Step-by-step instructions for cutting an apple tree in the summer for beginners

In case of aging or illness of a favorite productive apple tree, it is possible to rejuvenate it and even get several identical specimens. Typically, propagation of a fruit crop is carried out using one of the available methods - cuttings. For a novice gardener, this process is easy if you follow the instructions. The procedure is usually carried out in the fall or spring, but what if it is needed in the summer? We will tell you in this article how to cut an apple tree in the summer.

Is it possible to propagate an apple tree by cuttings in the summer?

In order for fruits to ripen on a personal plot every year, the trees need to be renewed. Experienced gardeners often rejuvenate the garden or increase its area vegetatively using green cuttings.

This method can be considered a kind of cloning. It makes it possible to obtain healthy and genetically pure planting material and does not require funds to purchase new seedlings.

Although the survival rate of cuttings, according to various sources, ranges from 30 to 60%, it is possible to harvest them in large quantities. The result is the required number of seedlings.

Advantages and disadvantages

Gardeners include the following benefits of the procedure:

1. Possibility of propagating fruit crops at home.
2. Preservation of varietal characteristics of the mother tree: taste, fruit size, resistance to diseases, climatic conditions, keeping quality.
3. Propagation of any variety of apple trees, including columnar ones.
4. Cuttings of own-rooted and grafted apple trees are suitable.
5. Increasing the amount of harvest without additional cash costs.
6. Possibility of propagation of an apple tree at any age.
7. Cuttings are well preserved and easily transported to any distance, unlike ready-made seedlings.
8. Advantages over grafted trees: the taste of the fruit is sweeter, the yield is greater, and fruiting lasts for a long time.

The only drawback of propagation by green cuttings is the long rooting period (2 years) and troublesome care.

Optimal timing for summer cuttings

The best time to carry out the procedure is June and July, when the shoots have not yet completely become lignified (they are more likely to produce roots). These months have the longest daylight hours. In addition, the cuttings will have enough time to take root (2-3 months) and grow stronger. Subsequently, they will survive the winter painlessly.

At a later date, when the growing phase of the plant comes to an end, almost a third of the shoots for harvesting lose their ability to take root safely.

Favorable days

Knowing the favorable days of the lunar calendar, it is much easier to plan an event that will make it possible to obtain a decent harvest of juicy and tasty apples. Days by month:

• June – 1-4, 22-30;
• July – 1-4, 21-31.

Suitable apple varieties

The correct choice of variety for propagation is one of the main criteria for obtaining a good apple harvest.

Altai ruddy

An apple tree of late summer ripening, obtained thanks to the work of breeders of the Altai Territory. Externally, a beautiful tree with a medium-sized trunk and a compact spherical crown. The branches of the apple tree are large, powerful, directed vertically upward.Rings grow evenly on them, on which the crop is formed and ripens.

The fruits are small - from 55 to 100 g. The color of the apples is light red with cream inclusions. The pulp is light yellow in color, tastes juicy, sweet and sour with a pleasant light aroma. If the temperature is maintained correctly, the fruits can be stored for a long time (up to 60 days). The variety is endowed with good winter hardiness.

Zhigulevskoe

The apple tree is a late-autumn variety. It became famous as a large-fruited crop. A tree of regular shape with large flowers, leaves and fruits up to 200 g, sometimes up to 300 g.

The skin of apples is smooth and durable, unevenly colored: golden yellow with a reddish striped blush. The shelf life of the fruit is 2-3 months, the yield is high - up to 250 kg per season from one tree.

Pepin saffron

The variety, familiar to almost all gardeners in Russia, was bred by the great breeder I.V. Michurin. Thanks to its ideal taste and adaptive abilities, it has become a leader in demand in private gardening. The tree is medium-sized - up to 3 m.

The apples are regular round-conical or oblong-ovoid in shape, very tasty and attractive in appearance. When ripe, they acquire an even crimson hue. The fruits are well stored fresh and when transported over long distances. The weight of apples ranges from 90 to 130 g.

Productivity is regular and very high: at a young age - 50-70 kg, maximum - 305 kg.

Selection and preparation of cuttings

The propagation procedure begins with inspecting the apple tree for diseases and damage. If the tree is healthy, choose high-quality strong shoots from which cuttings are cut. When separating them, use a very sharp knife or pruning shears.

Green cuttings

The event is carried out in June - July in the morning, until the moisture has evaporated from the plants. In the lower tier of an apple tree no older than 10 years old, young annual shoots are selected, the lower part of which has already begun to become woody. In this case, all leaves, except the top one, should be open.

Cuttings 20-30 cm long are cut so that the lower cut at an angle of 45° is above the bud, and the upper (straight cut) is 10 mm above it. At least 3 leaves must be left on each cut piece. One is removed, the other 2 are cut in half. Future seedlings are kept in a growth stimulant solution for 18 hours.

