger than 15 years old, but does not bear fruit, then rejuvenating pruning will not fix the situation. To increase yields, plums over 15 years old are rejuvenated. Do not perform the operation if the plant has damaged skeletal branches and a central conductor.

How to carry out the operation:

cut out the center conductor up to 2.5 m;
cut out the oldest skeletal branches;
remove weak competing shoots;
cut tops and fattening shoots;
shorten branches that are too long.

The crown of the tree should be shaped like a young (6-7 year old) plum.Usually, the plant responds to such an event with increased fruiting. To increase the effectiveness of the event, water and feed the plant after pruning.

Unusual methods

One of the most popular non-standard methods of pruning plums is during the winter. The ideal month for this is February. The air temperature often passes through 0, daylight hours have increased, and the awakening of the plant has not yet come. At such times, it is useful to carry out sanitary and thinning pruning. They are the least traumatic for the tree.

In this case, it is important to follow the rules: cut out excess shoots on the ring, clean out the burrs and process the cuts with garden varnish or oil paint.

How to form columnar varieties

Columnar plums are early-growing, short-growing plants. Even a novice gardener can easily handle crown pruning. When performing the procedure, it is recommended to adhere to the principles:

side branches should be shortened to 20 cm;
the central conductor is pruned in case of growth retardation (pruning is performed to redirect and create a new one);
cut out competing shoots (the strongest remains).

In short, the grower must maintain the characteristic pyramidal crown shape of the plum.

How to prune a yellow plum

The main difference between the yellow-fruited plum is the special color of the fruit. There are no other botanical differences. Therefore, gardeners can choose any method they like for pruning.

Is it necessary to cut the lower branches

When forming the first tier, all lower branches are cut into a ring at a distance of 50-60 cm from the ground. Branches that are damaged and growing parallel to the soil should also be removed.

How to remove tops

In the process of growth and development, tops are formed at the plum. They are generated by dormant kidneys.

Distinctive features of spinning tops:

grow from dormant stem buds, sometimes from skeletal branches;
grow vertically upward;
have large leaves;
look stronger than fruiting shoots;
never bear fruit (fruiting buds are not laid).

Tops can be used to form a crown in case of severe damage to the tree, threatening death. In all other cases, they must be cut out. The operation is carried out throughout the year, including in the summer. Young tops break out by hand, the grown ones are cut into a ring. In this case, it is important not to leave a stump: in the future, a hollow will form in this place.

Caring for a pruned tree

Proper pruning requires a set of tree care measures.

After the operation follows:

clean out burrs formed during trimming;
cuts more than 1 cm, grease with a thin layer of heated garden varnish or paint over with oil paint;
water and feed the tree with fertilizers suitable for the season;
mulch the trunk circle (for spring pruning).

When holding events in early spring, you should choose the time before the plant begins to awaken. Autumn work must be completed 2-3 weeks before the establishment of stable negative temperatures.