Pruning and Caring for Apple Trees
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Pruning and Caring for Apple Trees 4/5/2011 Loyd Collett, Easter Valley Ranch 1 4/5/2011 Loyd Collett, Easter Valley Ranch 2 4/5/2011 Loyd Collett, Easter Valley Ranch 3 4/5/2011 Loyd Collett, Easter Valley Ranch 4 Pruning Objectives To train a plant To maintain plant health To improve quality of flowers, fruit, foliage and stems To control growth 4/5/2011 Loyd Collett, Easter Valley Ranch 5 Two Interrelated Processes 1. Sunlight and carbohydrate physiology 2. Plant hormone physiology (plant growth regulators) 4/5/2011 Loyd Collett, Easter Valley Ranch 6 1. Fruit Trees Require Sunlight !!! Leaves require 30- 50% Fruit need >70% Fiesta Apple 4/5/2011 Loyd Collett, Easter Valley Ranch 7 Prevent Heavy Shading Site selection Tree spacing Proper limb positioning Pruning (dormant & Summer) 4/5/2011 Loyd Collett, Easter Valley Ranch 8 Trees Love Sunshine Eatable landscape 4/5/2011 Loyd Collett, Easter Valley Ranch 9 Apple Blossom State Flower: Arkansas & Michigan Sekai-Ichi 4/5/2011 Loyd Collett, Easter Valley Ranch 10 Bees Love Sunshine Mason Bee on plum 4/5/2011 Loyd Collett, Easter Valley Ranch 11 Everybody Loves The Sun Summer Bellflower 4/5/2011 Loyd Collett, Easter Valley Ranch 12 Prune For Fruit Quality Increase Light Better Pollination Reduce over cropping Disease & pest Control Frost peach 4/5/2011 Loyd Collett, Easter Valley Ranch 13 “What Makes An Apple Taste Good” (Soluble Solids – Sugars) Lower in fruit from over-cropped trees. Higher in well thinned crops. Higher in fruit taken from sunny parts of tree. Higher from trees with healthy foliage. 4/5/2011 Loyd Collett, Easter Valley Ranch 14 Apple Scab 4/5/2011 Loyd Collett, Easter Valley Ranch 15 Anthracnose Canker “bull’s-eye-rot” (when on fruit) [A fungus] 4/5/2011 Loyd Collett, Easter Valley Ranch 16 Anthracnose Limb Canker 4/5/2011 Loyd Collett, Easter Valley Ranch 17 2. Plant Growth Regulators (Hormones) Auxins Cytokinins Gibberellins Ethylene 4/5/2011 Loyd Collett, Easter Valley Ranch 18 Auxins (Produced in vertical growing tips) Strong apical dominance Moves under gravity to roots Stimulates vertical growth Restricts lateral shoots Controlled by pruning and limb bending 4/5/2011 Loyd Collett, Easter Valley Ranch 19 Cytokinins Produced in roots Important in cell division and growth Stimulates growth of laterals after Auxins have been reduced 4/5/2011 Loyd Collett, Easter Valley Ranch 20 Gibberellins Produced in seeds and expanding leaves Functional in fruit cell expansion & rate of growth Can inhibit flower buds and cause bi-annual fruiting 4/5/2011 Loyd Collett, Easter Valley Ranch 21 Ethylene Gaseous hormone Released after injury Accelerates healing (timing of heavy pruning) Used to ripen fruit 4/5/2011 Loyd Collett, Easter Valley Ranch 22 Five Elements of Early Training & Care 1. Select rootstock 2. Variety selection 3. Proper planting 4. Early pruning 5. Limb bending [training] 4/5/2011 Loyd Collett, Easter Valley Ranch 23 1. Rootstock (critical) Adaptability to soils Early fruiting Help control tree size Standard trees are most hardy and vigorous 4/5/2011 Loyd Collett, Easter Valley Ranch 24 2. Variety Selection Individual growth habit Differing fruit bearing pattern Ultimate tree size Chill Hours Required 4/5/2011 Loyd Collett, Easter Valley Ranch 25 How Big Will My Tree Grow ? 