Instead of a preface

On a long trip or on a Sunday trip out of town, I always take with me ... a portable folding hacksaw. It helps when meeting with a dry tree or a withered branch to try a new one. wood material or replenish stocks already known. So I discovered hawthorn, wild maple species, sandy locust, mountain ash, tamarix. He worked out the technology of processing juniper, found the use of honeysuckle. I replenish the supply of apple wood, barberry, cherry plum, almonds ...
It is not easy to know which wood is suitable for a particular application. Not all tree species can be found in books and on the Internet, as many of them are not popular with woodworkers due to their rarity or local prevalence, due to thin trunks, tendency to crack, due to excessive hardness, color, texture, etc. .P. And often only because cabinetmakers simply do not have the opportunity and time to extract raw materials and they follow the beaten path - to the store or to the market.
If some material is not widely used, then this does not mean at all that it is bad. Perhaps with your experiments you will be able to discover “your” material, ideally suited specifically for your creativity.

I will share some observations that were formed in the process of experiments with natural and cultivated wood. I hope the above information will be useful to someone.

Walnut ( Juglans)

Perhaps everyone knows this wood. Dark, with a discreet but beautiful pattern, durable in operation and excellent in processing, walnut wood has de facto become the standard of "mahogany" - a synonym for the nobility and elitism of the product. In Uzbekistan, wild walnut ( Juglans fallax) grows in the mountains and foothills, but cultivated plantings are much more widespread walnut (J. regia, J. kamaonia, J. nigra).
Walnut wood is a popular woodworking material. We make carved caskets from it, decorative plates, bookends, pencil cases, cutting boards, cigarette cases, carved doors and shutters, columns of religious premises. If elm (elm) and plane tree (plane tree) are more often used for massive architectural products, then refined and refined products are mainly made of walnut.
Walnut wood is perfect for both massive products with large surfaces, and for small plastics, where the texture and color of wood can play the role of an expressive element.
Walnut varies quite a lot in color and density. The darkest and densest are the areas close to the core, the sapwood is lighter and more porous. The place of growth and age of the tree affects the color and density, and therefore parts of the trunk and fragments of different trees can differ significantly in texture, pattern, tone. In composite products, this allows you to beat the natural color of the wood to realize the artistic intent. It is believed that the wood of city trees is lighter and therefore less valuable. In my opinion, this is a consequence of comparing different types of walnut wood.
The walnut is well cut, not prone to splitting, relatively easy to grind and polish. Due to the fine-fiber structure, it perfectly holds the relief and therefore allows you to create small carving elements. However, walnut can be “tricky” when planed - a poorly visible and variable direction of the fibers, especially in the area of ​​\u200b\u200bknots, can cause scuffing of the wood surface.
In my works, I use walnut wood as a base for inlay, for making expressive contrasting elements when creating jewelry and small plastic items. Dark walnut wood blends beautifully with light accents such as mother-of-pearl and natural turquoise.

An intricately curved walnut trunk. Chatkal Range, Aksakata tract.

Untreated walnut wood.

Pendant . Dark and light walnut.

walnut.

based on arabesques - Islamic ornaments.

plane tree ( Platanus).

Chinar or plane tree - under this name this tree is better known to the inhabitants of Uzbekistan. Sycamore culture in Central Asia is over 2000 years old. It is believed that plane trees appeared here during the colonization by the Persians and Greeks. At present, age-old plane trees with trunks over a meter in diameter are quite common in the central districts of Tashkent and in many cities and towns of the republic. Thanks to the spreading crown, tall trunks and the absence of lower branches, this tree covers with a shadow large areas and therefore is widely used for planting greenery in Central Asian cities.

Giant plane trees near the city of Charvak. Place "3 plane trees".

Untreated sycamore wood. All the boards shown in the photo were obtained from one large bar. Sawing was carried out with a different angle of inclination of the saw blade.

