#tree pruning

[sirenteennagegirl]

[jillraggett]

Plant of the Day

Wednesday 20 November 2024

In this shady passage way these Ginkgo biloba (maidenhair tree) trees are being espalier trained to create a feature. Strong horizontal wires on wall really help with this process. The espaliers need to be pruned annually in late winter, tying in the leading shoots and shortening spurs (side shoots) to three or four buds.

Jill Raggett

[nordicsublime]

Pruning the willow view point

[welldigger62]

My new chainsaw-

I bought this to get at the hard-to-prune areas on the apple trees. Pretty small but it gets the job done. It is just turning warm here and I wanted to get trimming done before the sap starts running (no, not me 🤣)

These pine branches are next. These were dropped by the power company while they were restoring power after the crash out front last month. Brush pickup will start here in about three weeks.

Happy Spring 😃

[titania-saturnine]

It's time to prune

Basically that. It's time to prune the fruit trees and grape and kiwi vines my family planted, and as always I don't know much what I'm really doing. Aka which branches should be cut completely or just snipped at the tip, how to prune to maximize yield instead of growth, how to keep the plants conveniently small but not as much they get stunted or dry up, etc. etc.

The only things I picked up over time was to cut branches or twigs that grow towards an inconvenient direction, like towards the center or too high up, and to never prune walnut trees unless a branch is growing towards an inconvenient place, and even then just snip if possible because walnut trees are very vulnerable to fungal infections.

The rest of snipping is done guessing and keeping a mix of old and new branches/twigs. This seems to work well enough with the apple trees and the one pear tree, even the grapevine.

But the kiwi vines are trickier and I haven't yet grasped how to prune them. When I snip a third of an old branch it just dies. When I leave an old branch alone it either grows too much or doesn't yield or dies anyways. If I prune too much the plant will focus its energy on growing back again and it'll barely yield. If I don't prune the vines will grow up to 6-7 meters and climb on other trees, shading them completely, and killing them.

I still try to prune the kiwi vines to the best of my ability (my dad is the one that usually climbs a ladder, and I prune what I can from below.) I hope this year the weather will let us prune all the plants before it's too late, because spring is coming earlier and earlier every year.

[marejadilla]

Barbara Saint Michel (𝔅𝔞𝔯𝔟𝔞𝔯𝔞 𝔄𝔫𝔫𝔞), "Meconio"

[mechanicalang3l]

These pruning tools are so cute and and I like how they get stuck a little when fully closed and and and I just think theyre really neat

[bumblebeeappletree]

Pruning! It’s part of the key skill set for any gardener. While plants will grow without it, pruning is a valuable technique for encouraging new growth, shaping particular forms and sizes, increasing yields and preventing diseases.

TOOLS:

Before Jerry even begins, he takes an inventory of the tools he will use for the job. Different tools are used for different parts of the tree in different ways, namely

Secateurs: fine work on soft to semi-hard material. Great for thinning foliage or new shoots, but avoid trying to get through thicker wood

Loppers: Jerry describes these as halfway between secateurs and a saw. They’re a bit heavier and physically harder to use than the secateurs, but can make short work of thicker branches (by use of a ratchet mechanism) that seccies wouldn’t even scratch

Folding hand saw: “Small and narrow, it’s nimble and can fit into confined spaces like a congested tree crown” Will make a precise cut on hard wood

Extension tree pruner: a lopper on the end of a long pole, to be used in the same way as the lopper for branches out of reach

Extension tree saw: Similar to the folding saw, but on the end of a long pole. Used in the same way, but for limbs and branches out of reach from the pruner

Bow saw: Necessary for getting through the thickest branches, but Jerry notes the size and sawing motion “requires more clearance”.

JERRY’S 4 STEP PLAN TO TAKE BACK YOUR LIFE:

Looking at a tree that’s become a mess can be overwhelming. Where to begin? What stays and what goes? Fortunately, Jerry has a 4 step patented methodology that makes it easy. This approach not only works for mangoes, it can be applies to any fruit tree you need to prune.

1. Identify structural branches and work back from these. Structural branches are the largest branches that hold up the trees canopy. We want to keep these to preserve the architecture and overall shape and integrity of the tree, so it’s important to be aware of them before we launch into a frenzy

2. Remove any dead, diseased or dying wood. These are the first priority and should be pruned with impunity. Dead wood can be identified by scratching the bark with a fingernail; live material will be green underneath, dead will be grey. Look for signs of visible signs of decay like borer holes, snapped branches, fungus, scratched or split bark.

3. Crossing branches. Branches that cross over or near to each other can rub in the wind. This gradually shears off the protective bark, creating a window for infections to get inside the tree. Preventatively removing the branch prevents the friction.

4. Clearing out the interior of the tree in this way also has another benefit; boosting airflow through the tree. This helps to prevent diseases, as many fungus pathogens prefer damp, still and shaded leaves.

Work on the crown and canopy. Now that you’ve done the immediate first aid, it’s time to work on the overall crown of the tree. Jerry says it’s important to maintain fruit trees at “a safe picking height”, to prevent accidents when harvesting fruit or doing occasional pruning.

AFTER PRUNING CARE

Jerry warns to avoid any after-pruning wound treatments or preparations, as these only “seal disease into the plant and impair natural healing”.

Now that Jerry’s gone to all the trouble of pruning these trees, he wants to make sure they’re well prepared for the rebound. The grass underneath is vigorous, and would be competing for valuable water and nutrients. Jerry will brush-cut it to keep it down.

We can expect this tree to respond within the year, usually with a significant fruit set. Jerry might just check back in to pick up a box of mangoes or two.

Pruning a fruit tree needn’t be a daunting task. With the right tools and following some simple methodology, it can be a fun way to spend an afternoon. And the results will quite literally be the fruits of your labour.