4/5/2011 Loyd Collett, Easter Valley Ranch 26 Chill Requirement # of hrs. between 32 - 45 degrees F 4/5/2011 Loyd Collett, Easter Valley Ranch 27 Chill Hours temps. < 45 degrees Apple 700-1800 E. Plum 800-900 Apricot 500-600 J. Plum 300-500 Cherry 700-800 Peach 600-800 E. Pear 600-800 Persimmon 200-400 A. Pear 400-500 Kiwi 600-800 Fig 100-200 Citrus 0 4/5/2011 Loyd Collett, Easter Valley Ranch 28 3. Planting Warm sunny site Adequate hole Tree position in hole Watering-in Support 4/5/2011 Loyd Collett, Easter Valley Ranch 29 Support Young Tree 4/5/2011 Loyd Collett, Easter Valley Ranch 30 Serpent Tree (Apple trees go walking) 4/5/2011 Loyd Collett, Easter Valley Ranch 31 Eye of the Dragon 4/5/2011 Loyd Collett, Easter Valley Ranch 32 Permanent Support Permanent Support 4/5/2011 Loyd Collett, Easter Valley Ranch 33 4. Early Pruning Light Pruning Remove damaged wood Remove undesirable wood Select strong scaffold limbs Good angles and spacing Head at 3-4 ft. to stimulate branching as needed 4/5/2011 Loyd Collett, Easter Valley Ranch 34 Notching: Remove a piece of bark to produce a limb where needed. Notching above a lateral bud in early spring prevents auxin from reaching the lateral bud, resulting in a limb. 4/5/2011 Loyd Collett, Easter Valley Ranch 35 Vase-like Form 4/5/2011 Loyd Collett, Easter Valley Ranch 36 Pyramid Form 4/5/2011 Loyd Collett, Easter Valley Ranch 37 Vase-like Form Spartan apple 4/5/2011 Loyd Collett, Easter Valley Ranch 38 Limb Pattern 4/5/2011 Loyd Collett, Easter Valley Ranch 39 Four Main Limbs With vertical separation 4/5/2011 Loyd Collett, Easter Valley Ranch 40 Tight Limb Cluster 4/5/2011 Loyd Collett, Easter Valley Ranch 41 Five Can Get Crowded 4/5/2011 Loyd Collett, Easter Valley Ranch 42 Three are Okay 4/5/2011 Loyd Collett, Easter Valley Ranch 43 Limb Angle 4/5/2011 Loyd Collett, Easter Valley Ranch 44 5. Limb Bending and Positioning 45-60 degree limb angles (3-5 well spaced) Apical dominance is reduced Limb elongation is reduced Lateral branching is increased Branches are stiffened Flower density is increased 4/5/2011 Loyd Collett, Easter Valley Ranch 45 Limb Bending 4/5/2011 Loyd Collett, Easter Valley Ranch 46 Tie-Down Bowline Knot 4/5/2011 Loyd Collett, Easter Valley Ranch 47 Limb Spreading 4/5/2011 Loyd Collett, Easter Valley Ranch 48 Branch Replacement 2-year old upright shoot tied down to 60 degrees for replacement branch 4/5/2011 Loyd Collett, Easter Valley Ranch 49 Limb Bending Sometimes a heavy fruit load can be used to lower growing tips 4/5/2011 Loyd Collett, Easter Valley Ranch 50 Good Angles & Spacing 4/5/2011 Loyd Collett, Easter Valley Ranch 51 Narrow Weak Angle 4/5/2011 Loyd Collett, Easter Valley Ranch 52 Advanced Decay 4/5/2011 Loyd Collett, Easter Valley Ranch 53 Weepy Branch 4/5/2011 Loyd Collett, Easter Valley Ranch 54 Types of Pruning Cuts Heading Thinning Not safe for pruning 4/5/2011 Loyd Collett, Easter Valley Ranch 55 Definition: Limb v. Branch Limb – entire appendage all the way back to the main trunk Branch – Intermediate appendages attached to a limb or to other branches. 