As for the plane tree wood, it is very unusual (see photo). The characteristic pattern of plane tree cannot be confused with other wood. The core rays appearing on longitudinal cuts, form a characteristic pattern, called "snake skin" among cabinetmakers. This pattern is most clear on radial cuts.
For all its originality, it is not easy to use sycamore in miniatures - the wood is beautiful in itself and sets off other expressive features of the product (volume, shape, color), captivating with overflows that depend on the angle of cut. The use of plane tree in bulk products requires special care - different parts of one piece of wood will have a non-uniform pattern. According to the author, sycamore wood with a uniform texture on flat surfaces looks especially impressive.
When processing sycamore wood, one should take into account its noticeable tendency to splitting along the fibers. Plane tree is slightly inferior in strength and uniformity to walnut.

Jewelry Set . The upper parts of the overlays are made of sycamore, cut at different angles of inclination to the radial direction. The overflow effect was achieved by selecting the cutting angle.

Almond ( Amygdalus)

In early April, in the mountains closest to Tashkent at altitudes of 1000 m above sea level, you can find pink caps of flowering almonds, which stand out in spots against the background of dark green juniper.

Prickly almond blossoms. Chatkal ridge, vicinity of the village. Nevich.

This is a prickly almond A. spinosissima) is a thorny shrub widespread in the foothills. Its wood is of little use for handicrafts due to the too thin and twisted trunk. Much more interesting is the common almond ( A. communis). These are already quite tall trees with trunks more than 30 cm thick. In addition to ordinary almonds, Bukhara almonds are found on the slopes of the remnant mountains of the desert regions of Uzbekistan ( A. bucharica). This small tree has beautiful dark wood. Unfortunately, the trunks and branches of this almond encountered by the author are strongly twisted by harsh natural conditions, and therefore it is not easy to find sufficiently large fragments of wood suitable for processing.

Ripe common almond

Since ancient times, almonds have been used to obtain valuable nuts, and therefore, along with wild species, cultivated or wild almonds are found in gardens and mountain plantations.

Untreated wood of common almond cut

Untreated wood of Bukhara almond on a cut

Almond wood is very heavy, dense and hard, difficult to process with a cutting tool. The almond cut into planks reveals the bewitching beauty of wavy lines of different tonality - this is an “agate” pattern of annual rings that fall into the cut due to the curvature of the trunk. All the charm of almonds is manifested on relatively large surfaces. But in miniatures, the layered texture can play a cruel joke and overshadow the expressiveness of the product as a whole.
Among the disadvantages of wood, I note a strong tendency to crack during drying. Naturally occurring, dead, dry branches of almonds are usually covered with a network of cracks, often penetrating the trunk to the middle. But if you wish, you can find homogeneous fragments of wood with their pattern suggesting the shape of products.

The back side of the pendant () is made of common almond wood.

from Bukhara almonds.

Apple tree ( Malus)

In addition to tasty fruits, this most common fruit tree on the planet produces excellent wood. And although scientists in Uzbekistan count seven wild types of apple trees, cultivated apple trees are much more accessible and familiar.

Apple orchards near Kumyshkan

Apple plantations near Beldersay

Apple trees are found everywhere in Central Asia. Both in settlements and in the suburban area, and therefore its wood can be attributed to widespread and affordable.

Untreated apple wood and ready product ().

About 20 years ago, school rulers were made from apple wood. Students of those years should remember how good these rulers were for ... throwing paper balls. This fact speaks of the strength and flexibility of wood. With a thickness of 2-3 mm, wooden rulers served schoolchildren for several years, without breaking or deforming from active and not always targeted use.

from a single piece of an apple tree branch. The border on the end plates-legs and the handle are an apple tree of a darker color.

