Numbers show the sequence of cuts, which occurred during two years. Many books about fruit-growing assert advantages and disadvantages of pruning or not pruning, although without randomized controlled trials, it is hard to separate theorizing and traditional knowledge from evidence-based recommendations.Īn apple tree sprout is being converted to a branched, fruit-bearing spur by an arborist. Some sustainable agriculture or permaculture personalities, such as Sepp Holzer and Masanobu Fukuoka, advocate and practice no-pruning methods, which runs counter to the widespread confidence in the idea that pruning produces superior results compared with not pruning. It is widely stated that careful attention to pruning and training young trees improves their later productivity and longevity, and that good pruning and training can also prevent later injury from weak crotches or forks (where a tree trunk splits into two or more branches) that break from the weight of fruit, snow, or ice on the branches. Pruning can control growth, remove dead or diseased wood, and stimulate the formation of flowers and fruit buds. It may also mean removal of young shoots, buds, and leaves.Įstablished orchard practice of both organic and nonorganic types typically includes pruning. Pruning often means cutting branches back, sometimes removing smaller limbs entirely. It spans a number of horticultural techniques. A community apple orchard originally planted for productive use during the 1920s, in Westcliff on Sea ( Essex, England), illustrating long neglected trees that have recently been pruned to renew their health and cropping potentialįruit tree pruning is the cutting and removing of selected parts of a fruit tree.
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