Plum, like any other fruit tree, needs regular pruning. Its purpose is to properly form the crown of the tree and prevent its thickening, which will increase the yield.
Plum has a strong root system, due to which the seedlings are very quickly pulled up. Therefore, gardeners begin to form the crown, starting from the first year after planting. And in order to ensure proper care of the plum, learn about the peculiarities of its pruning.
Timing and types of pruning prunes in spring
Plum pruning is carried out annually, usually in early spring or late autumn. If you decide to prune the plums in your garden in the spring, try to do this before the leaves blossom. Otherwise, the tree, already included in the growing season, runs the risk of getting sick. However, at the same time it is required that during the cutting and after it the air temperature does not fall below + 5 °, there was no recurrent frost.
For trimming, it is advisable to use a sharpened knife (for thin branches) or a saw with small denticles (for thick ones). After the procedure, the site of cuts should be treated with a garden hive , and sick branches - burn.
The crown of the plum is formed during the first 5-7 years. To do this, the young tree is selected for selection of skeletal branches, and also cut off those that depart at an acute angle from the main trunk. As for the old plums, their crown is thinned to extend the life of the tree without changing its size and appearance.
The pruning of a column-shaped plum in the spring is very different. By and large, such a tree does not need a classical pruning, since the lateral branches do not use a column-shaped plum to fructify. Leave usually one upper shoot, which continues the central trunk of the tree, or the most developed of several shoots that have grown over the past year. Cropped branches can be used for inoculations. Do not cut the center conductor
When pruning, always remove dry, broken and diseased branches, as well as those that grow inside the crown. Young shoots growing at a rapid rate (more than 70 cm per year) are usually shortened by 1/3 of the length. When the growth of the tree is noticeably suspended, a rejuvenating pruning is performed: the branches that have grown over the last 3-4 years are cut. In 4 years you can spend the second rejuvenating pruning, removing 5-6-year-old shoots.
Starting in the spring to care for the garden, do not forget to prune the plums, and then the tree will give you a good harvest.