Apple wood has one significant drawback - it has a strong degree of compression when dried. And this means that, after sawing a chock, in a few hours you will get a cracked and unsuitable for further work stump. Therefore, when working with an apple tree, one must either choose well-dried areas and bypass cracks, or use saving methods of drying wood. After drying, you can not worry about the further safety of the tree. Apple products serve for decades without losing their visual appeal.
Apple wood is hard and uniform with a wide range of colors and textures. It is found as a very light yellowish-brown tone, as well as a dark red-brown color with beautiful stains and stripes. I met apple trees with a color of the sound part very similar in tone to walnut wood.
In terms of hardness, density and uniformity, wood is comparable to walnut, while having greater flexibility and strength with a small thickness of the material. Perfect for making combs, combs, hairpins, etc. where high strength and flexibility are required.

hawthorn ( Crataegus)

Starting from September, merchants with basins and cardboard boxes filled with small yellow-orange fruits of the Pontian hawthorn ( C.pontica). And if the fruits of the Pontic hawthorn are mainly used for food, then all types of hawthorns growing in our region can boast of suitable for processing wood.
Hawthorn is one of the most common tree species in mountain forests. In some places it forms continuous hawthorn groves.

Blooming hawthorn. In the background is Mount Big Chimgan. Chatkal Range, Aksakata tract.

Hawthorn wood is homogeneous, dense and finely fibrous. In terms of strength and hardness, it is comparable to walnut, from which it differs in the complete absence of noticeable pores even in the sapwood.
When dried, hawthorn wood practically does not crack and does not warp, and resistance to delamination and chipping allows you to cut out complex openwork details from it even from thin planks.
The wood of the hawthorn is of a uniform pinkish-yellow or yellowish-brown color without a pronounced texture. Usually thick trunks are darker in the heartwood and lighter towards the sapwood. Thinner branches are light and uniform. Sometimes inside the trunks there is a bizarre extravaganza of drawings, in the outlines of which one can guess ... mountain landscapes in which the tree has grown.

Untreated hawthorn wood on a cut. Fragments of one trunk.

Jewelry set made of natural hawthorn wood.

Ripe fruits of Dzhungarian hawthorn (C. songorica). Chatkal Range, Aksakata tract.

Apricot ( Armeniaca)

Most of the inhabitants of Central Asia know this tree under the Turkic name "apricot". I think this fruit tree needs no introduction - apricot trees are found in abundance in landscaping in almost all cities and towns. settlements Uzbekistan. Often there is a wild apricot in the foothills and mountains. In addition, in the basin of the Zerafshan River, in the foothills of the Fergana Basin and along the Kashkadarya, there is a wild Sogdian apricot ( A. sogdiana).
Many of us who grew up in the south, in childhood, despite the exhortations of our mother, ate green apricots almost immediately after flowering, finding it unusually tasty. By the way, the gastronomic addictions of the younger generation provide excellent material for crafts in the form of branches broken off under the weight of children's bodies.
Apricot wood is hard and dense, of a beautiful reddish-brown color with a bizarre sophisticated pattern.

cut apricot wood

from apricot.

Juicy and fragrant apricots are loved by both adults and children. These fruits are eaten fresh, cook fragrant jam and delicious compotes. Many people, having tasted the fruit, take a hammer and break the bones. In the middle of the thick peel is a delicious nucleolus that is eaten. But not everyone knows whether it is possible to eat apricot kernels, as well as what benefits and harms this product can bring. You can eat apricot kernels, as the composition contains many vitamins and trace elements that a person needs. Even doctors believe that when consumed in moderation, they have a beneficial effect on the body. The main thing here is not to neglect contraindications and to know a sense of proportion.

What substances are in the nucleoli

Apricot seeds have an unusual taste, their health benefits were discovered by Chinese healers many years ago. The healing composition of the kernels is used to treat certain joint diseases and skin diseases.. Quite often, apricot kernels are added to cosmetic products - creams, scrubs, masks, shampoos and hair balms.

The composition of the nucleoli contains such substances useful for humans:

• proteins, fats and carbohydrates;
• phosphorus, potassium, calcium and iron;
• special pigments natural origin, as well as essential oils;
• a complex of vitamins A, B, C and PP;
• a small amount of hydrocyanic acid.

The apricot kernel is quite nutritious, if you eat a handful of such seeds, then it is quite possible to satisfy your hunger. It is good to take such products with you on long trips or to work. Nucleoli contribute to the improvement of brain activity and well tone the entire body.

Dried apricot kernels taste a bit like almonds, so they can be used for confectionery.