4/5/2011 Loyd Collett, Easter Valley Ranch 56 1. Heading Cuts Control height or Size Most invigorating type of cut Reduce apical dominance Stimulates new shoots Stiffens the branches Useful to induce branching at specific points (especially in young trees) 4/5/2011 Loyd Collett, Easter Valley Ranch 57 Heading of Young Tree 4/5/2011 Loyd Collett, Easter Valley Ranch 58 Heading Older Tree 4/5/2011 Loyd Collett, Easter Valley Ranch 59 Tree Too Tall? PNW 400 4/5/2011 Loyd Collett, Easter Valley Ranch 60 2. Thinning Cuts Thin for light penetration, fruit quality and keep bearing wood young. A tree maintenance function Removes undesired wood Shorten limbs Control amount of growth Directs growth Reduce total amount of fruiting wood 4/5/2011 Loyd Collett, Easter Valley Ranch 61 Types of Thinning Cuts Removal of entire limb to main trunk Shorten limb or branch back to a lateral branch or vigorous bud Remove strong upright water sprouts or shoots 4/5/2011 Loyd Collett, Easter Valley Ranch 62 PNW 400 4/5/2011 Loyd Collett, Easter Valley Ranch 63 Pollination Apples are: Genetically diverse 4/5/2011 Loyd Collett, Easter Valley Ranch 64 Parts of a Flower 4/5/2011 Loyd Collett, Easter Valley Ranch 65 Apple Pollination Chart 4/5/2011 Loyd Collett, Easter Valley Ranch 66 Apple Truisms Fertilization is necessary to produce seeds. (individually) Fruit rarely develop without seeds. Most apples have 5-10 seeds. With < 3 seeds, an apple will usually drop. Misshapen or lopsided fruit indicate inadequate pollination. More seeds = larger the fruit. Rain, wind, cool weather can inhibit pollination. >55 degree weather okay -- with enough bees. Mason Bees will be active sooner than Honey Bees. Only 2-8 % of apple blossoms need pollination to set full load of fruit. 4/5/2011 Loyd Collett, Easter Valley Ranch 67 Apple Blossom King blossom 4/5/2011 Loyd Collett, Easter Valley Ranch 68 Pear Blossoms 4/5/2011 Loyd Collett, Easter Valley Ranch 69 Plum Flowers 4/5/2011 Loyd Collett, Easter Valley Ranch 70 Thinning Fruit Improve size and quality Early is better than later Ultimate fruit size is greater Promotes fruit bud development for next year Helps prevent bi-annual fruiting 4/5/2011 Loyd Collett, Easter Valley Ranch 71 Nutrient Sink Interactions Vegetative sinks Roots, steams, leaves Fruit are major sinks Balance vegetative growth and fruit load (pruning & thinning) 4/5/2011 Loyd Collett, Easter Valley Ranch 72 Fruit are Nutrient Sinks Liberty apple 4/5/2011 Loyd Collett, Easter Valley Ranch 73 When Should I Prune ? A L W A Y S 4/5/2011 Loyd Collett, Easter Valley Ranch 74 When Should I prune ? ANYTIME PRUNING Remove dead, damaged, diseased Crowded, weak, low vigor Interfering, wrong way, and bottom branches. Unwanted suckers. 4/5/2011 Loyd Collett, Easter Valley Ranch 75 When Should I Prune DORMANT PRUNING Best time for heavy pruning Clear view without leaves Just Before bud swell is best Quicker start for healing Less overall stress Greatest growth response Best for restoration of old trees 4/5/2011 Loyd Collett, Easter Valley Ranch 76 Old Tree Restored Yellow