Rootstock varieties in grafted fruit trees are to either reduce the trees size or because they impart other properties, such as handling particular soil types. The rootstock suckers are never the same variety as the graft, so they are not productive varieties, and are therefore inedible. Being very vigorous, the suckers will overgrow the original tree, often causing the main graft to die off. Suckers arising from the rootstock of grafted fruit trees must be removed, or they will sap a tree of its vitality. Trees are better able to seal off wounds and heal over when clean pruning cuts are made. When branches rub against each other, the bark gets stripped away at the point of contact, creating a wound that can serve as an entry point for pests and diseases, as can broken branches. The purpose of removing diseased branches is for the purposes of good plant hygiene, to prevent diseases spreading further and killing the tree, or infecting other trees. Unwanted growth must be removed first, before any pruning is done Remove suckers, water sprouts and most competing branches.Eliminate crossing branches by pruning out one of the branches.Remove any dead, diseased and broken branches.First Steps in Fruit Tree Pruningīefore any pruning cuts are made to a tree to make it smaller or change its shape, there are a few pruning steps which need to be carried out first: Pruning a fruit tree involves three distinct steps, each serving a different purpose.
For new trees less than three years old that need to be shaped, please see the article – Formative Pruning, Vase Form – How to Prune Young Fruit Trees in the First Three Years and Formative Pruning, Central Leader Form – How to Prune Young Fruit Trees in the First Three Years ( coming next week). NOTE: This article assumes that the tree to be pruned has an established form and structure, basically it has branches and shaped either a vase or central leader form. NOTE: Care must be taken when making pruning cuts to remove branches, for more information please see the article – Tree Pruning, How to Remove Tree Branches Correctly In the following sections, we’ll learn how to make pruning cut, and what to cut, to keep a tree to a manageable size and consistently fruiting. This article explains the technique of fruit tree maintenance pruning or detail pruning in it’s most simplified form. The art to fruit tree pruning is not something that can be taught in a short article or video, but basic pruning technique is quite easy to understand, and once grasped, almost anyone can maintain a fruit tree, and do so successfully, year after year. Fruit tree pruning is both an art and a science.
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