The benefits of nucleoli for the body

Apricot kernel nuts are characterized by a unique composition, due to which they can be used to treat certain diseases. During the research, it was found that if you eat them regularly, then immunity increases and a person is less likely to get sick. With the consumption of a moderate amount of such nuts, positive changes occur in the body:

• The work of the heart muscle is activated, due to which the heart begins to work better.
• The development of cancer is prevented.
• The cells of the body are quickly regenerated - this contributes to the prolongation of youth.
• The work of the intestines is normalized, the problem of constipation disappears.
• The perilstatics of the intestinal walls is significantly improved, the normal microflora is restored.
• The immune system is strengthened.

The composition of the nucleoli contains tocopherol, which prevents premature aging.

Acids of natural origin also have a beneficial effect on the human body. They have a good effect on the cells of the epidermis, due to which the condition of the skin improves and, as a result, appearance person.

Apricot seeds can be recommended to everyone in compliance with the measure. Especially actively consume this product is in summer time when fruits ripen. They are eaten both raw and dried. To prepare an unusual delicacy, it is enough to hold the nucleoli in the oven for about 5 minutes. If necessary, apricot seeds can be added to confectionery or jam. Many housewives cook apricot jam with the addition of nucleoli, due to this, the final product comes out fragrant and very tasty.

What damage can bones do?

Apricot kernels can be consumed only in moderation, without much fanaticism. The composition of the product contains some substances that, if ingested in excess, cause poisoning.

When the apricot kernel enters the stomach, amygdalin begins to be released from it, which, when broken down, releases hydrocyanic acid. With excessive consumption of nucleoli, severe intoxication can occur. The maximum allowable dosage of apricot kernels for a person is 40 grams of the product per day. The main thing is that the seeds are not old, as in this case the risk of poisoning increases.

To minimize the risk of poisoning with apricot kernels, you should first dry them for several minutes in the oven.

Contraindications

Apricot seeds can be harmful to health in such cases:

• If a person has diabetes of any type.
• During pregnancy and lactation, in the event that the consumption of the product is immoderate.
• With diseases of the thyroid gland.
• At chronic diseases liver.
• With a tendency to allergic reactions.

During pregnancy and in lactation period the allowed volume of nucleoli is no more than 20 grams per day. Younger children can eat the same amount of nuts if they do not suffer from allergies.

When poisoning is possible

Intoxication is possible if a person has eaten more than 40 grams of apricot seeds per day. Signs of poisoning may appear after only a few minutes or several hours after excessive consumption of the product. The main symptoms of poisoning look like this:

• severe weakness and drowsiness;
• cutting pains in the stomach and vomiting;
• persistent headache giving to the back of the head;
• respiratory failure;
• fainting and convulsions.

If, after eating the bones, the above symptoms appear, it is necessary to drink the adsorbent in a therapeutic dosage, and then consult a doctor. In some cases, the condition of a person can be very serious, then an ambulance is urgently called.

Healing properties of nucleoli

The benefits and harms of apricot seeds have not yet been fully studied. Kernels can be found in some recipes traditional medicine. They are used in different types and for different needs:

1. Water tinctures and decoctions are often used to treat prolonged coughs or bronchial asthma. Besides, they are recommended for people who suffer from heart disease.
2. Apricot kernel oil helps restore vascular elasticity and reduces the risk of heart failure.
3. The oil helps to get rid of constipation, it contributes to the gentle removal of toxins and toxins from the body.
4. Apricot kernel oil is successfully used to treat gastritis and ulcers of the digestive organs.
5. Healing oil helps prevent hemorrhoids.

Such vegetable raw materials are actively used in cosmetology., and for the manufacture of scrubs, not only nucleoli from the stones are used, but also crushed shells.

Is it possible to eat apricot kernels

Apricots are specially dried apricots with pits.. Such a product is consumed independently, used for the preparation of confectionery and second courses.

Bones from apricots can also be broken with a hammer and fragrant nucleoli can be extracted, they are allowed to be eaten in the same amount as the kernels of fresh apricots.

