Content
- Summer cut on the fruit tree provides a lot of fruit wood
- Why is a summer cut useful?
- How to do a summer cut
- Attention: Only herbaceous, still young shoots can be transformed into fruit wood
- This remains to be done in a subsequent winter cut yet
- Tips
The summer cut contributes to the formation of fruit wood
Summer cut on the fruit tree provides a lot of fruit wood
In general, it is advised to prune fruit trees in late winter. However, it can be useful - especially in young trees and those that already develop little fruit due to aging - to use pruning shears even in summer. Such pruning promotes the development of fruit wood and thus also the development.
Why is a summer cut useful?
In addition to the fruit wood, numerous wood shoots develop along the one-year branch extensions, ie the shoots created last year. They must also be converted into short fruit wood, so that the desired, loose crown shape arises. Especially young fruit trees in the education phase benefit from such a cut.
How to do a summer cut
To do this, unscrew the young, still green wood shoots as soon as they have become about 20 centimeters long. To do this, pinch the shoot tips back to about three to four well-developed leaves, not removing them directly on the leaf. Instead, put the knife or scissors a little above it. The tree responds with renewed strong wooden instincts to this first pruning. From the first one to three eyes of the decayed shoots, new ones develop. However, you should always leave only one, otherwise the fruit wood would be too dense. The excess shoots are thus cut away, the remaining cut to two leaves. In addition, you should reduce more wood shoots, which arise during the early summer of multi-year fruit wood.
Attention: Only herbaceous, still young shoots can be transformed into fruit wood
When shedding you should only select herbaceous, less woody shoots with a maximum length of 20 to 25 centimeters. Only these can be converted into fruit wood.
This remains to be done in a subsequent winter cut yet
A successful summer cut does not leave much to do in the coming winter. Leave the short fruit wood untouched. If, however, wood shoots have developed from the fruit wood, then these are removed in the vegetation break in each case down to the lowest and this in turn is shortened except for two eyes. If the fruit wood is too dense on older fruit trees, it is scissored with the scissors. Cut so that the remaining fruitwood gets enough light.
Tips
Also, if you want to keep your fruit tree rather small, should preferably cut in the summer. While a winter cut stimulates growth, trees cut in summer grow much slower in size and perimeter.