Depending on the method of carrying out and the age of our plantings, different but also easy to predict problems may appear in the cultivation . Trees that have previously been properly trimmed will grow differently than those that have not been cut.
Case 1: old trees, not rejuvenated and untrimmed
On older, uncut trees, almost exclusively short shoots dominate the crown. They are several centimeters long, strongly shortened and small twigs.They are very valuable for the tree, because it is on them that flowers and then fruit grow first. However, when there are too many of them, a lot of fruit grows, but they are small and not mature.
In this case, the solution will be to gently stimulate the tree to grow by cutting 2-3 larger branches. After such treatment, gaps will appear in the crown, which will be filled by the tree, releasing young shoots.This will cause a partial rejuvenation of the crown, because some of the old shoots will be replaced with young ones in a year's time.This kind of pruning can be made from mid-winter until the end of summer.
Case 2: trees heavily pruned in winter or early spring
In June, trees that were heavily trimmed at the end of winter or spring will behave slightly differently.Long, often meter-long shoots (wolves) may be a problem. They grow vertically and do not bear fruit.
If we leave the long shoots, they will thicken the crown and in the next year they will have to be cut again. To prevent this, we can perform a few treatments at the beginning of summer to regulate the crown of the tree. When the shoots are still young and there are too many of them, we tear them off the branches.
Thoughtful topping of trees
It is important not to remove all long shoots, but only the longest and strongest. Leave shoots that grow less well. Another way to regulate the crown is to bend the shoots.The third option is to systematically trim the emerging shoots.When the shoot starts to grow strongly, shorten it after the third leaf. This type of pruning transforms strong, unproductive long shoots into valuable short shoots by constantly shortening.