Some housewives specifically buy not dried apricots, but dried apricots to complement the dish with delicious nuts.

Is it possible to gain weight from apricot kernels

If you constantly eat apricot kernels for food, you can gain weight. This is not surprising, because the energy value production is quite large. Only 100 grams of nuts contain 510 kcal, so it is recommended to eat them in a very limited amount for those people who are overweight or on a diet.

People who, on the contrary, suffer from a lack of mass, should eat such a product. It is good if it is in the diet constantly. Do not forget that in the composition of such nuts, in addition to nutrients, there are minerals and a complex of vitamins, so they must be consumed by people after prolonged illnesses, as well as with constant mental stress.

We can say that the question of whether it is possible to eat apricot kernels has been settled. They are not only possible, but also necessary to eat, but only in limited quantities. There are very few contraindications to their use, so they must be included in the diet of not only adults, but also young children. The grains that remained in stocks from last summer should not be eaten so as not to be poisoned.. But it is also impractical to throw them away, such a product will make an excellent cosmetic product, it is enough to grind them and add them to your favorite cream.

A fast-growing tree, apricot, from the moment of planting, is characterized by intensive growth with many generative buds. With rapid development, abundant summer shoots are formed already at a young age, and the plant itself acquires a weighty hat, crown.

Its skeleton has a wide branching, voluminous and elongated shoots, which are quite flexible. The young pyramidal crown changes over time, acquiring rounded or wide shapes. Therefore, without pruning and shaping the crown, the tree will squander its fruitful qualities.

What gives timely pruning of apricots

Disputes of agronomists about the need for formative are divided. After all, the apricot tree is a heat-loving plant. The main enemy for him are the return frosts, which occur when the tree has already come out of hibernation and flower buds have appeared.

They are the most exposed to the cold, which can result in crop failure year after year. But practice still indicates the need for complex work from the first years of life, taking into account the state of the plant.

Without the correct formation of the bush, the viability of the apricot decreases, which reduces the fruiting time, and there is a negative impact on the quantity and quality of the crop. Without such a procedure, annual growth will be observed, but the required number of side branches will not be able to form.

Note: pruning cannot be done in autumn period, because the wood may freeze. We optimally form the crown at the beginning of spring before the onset of sap flow in the trees.

When it's a year old

With a mass scale of apricot cultivation, a sparse-tiered crown formation is used. On the household plots it is more efficient to create a single untiered position of the branches in the image of a bowl.

You need to choose the best two branches that are well placed on the tree trunk. Then we cut them so that the main conductor is 25 cm higher than their tops. they are completely unsuitable for the formation of an apricot crown.

Cut the side branches in half length. The angle of departure of the main branches in the upper tier can be 60 °, the lower - 45 °.

Second phase

When the second year comes, we leave two branches on the stem above the first-year skeletal processes. We shorten them so that they are no longer than the shoots formed above. The conductor itself is also reduced. We make it 60 cm higher than the last cut skeletal branch.

Slightly branching varieties require more pruning:

• Superior;
• orange red;
• Pineapple.

In medium and highly branched trees, after the second year of plant life, the degree of formation is reduced:

• Ruby;
• Golden summer.

Apricot crown in the future

A timely formed tree does not need pruning work. The more we cut down the shoots, the more intensively the bush overgrows, on which the strength of the apricot will be spent.

And the yield of fruits will decrease to a minimum. Therefore, we subsequently carry out a thinning and health-improving treatment for an adult fruit-bearing plant.

Over time, the suspension of annual growth, we carry out a rejuvenating haircut. At the same time, preference is given to 3-4-year-old main shoots. Among the shoots they keep strong and properly located, which will then bear fruit, the rest are subject to sawing.

Note: in severe winters, all plants freeze through. Therefore, to save the apricot, we carry out rehabilitation pruning. Injured processes are cut down, and the formation is made from young branches.