Lignified cuttings

At the end of December, healthy annual or biennial shoots are selected from the middle tier of the tree on the southern or eastern side and broken in several places at intervals of 15-20 cm, without damaging the bark.

The fracture sites are fixed by applying a bandage made of plaster, tape or other suitable material. Growth substances will be sent to the injured areas to heal the fractures. In early spring, cuttings are cut at the break points at an angle and placed for rooting.

Air layering

The technology is based on the characteristics of cambium tissue, which is located between wood and bark. It is able to form roots on damaged areas of the shoot. In early spring They retreat about 20 cm from the top of the shoot and tear off all the leaves, remove the ring of bark to treat with a stimulating solution.

Wet moss is wrapped around the exposed area of ​​wood and secured with electrical tape. When sap begins to flow, the growth is removed from the air layering. As roots appear in the bare area, the shoot is cut off from the mother branch and planted in open ground.

Reference. To stimulate root formation, products such as Zircon or Kornevin are used.

Ways to root them

How to propagate an apple tree after stimulating the root system:

1. Green cuttings are planted in a box filled 20 cm with nutrient soil, for example, black soil, and 5 cm above - calcined sand (for the purpose of disinfection). The substrate is moistened and the cuttings are planted to a depth of no more than 2 cm, maintaining a distance between them of about 5 cm. A greenhouse is built above the box and placed in partial shade.
2. Lignified cuttings are rooted in opaque containers (for example, dark plastic bottles with the neck cut off). A porous sponge is placed at the bottom, a 5 cm layer of soft water (melt or rain) is poured, 2 tablets of activated carbon are added and left on the windowsill until roots appear. Then they are sent to partial shade. By the beginning of autumn, ready-made apple tree seedlings are obtained from woody shoots.

Easier and more interesting methods of growing apple seedlings are known, for example, in a potato tuber. With this unusual method, the cuttings receive all the necessary nutrients that stimulate growth.

Take a large tuber without eyes and stick a cutting with one or two buds into it. The tuber is buried in the ground, watered and covered with a jar or plastic bottle. Periodically, the greenhouse is ventilated and the soil is moistened. As practice shows, with this method the cuttings quickly take root.

Planting ready-made cuttings

When the roots reach 5-8 cm, the cuttings begin to prepare for planting outside. Holes are dug in an open area and filled with earth and sawdust. Sprinkle a 10 cm layer of dry sand on top, which will prevent weed germination and improve soil aeration.Any covering material or plastic containers are placed on top.

The trench method is often used (planting seedlings in trenches prepared in advance and filled with fertilizers), because the more numerous the planting, the greater the chance of getting a full-fledged apple tree. After planting in the ground, the seedlings are fed with chicken manure or nitrogen fertilizer, generously watered, loosen and cover the soil with a layer of mulch, which saves moisture.

Features of cuttings depending on the type of apple tree

The apple tree is classified as a hard-to-root crop. Wild species and rootstocks, when propagated, produce a decent number of seedlings, but domestic varieties take root and take root less well.

Among all varieties, the columnar apple tree stands out. She has earned great recognition from gardeners. The apple tree has a compact crown, making it ideal for small gardens. The process of growing an apple tree from cuttings is the same as for other types of crops. The difference lies in the need for rooting only in summer. In autumn and winter, planting cuttings does not end with a positive result.

Depending on the region

In the northern regions, cuttings are carried out in the first half of July. This way the seedling will have time to form a powerful root system and gain strength before the onset of cold weather.

In the middle zone and southern latitudes of Russia, cuttings are carried out in June or July.

Further care

Caring for seedlings after landings is as follows:

1. If the length of the branches is more than 35-40 cm, and the seedling itself is powerful and strong, pruning carried out in the first year of life. If the seedling is weak, it is performed next season.
2. Cut the central trunk into 4 buds, leaving the side branches.
3. In the first months, monitor the soil moisture level.In hot and dry weather, seedlings are watered once a week.
4. It is especially important to monitor the possible occurrence of diseases at the very beginning and treat the tree in a timely manner.
5. At the beginning of autumn, 2 buckets of humus are poured into the tree trunk circle. This will allow the plant to strengthen and survive the winter safely.

Advice from experienced gardeners

Basic tips for growing apple trees from experienced gardeners:

1. For better rooting, constantly monitor the moisture content of the workpieces.
2. Use only clean and treated garden tools.
3. June is considered the most suitable time for harvesting planting material.
4. Feeding apply carefully, observing the required dosage. If it is exceeded, the plant may die.
5. To obtain high-quality planting material, the cut is made early in the morning.
6. When rooting, cuttings often lose leaves. This is not scary, because just one sheet is enough.

Conclusion

Cutting an apple tree in summer may seem like a complicated and ineffective process, but it is not. This technique requires mastering several operations, after which it becomes simple even for novice gardeners. The main thing is to properly prepare the planting material and provide proper care.