Good Fruit Grower

September 1

Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/560612

Contents of this Issue

Navigation

Page 21 of 39

22 SEPTEMBER 2015 GOOD FRUIT GROWER www.goodfruit.com branches should never be bent below horizontal because they will develop blind wood towards the trunk and produce suckers from the top of the bend, and the vigor and fruit will be at the ends of the branches. "If you want to keep the vigor in the top part of the trees, use a 45-degree angle," he recommended. To prevent blind wood, which is a common problem in Bartlett, he recommends what he calls short pruning, which involves cutting off one-year-old wood at the end of two- to three-year-old branches. This will remove the apical dominance of the shoot, forcing buds to break lower down the branch. Musacchi's objec- tive is to keep the fruiting zone close to the trunk, where buds will be big- ger and produce larger pears. Pears need more vigor to produce quality fruit, whereas apples can produce good fruit on weak wood. To overcome blind wood on the axis, Musacchi recommends cutting the top off to remove the apical dom- inance and encourage branching. Girdling or notching of the leader can also be done, using a clipper or small saw, to promote bud break below the wound. Girdling can be done at green tip and can be combined with four or five weekly applications of Promalin (gibberellic acid and 6-benzylade- nine) to keep the shoots active and growing. Any shoots that compete with the top of the leader or are 30 percent of its diameter should be removed to a stub because they can create shade in the tree. Musacchi recommends only one big cut per tree per year to avoid losing too much crop at a time. Dynamic pruning is very detailed but can be partially done using a lopper machine to reduce labor costs. However, unless the orchard is pre- pared for mechanical pruning, with the branches tied down and ready to be cut, it could be a waste of time, he warned. "Each different situation has to be managed in a different way." Mechanical pruning has a similar effect in shortening the branches, removing their apical dominance, and moving the fruiting zone closer to the trunk. However, because it is not selective and can't cut branches oriented vertically or facing down the row, follow up pruning is needed by hand. Musacchi said mechanical pruning only needs to be done every two to three years. • After the terminal bud of the branch is removed, buds begin to develop closer to the leader, where there is blind wood. PHOTOS BY GERALDINE WARNER/GOOD FRUIT GROWER Pear branches should never be bent below horizontal. A 45- to 60-degree angle keeps limbs productive. Stefano Musacchi points out a "tira savia" cut that removed the branch's apical dominance, resulting in buds that will produce fruiting spurs closer to the trunk. Making the cut

Articles in this issue

Links on this page

Archives of this issue

view archives of Good Fruit Grower - September 1