Below, we suggest you watch a video on how to properly form crowns. apricot tree:

Apricot(Apricot tree, lat. Prunus armeniaca: "Armenian plum"; German Aprikose) is a small tree or shrub and belongs to the Rosaceae family. The homeland of the apricot is China, where its wild roots are still found. However, in Europe it became known from Armenia (hence the botanical name in Latin). Subsequently, the apricot came to Rome, which is mentioned in his writings by the ancient Roman scientist and writer Pliny the Elder.

Apricot ordinary(Armeniaca vulgaris) is a small tree or large shrub with a wide round crown. Very elegant are its reddish-brown or brown-olive, shiny, bare shoots, in places (but not entirely) covered with a grayish film, buds 2-3 nearby. Very decorative at the time of flowering, decorated with numerous large white or pale pink flowers, with dark red recurved sepals. Blossoms before blooming leaves for 7-9 days. It is no less decorative at the time of fruiting, decorated with velvety-pubescent, often with a blush, sweet, rounded fruits with a longitudinal groove up to 3 cm in diameter.

Apricot Manchurian(Armeniaca mandshurica) grows in groups or singly on dry steep southern slopes, in oak forests of Primorsky Krai, northern Korea and Northeast China. It is a deciduous tree 10-15 m high, with a trunk diameter of up to 45 cm, with a spreading openwork crown. The bark on the trunks is dark gray, deeply cracked, resembling the bark of velvet. Young shoots are green or reddish-brown, shiny.

Siberian apricot(Armeniaca sibirica) is found on dry slopes, among thickets of rhododendrons and Siberian apple trees, in Primorsky Krai, in the south of Eastern Siberia, Northern China, and Mongolia. It differs from the Manchurian apricot in smaller sizes (does not exceed 5 m in height), small, more rounded leaves, with a drawn sharp end.

Apricot mume(Armeniaca mume), or Japanese apricot. It is grown in China and Korea as an ornamental plant, as well as a seed rootstock for apricots. Differs in relatively weak growth, thin branches, large flowers, late dates leaf fall.

Apricot black(Armeniaca dasycarpa) is a spontaneous hybrid between the cherry plum (Prunus cerasifera) and the common apricot. Grows in Central Asia and the Caucasus. It has a dense crown and some resemblance to cherry plum.

Apricot wood:

Apricot is a hearty semi-ring vascular or, more rarely, clearly annular vascular breed. The heartwood is shiny, brown or dark brown, the sapwood is yellowish or brownish brown. Slightly sinuous annual layers are clearly visible in all sections.

Apricot sapwood is small. On a longitudinal section, the wood has a pale pink tint with numerous dark stripes and lines, giving a characteristic ornamental pattern. The texture is quite rich and beautiful. The number of annual layers in 1 cm for the common apricot (Armenia) averages 3.5. The uniform density of apricot wood is high. Apricot belongs to the species of high density. At standard humidity (12%), it averages 772 kg/m3.

Apricot should be classified as a medium-drying species. Like many breeds high density, it requires mild drying conditions, but the tendency to warping and cracking in lumber is rather weak. Apricot wood has high hardness and wear resistance.

It is well processed by a cutting tool, widely used for carved and turned products, moderately resistant to biological factors.
Application

Apricot ordinary and Manchurian are listed in the Red Book of Russia. Government Decree Russian Federation dated March 15, 2007, No. 162, all types of wild-growing apricots are classified as species whose logging is prohibited. The main source of this wood is sanitary and thinning, as well as works on the renewal of apricot cultivar plantations. Apricot wood owes its worldwide fame, above all, made from it musical instruments. Thanks to the virtuoso art of Jivan Gasparyan, the duduk, an ancient Armenian wind instrument, is extremely popular in the world today.

In the North Caucasus, apricot wood has found application in another folk craft - the manufacture of various decorative and applied products using a special technique - a notch, which is the application of a special inlay made of silver, cupronickel or more accessible metals to pre-treated wood: copper, brass, steel and aluminium. Range art products Dagestan masters includes items of a utilitarian and decorative nature. They make caskets of various sizes and shapes; smoking accessories (pipes, mouthpieces, cigarette cases, boxes for tobacco and cigarettes); household items (canes, sets, ladles, glasses); wall panels. Per last years the assortment was enriched with pendants, brooches, and some other types of products. In Central Asia and China, apricot wood is used for the manufacture of joinery and carpentry tools, as well as in construction (piles of small hydraulic structures). Apricot is very good in turning products.

