When and how to prune the apricot tree

January 16, 2020 14 Comments

The apricot tree needs pruning every year so that we can enjoy a rich production of delicious apricots full of flavor. Apricot pruning is a key factor in apricot cultivation aimed at combining good tree growth and quality production. Apricot is characterized by vigor in its growth and should be pruned every year at the right time in winter, between December and February.

Apricot pruning is divided into shaping pruning and fruiting pruning. The shaping pruning in apricot trees concerns the shape we will give to the young trees, while the fruiting pruning is done every year in the big apricot trees and aims to renew the fruit-bearing wood and the formation of new fruit-bearing organs.

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1. How to prune young apricot trees?

The shaping pruning of young apricot seedlings should be done over as long a period as possible and with light operations, as this way the apricots start fruiting earlier.

In amateur gardens, the apricot tree is usually cup-shaped, with 3 main arms forming a 50-60 degree angle to the trunk. Each arm bears two well-formed branches, the first at a distance of 40-50 cm from the base and the second 60-80 cm, in the opposite direction from the first.

In professional cultivations, we find the shape of the double-sided palmetto, where it consists of the central shoot that is left unbranched and of lateral shoots that are formed towards the line of planting the trees, in a free arrangement in terms of height.

2. How do we prune apricots every year?

Apricot gives richer and denser flowering and fruiting on small shoots 3-5 cm long. These shoots are called lanceolate or «May bouquet», they have a productive life of 3-4 years and bear fruit on newly formed annual shoots.

Apricot fruiting pruning is aimed at maintaining the shape of the tree, renewing the fruiting wood and forming new fruiting organs. This is done by cutting off older branches and dry branches, as well as shortening branches that bend towards the ground to achieve upright growth.

At the same time, to ensure good production, a decisive factor is ensuring sufficient lighting and ventilation inside the tree canopy. Finally, it is important to keep the tree at a relatively low height in order to facilitate the harvesting of the fruits.

12 secrets to apricot cultivation

3. And a secret for apricot tree pruning

After pruning the apricot, we spray the entire apricot tree with a copper solution, while at the same time we apply pruning paste to the large sections of the branches, to protect them from fungal and bacterial diseases. We also disinfect pruning tools in a 2% bleach solution, when pruning from one tree to another, to avoid the transfer of disease contamination.