In a previous post I talked about the need to spread tree fruit limbs (particularly apples and pears). I mentioned the reasons for limb spreading which included increased branching. I have taken some pictures that illustrate this point very well.
In the first picture you seed a limb that is growing very upright. In fact, it is growing so upright that it is beginning to compete with the main trunk of the tree. You will notice that the bottom two-thirds of the limb has little to no branching, which is due to the upright growth. A limb like this will produce very little fruit with almost all of it on the end of the limb.
This photo shows a limb that has been properly spread. Notice the branching up and down the length of the limb. The increased branching means increased fruiting wood and more fruit production.
The upright limb will be spread over the next couple of weeks and by mid summer we should see a big difference in the way it looks.
1 comment:
This is interesting. I keep my trees with an open center in South Ga because of the heat and humidity. During the training of a new tree I get a good crotch angle but sooner or later I the branch turns vertical.
Good to know I can retrain those branches.
Thanks for a good fruit blog.
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