Finally, the simplest use of wood is to use it as fuel. Cooking a variety of oriental dishes on coals necessarily requires the presence of apricot wood, which gives the dish a special flavor.

Apricot has long been one of the most popular fruit trees in many Asian countries. The blossoming apricot symbolized the tender first love, and the wood - the strength of the spirit, the faithful and long love of mature people.

Apricot is a tree that retains all its ovaries, and in order for it to be beautiful and bring a stable harvest, the gardener should carry out annual pruning.

There are a lot of mistakes that can be made in doing this kind of work. it is very important to know the correct algorithm of actions and approach this procedure as seriously as possible.

Considering individual characteristics apricot, it can be said that the apricot needs pruning for the following reasons:

1. To keep the apricot crown neat and beautiful, you need to form it yourself, otherwise the branches will grow strongly.
2. If the apricot is not cut, then Initially, it will bear fruit strongly, while the crown becomes very thick and powerful. But after a certain amount of time, the inner branches grow bald and age very quickly, begin to break and fall off.
3. Fruiting buds are laid in smaller quantities, and the remaining fruits become smaller.
4. Also, if you do not regulate the amount of the future harvest in the first years of the tree's life, the branches will begin to break under the weight of the fruit.
5. The growth of new shoots stops.

You should not rejoice at too abundant fruiting, because it can destroy the tree.

With regular pruning apricot crown acquires correct form, and throughout years it will be possible to receive a large, juicy and annual harvest. Also, the life of the tree becomes much longer.

What season can you prune - spring, summer or autumn?

Apricot needs complex pruning, which is why this the procedure is carried out in spring, autumn and summer.

From the first year of life in early spring the tree needs to form a crown correctly. This work helps to normalize the number of fruits and significantly improves their quality.

Sanitary pruning is carried out in autumn, which will help prepare the apricot for the winter and improve it. During this procedure, all diseased, dry and damaged branches are removed.

In summer, the tree is rejuvenated, thereby increasing the number of young growths. This procedure is carried out 1 time in 3 years.

In order to get a plentiful harvest of delicious apricots every year, you need to take care of the tree and follow all the rules.

How to properly perform the procedure

In order not to harm the apricot, but, on the contrary, to help, pruning must be carried out according to special rules. They will help to avoid mistakes and to carry out the work as efficiently as possible.

The choice of the moment for the formation of the crown and to rejuvenate the old tree

All work should be carried out during a period of low tree activity, until active sap flow has begun, with the exception of summer anti-aging pruning.

Formative and sanitary pruning is carried out in early spring (at the end of March) or in late autumn (October - November).

Tool preparation

To carry out work, you may need:

• secateurs;
• hacksaw;
• delimber;
• garden knife.

Before use all instruments must be disinfected in a special liquid. This procedure will help to avoid the spread of diseases and pests.

Also, so that the tree does not suffer, all blades must be well sharpened.

Scheme and technology

The scheme will change depending on the year of the tree's life.

For the formation of the correct crown, it is very important not to delay the pruning, they begin to carry out this work from the first year of the tree's life.

First year

If there are no branches on the purchased seedling, it shorten and leave 80-90 centimeters from the ground.

If there are already shoots on the young tree, the work is carried out as follows:

• the main conductor is cut in such a way that it is 20-30 centimeters higher than other branches;
• even the most powerful branches located along the row reduce exactly 2 times;
• the remaining processes are completely removed, while the presence of stumps is also not allowed, so pruning is carried out “on the ring”.

In the first year, the apricot seedling is cut "on a ring", leaving 80-90 centimeters from the ground

Second year

During this period, work on the formation of the crown continues and the main goal will be the laying of new main branches.

