|
Yeah, what Lee said. And if you don't have
his book, get it because it answers all of your pruning questions, or at least I
have found it to be one of the best!
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Friday, April 18, 2008 6:52
PM
Subject: Re: [NAFEX] Can I lightly prune
my apple trees now that theyare leafing out?
A few years ago, in researching information for my book, The
Pruning Book, I spoke with Dr. Dave Ferree of OSU about timing of pruning.
Quoting from my book...
As the growing season
progresses, response to pruning changes, because shoot growth of woody plants
generally grinds to a halt well before leaves fall in autumn. In fact, growth
commonly ceases by midsummer. So the later in the growing season that you
prune, the less inclined a woody plant is to regrow -- the year of pruning, at
least.
Traditional theory holds
that summer pruning is more dwarfing than dormant pruning, but recent research
puts this theory on shaky footing. True, if you shorten a stem while it is
dormant, in February, for example, buds that remain will begin to grow into
shoots by March and April, whereas if you cut back a shoot in midsummer, no
regrowth might occur. Ah, but what about next spring? That’s when the
summer-pruned shoot, according to this recent research, waits to respond.
Plants have an amazing capacity to act however they please no matter what we
do to them.
What are the practical
implications of all this? First of all, if you want to stimulate bud growth,
prune a stem when it is dormant. On the other hand, summer is the time to
remove a stem to let light in among the branches (to color up ripening apples
or peaches, for example), or to remove a stem that is vigorous and in the
wrong place. Upright watersprouts, for example, are less likely to regrow if
snapped off before they become woody at their bases. Under certain conditions,
summer pruning can be more dwarfing than dormant pruning, because
regrowth following summer pruning can be again pruned. Under certain
conditions, summer pruning also can prompt the formation of flower buds rather
than new shoots -- just what you want in order to solidly clothe the limbs of
a pear espalier with fruits or the branches of a wisteria vine with
flowers.
The response to summer
pruning depends on the condition of the plant as well as the weather. A weak
plant may be killed by summer pruning. A late summer wet spell, especially if
it follows weeks of dry weather, might awaken buds that without pruning would
have remained dormant until the following spring. And these responses interact
with plant response to various degrees of
pruning.
Lee Reich, PhD
Books by Lee Reich:
The Pruning
Book
Weedless
Gardening
Uncommon Fruits for Every
Garden
A Northeast Gardener's
Year
On Apr 18, 2008, at 12:03 PM, Karen Tillou wrote:
i would say yes to betsy and kelly - some light
touch up pruning, a twig here, a small branch there, will never go amiss
anytime, even sundays. after all my winter pruning is done, and i
start mowing in the spring, i am always touching up as i go by on the mower
- usually removing low growths and hangers that are trying to stab my eyes
out as i drive by - and as the fruit starts to weigh down branches into
awful configurations of droop and about-to-break.
as for your main pruning, kelly, i'd steer clear of bud break and bloom
and fruit set (spring) for a couple reasons: it is really easy to knock
around the fragile buds and fruitlets when pruning, and it's also a period
of strong root growth, which is adversely effected by above ground pruning
at the same time. ditto about the root growth for fall pruning, sept
through nov.
the best times are when the tree is dormant for pruning to invigorate
the tree, young trees, encouraging branching, etc. dormant (visually) means
no leaves, and tight buds that aren't starting to swell. (though i am
certainly guilty of pruning late winter as buds start to swell and break...
we probably all are.)
summer pruning is good for controlling the size of a vigorous tree, for
encouraging the formation of fruiting wood. it's harder though, with
all the leaves and fruit in the way, to see the structure of the tree and
know what you want to remove. summer timing is maybe june-july, a little
into august. it's certainly the best time to remove all those unwanted
new water shoots and suckers off the trunk and top if nothing else.
good luck, and enjoy it.
karen
oregon city, OR - zone 8a and
wet
On Apr 18, 2008, at 7:43 AM, kelly@theravenrocks.com wrote:
I have the same question, but
would broaden it to: Is there any time(s) when I should NOT prune apple
trees? I've been told by an elderly relative that Sundays is the only time
when apple trees should not be pruned. I'm in the North Carolina
mountains.
Kelly Coffey
-----Original Message-----
From: Hilborn.E@epamail.epa.gov
[mailto:Hilborn.E@epamail.epa.gov]
Sent:
Friday, April 18, 2008 10:12 AM
To: 'North American Fruit
Explorers'
Subject: [NAFEX] Can I lightly prune my apple trees
now that they are leafing out?
I dutifully performed my
dormant pruning however, some of the buds I identified as flower buds
were only large terminal leaf buds. Now that they are leafing
out/blooming I see where I made mistakes. I am training these dwarf
trees as oblique cordons, so I hate to leave longish laterals if they
are not producing fruit. Is it OK to prune these laterals back 6-8
inches or so now? Thanks! Betsy Hilborn 7a NC
_______________________________________________ nafex mailing list nafex@lists.ibiblio.org
Reproduction of list messages or archives is not allowed. This includes
distribution on other email lists or reproduction on web sites.
Permission to reproduce is NEVER granted, so don't claim you have
permission! **YOU MUST BE SUBSCRIBED TO POST!** Posts from email
addresses that are not subscribed are discarded. No exceptions. ---- To
subscribe or unsubscribe, go to the bottom of this page (also can be
used to change other email options): http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/nafex
File attachments are NOT stripped by this list. TAKE STEPS TO PROTECT
YOURSELF FROM COMPUTER VIRUSES! Please do not send binary files. Use
plain text ONLY in emails! NAFEX web site: http://www.nafex.org/
_______________________________________________
nafex
mailing list
nafex@lists.ibiblio.org
Reproduction
of list messages or archives is not allowed.
This includes distribution
on other email lists or reproduction on web sites.
Permission to
reproduce is NEVER granted, so don't claim you have
permission!
**YOU MUST BE SUBSCRIBED TO POST!**
Posts from email
addresses that are not subscribed are discarded.
No exceptions.
----
To subscribe or unsubscribe, go to the bottom of this
page (also can be used to change other email options):
http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/nafex
File
attachments are NOT stripped by this list.
TAKE STEPS TO PROTECT
YOURSELF FROM COMPUTER VIRUSES!
Please do not send binary files.
Use
plain text ONLY in emails!
NAFEX web site:
http://www.nafex.org/
_______________________________________________
nafex mailing list
Reproduction of list messages or archives is not
allowed.
This includes distribution on other email lists or
reproduction on web sites.
Permission to reproduce is NEVER granted, so don't
claim you have permission!
**YOU MUST BE SUBSCRIBED TO POST!**
Posts from email addresses that are not subscribed
are discarded.
No exceptions.
----
To subscribe or unsubscribe, go to the bottom of
this page (also can be used to change other email options):
File attachments are NOT stripped by this
list.
TAKE STEPS TO PROTECT YOURSELF FROM COMPUTER
VIRUSES!
Please do not send binary files.
Use plain text ONLY in emails!
|
