[NAFEX] Pruning timing question
Little Buddies Shanties
litlbudy at whidbey.net
Sun Feb 6 21:05:49 EST 2005
While reading a book on grapes I ran across the following info on the timing of pruning grapes and wondered if it applied to fruit trees as well.
a.. Delay pruning until buds look plump, but before bud break. This helps delay bud break. Late winter pruning brings the vines into an earlier bud break.
b.. Leaving soil under vines bare to allow frost to penetrate the root system and delay bud break.
This was from the "From Vines to Wines: by Jeff Cox and is mainly geared to the Northeast US. I plan on picking up Lon Rombough's book "The Grape Grower".
I am trying to delay the bud break on my apricots and peaches. I have used seaweed spray and putting a hay mulch as buds swell to lighted the soil color to delay flowering, and it appears to work. Though I am scared to test this practice, since last year both trees were loaded with fruit. I did read an article from Robert Purvis in the winter 2001 Pomona and he suggested pruning just after the first frost or a summer pruning in August for apricots.
We have had a warm winter here in Washington and my apricot flowers show too much color and look like they could open any day.
Does anyone have experience with these practices ?
Thanks much,
Felicia Camano Island, WA 98282
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