time
The optimal period for cutting extends over the sap-poor resting phases of the woody plants. The flow of sap begins in the fruit trees in mid-January, when the winter was particularly mild. Apple and pear trees sprout later than plums and plums or cherries.
also read
- Put garlic - practical tips on timing and technique
- Grafting fruit trees - when is the right time?
- Cutting magnolia: autumn is a bad time
With such late-growing fruit bushes, you can remove the noble twigs by mid-February, while the other varieties should be cut by the end of January. The exact date also depends on the weather, because it should be frost-free.
The right cutting technique
Make sure that the buds are not yet swollen, because in this case the vines would not last long. Use bypass scissors as these will cut cleaner compared to anvil scissors. Remove annual new shoots from the well-exposed parts of the crown, which are unbranched and as thick as a pencil. They should be about 30 to 40 centimeters long and have healthy growth. Cut several twigs of each variety. Unsuitable are shoots of water or thin shoots and those with a curved tip.
Tips
Peaches and apricots are suitable as mother trees for travelers, which are pruned in the spring. With these trees, eye refinement makes more sense in the summer months.
That is why precious vines are important
If you have a particularly rare type of fruit in your garden that is showing intense signs of aging, cutting cuttings can be a useful method of conservation. These provide a perfect material for a base whose fruit quality is dubious.
storage
The cut shoots must be stored as cool, dark and frost-free as possible until they are grafted. Depending on the weather and the time of cutting, this turns out to be differently difficult, because the finishing dates are usually between March and April. The earlier you cut the wood, the longer you will have to store it.
Proper preparation:
- Combine edible veins into bundles
- tie together with a rope
- Note the variety on a plastic label with a permanent marker
Optimal conditions
It is important that the noble rice neither dries out nor is too wet. Wrap the shoots in slightly damp newspaper or stick them in damp sand. Moistened moss pads are ideal as a cover for the plant material that you put in a box.
A storage temperature of two degrees is ideal. If there is no risk of frost, you can also store the material in the garage or in the shed. Be careful not to get mice on the branches and damage the bark.
Tips
Do not place the cuttings in the fruit cellar, because apples give off ethylene. This ripening gas can damage the buds of the vines.