To do this, perform the following steps:

• pick up a few more strong branches so that they are at a distance of 30 centimeters, both from last year's shoots and from each other. Then they are trimmed using the subordination method. The subordination method in horticulture expresses that the upper branches should be shorter than the lower ones;
• the length of the main conductor should be 40 centimeters from the last branch growing sideways;
• those shoots that were formed last year are also pruned a little;
• shoots grown on skeletal branches during the season are shortened, taking into account the individual characteristics of the variety. Thus, in rapidly growing varieties, they are reduced by half, and in moderately growing varieties by 1/3.

Third year

In this period lay the last skeletal branches, while the work is carried out according to the following algorithm:

• the main work on the formation of the crown is carried out in the same way as in the second year of the life of an apricot;
• the only difference will be that this time the conductor is not shortened, but removed completely;
• in addition, you need to take care of the overgrowing branches, whose presence is mandatory on a healthy tree. For their formation, it is necessary to slightly reduce the branches that grow from the trunk, but are not skeletal.

Fourth year

Since that time, the crown of the tree is considered to be formed. In addition, it is at the age of four that many varieties begin to bear fruit.

From this period, for 3 years, pruning will be carried out only as a sanitary and recreational work.

Apricot shaping pruning:

old apricot

In adulthood apricot needs rejuvenation every 3-4 years, because it is by this time that the old branches lose their ability to set fruit and need to be updated.

To rejuvenate old apricot, you need to shorten several branches of the skeleton to a length of 20-30 centimeters.

If fruits are formed only on the distant parts of the tree, then in spring period you can completely expose all skeletal branches. By summer, many young, fruit-bearing shoots will appear on them.

Features in different seasons

Pruning may differ from each other depending on the time of its implementation. In each period, there are several features that you definitely need to pay attention to.

Spring

In spring, usually choose the end of March-beginning of April when the air is already relatively warm, and sap flow has not yet begun.

During this period, the following types of work are carried out:

• crown formation;
• sanitary and maintenance pruning.

The very first such work in the life of a tree must be carried out in the spring.

When pruning an adult tree, it should be borne in mind that the main goal will be the complete removal of all damaged branches that have broken in the wind, frozen, etc.

Otherwise, the apricot will spend a lot of energy on restoring diseased shoots, which is not in the best way affect the quality and quantity of the crop.

Spring pruning and spraying apricot:

Summer

In the people, such works are usually called "chasing". Usually they are held in late spring-early summer, the main thing is to meet before June 10-15.

aim summer pruning there will be a rejuvenation of the tree, which in turn will increase the amount of harvested. The algorithm of actions for this procedure is as follows:

• young shoots that have formed this year are shortened so that their length is 20-30 centimeters;
• after 2-3 weeks, young shoots should appear, 3-4 of the most powerful shoots are selected from it, and the rest are removed.

By the onset of autumn, all the foliage on the tree should already be restored, and the places of cuts should be delayed. Additional fruit buds will form on secondary shoots.

Summer pruning is carried out once every 3-4 years in order to stimulate the tree to grow and bear abundant fruit.

In that case, if for any reason the tree does not have enough moisture, these works should be postponed.

Otherwise, the apricot will weaken and take a long time to recover, while the entire positive effect of the procedure will turn into a negative one.

Summer pruning of apricot, in August:

Autumn

During autumn pruning it is necessary to clear the tree of diseased shoots and restore the balance between fruit-bearing and deciduous branches.

All fruit branches, except for skeletal ones, are cut to 1/3 of the length. It is also necessary to completely remove dry, damaged or diseased branches.

The best time for such work is considered mid-October., at the same time, if the weather is rainy or early frosts have come, it is better not to cut the pruning procedure.

Good post-care

After pruning, the apricot especially needs high-quality and complete care. In order for the tree to recover as soon as possible, it is necessary to carry out the following work:

1. Cut points need to be lubricated. thin layer garden pitch.
2. With a large wound, it is treated with a solution blue vitriol for further disinfection.
3. In order for the tree to have more strength to recover, in trunk circle make nitrogen, phosphorus and organic fertilizers.

Pruning an apricot only at first seems to be a very difficult task.. After a certain amount of time has passed, all actions will begin to become a habit and their implementation will not require any special effort.