The Importance of Pruning

The history of agricultural activities in the world dates back to ancient times, and it maintains its popularity because it is the basic need of human beings. Due to the increasing world population and the limited production areas, as the needs increase, scientists have sought ways to get more products per unit area.

Recent developments in the field of fruit growing are promising. However, in addition to accepting new production techniques, it is very important to accept and apply the cultural processes required by these techniques. Modern gardens, which have just started to be established in our country, are positive developments in terms of our fruit growing. Modern gardens provide great convenience in terms of the application of cultural processes, but these gardens require more care than classical gardens. At this point, pruning and training come at the beginning of the issues that need to be taken care of.

In both classical gardens and modern gardens, finishing processes applied in the first years and pruning during the life of the tree; It directly affects the yield, fruit quality and health of the tree. For this reason, it is very important to know the pruning process very well and to apply it effectively in terms of garden productivity.

• To start fruit trees as soon as possible and to keep them in the yield period for a long time, that is, to establish the physiological balance in fruit trees in a short time and to maintain it for a while.
• To ensure that fruit trees form a solid, regular and balanced crown by arranging the number and distribution of main branches on the trunk.
• To facilitate the maintenance of fruit trees, the harvesting of fruits, the fight against damage and the implementation of technical works.
• To cut dry, diseased, damaged by ecological and mechanical effects, broken branches and overlapping or weak angled branches.
• In order to increase the carbon assimilation in fruit trees, to allow better penetration of light into the inner parts of the trees and to increase the leaf surface.
• To prevent or reduce the periodicity seen in some fruit species and varieties, that is, to provide regular fruit yield every year by arranging some fruit trees to rest for a year with a high fruit yield for a year and less for a year.
• Improving the quality of fruits.

• By arranging the number and distribution of the main branches on the trunk, it is ensured that the fruit trees form a solid, regular and balanced crown.
• It helps fruit trees to yield as soon as possible.
• It is ensured that the tree makes good use of sunlight.
• Fruit size, fruit quality and fruit skin coloration increase with pruning.
• Tree size and branch density can be directly controlled.
• The effectiveness of spraying can be increased.
• Diseased and dry branches are taken to help fight.
• Necessary gaps are created for tools and equipment to work.
• Trees that have fallen out of yield are rejuvenated by pruning and they are transformed into productive trees again.
• In some fruit species, the situation of producing less or no product for more than one year is reduced.
• Harvesting is easier.

Pruning time affects the growth of the fruit tree, its response to cuttings, its yield and economic life. Pruning can be done in two different seasons, winter and summer (green). Pruning time affects the mass growth of the fruit tree, its response to cutting, its yield, and its physiological and economic life. Pruning is done in two separate and opposite seasons, winter and summer (green).

In places with warm winters, the period after the fruit trees enter winter rest is the most suitable time period in terms of pruning. However, it would not be right to prune before severe frosts in places with harsh winters. The most suitable period for pruning fruit trees is the period between the days following leaf fall and the beginning of the spring growth period.

All of the processes such as dilution of shoots, tipping, bending, bending, mutual connection of branches with each other and widening and narrowing of angles in fruit trees during the summer are called summer pruning. Rootstock in summer pruning is to provide better coloration of fruits, to regulate vegetative development, to reduce pruning in winter and to facilitate harvesting and cultural activities by improving them. Summer pruning is an important technical process that needs to be done especially during the forming years of fruit trees. In fruit trees, summer pruning can be done at the end of the spring development period and after the shoots start to become woody during the summer development period. Generally, branches that distort the shape on the trees, their growth is undesirable, but to the detriment of the auxiliary branches, can be removed by cutting or bent and twisted. Some branches can also be prevented from developing by widening their angles.

One of the most important issues to be considered before pruning trees is the cleanliness of the materials. If the tools we use while pruning are not disinfected, they can cause diseases to spread from tree to tree, from garden to garden. Disinfection of pruning tools can be achieved with very simple methods. Commercially available bleach in the market is the most practical solution used for this job. A very healthy disinfection can be achieved with the solution created by adding 5 parts of water to one part of the bleach. Scissors, saws, etc. we use in pruning with this mixture. It should be cleaned when moving from one garden to another or after pruning trees that we suspect are diseased. Thus, the transmission of diseases to other trees and regions will be prevented.

It should be accepted from the beginning that pruning is a branch of science and there are rules that must be followed absolutely. In this section, general pruning principles and justifications will be discussed. The transformation of the principles here into practice in general depends on the skill of the people who gain experience with pruning from year to year. Combining knowledge, experience and transfer to practice is the key to success. In this sense;

Pruning processes should be applied to the wood branches during the shaping phase, fruit branches should not be touched unless it is necessary. Thus, the fruit trees will be given a good shape and early fruiting will be ensured. On the contrary, it causes irregular formations and prolongation of the youth sterility period of the trees. The tree to be pruned should be examined collectively and each branch should be handled separately. The main branches forming the crown on the trunk should be at the same height and equal strength, and should be distributed at equal angles around the central axis.

In correct crown formation, five branches with the same growth forces and distributed at equal angles around the leader were selected, thus creating a very ideal fold. In the wrong crown formation, an ideal crown could not be formed as the side branches are too dense, they will shade each other and make cultural processes, especially spraying difficult.

The angles that the main branches make with the trunk should be 45-60 degrees. Since the resistance of narrow-angled branches is weak, they break quickly.

When we leave a branch upright, the vegetative development on that branch will be very strong and the fruit will lie late. Abundant and poor quality fruits are formed on the branches that develop parallel to the ground, and vegetative development remains weak. However, vegetative and generative activity is balanced in branches that develop at an angle of 45-60 degrees.

The steeper the growth, the less and late fruiting, the wider the growth, the earlier and more fruiting.

Attention should be paid to the formation of auxiliary branches. Auxiliary branches should be left as far away from the main branches as possible and in the same direction. In addition, there should be no competition between main branches and auxiliary branches in terms of vegetative development, and auxiliary branches should be chosen 15-25 cm below the growth point of the main branches in order to ensure their regular development in terms of shape. In addition, it is necessary to pay attention to the 45-degree angle between the main branches and auxiliary branches.

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Cutting the branches short encourages vegetative growth, while not cutting them at all or leaving them long encourages generative activities.

It should not be thought that one has shortened a branch by cutting it. It should not be forgotten that there will be shoot growth below the cutting point in direct proportion to the cutting intensity during the growth period.

Branches with the same strength that grow side by side from the same point should not be allowed to develop, wide-angle branches should be left and narrow-angled ones should be removed.

In particular, a bifurcation to rival the leader should not be allowed. After the appropriate one is chosen as the leader, the other should be removed from the bottom. One of the main branches emerging from the same point on the leader must also be removed. Preferably, the wide-angled branch is left, the narrow-angled branch should be removed.

In fruit trees, there are differences between species and varieties in terms of development, the number of branches and twigs they form, and the places where they form flower buds. For this reason, species and cultivars should be examined separately.

There are points to consider when making a cut.

Generally, pruners make cutting mistakes even if they determine the cutting points correctly. When making a top cut, a slanting cut is made over an outward-facing eye. It is important to make such a cut without harming the eye. If a thinning cut is to be made, it is necessary to cut just above the swelling where the nutrients are stored, where the branch to be removed meets the trunk. Thus, the wound formed at the cut point is closed more quickly.