The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Growing => Fruit => Topic started by: MAK on March 25, 2014, 08:37:00 pm
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I planted an apricot 3 years ago and lost the lowest branch in a gale last summer. The tree was loaded with green fruit and the branch broke just above what looks like a graft site. Today the remainder of the tree above what I think is the graft site is a mass of white flowers.
Given that the graft site may be a weakness can anyone suggest a method for strengthening the tree above the graft? Or should I unload the tree if I have a lot of fruit set? Tricky.
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What form is it pruned in? Just wondering whether the weight is all directly above the graft or pulling to one side or another. I guess the most critical thing is to have a balanced tree. On all of my trees the first branch is well above the graft so I'm surprised you had a branch that low anyway - maybe fate has helped!
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I know nothing about apricots but if it were an apple or plum I'd say you're not pruning the new growth enough if the branches are getting too long and weak to bear the amount of fruit set. In which case given it's a stone fruit, wait til summer pruning and take half the length of the new growth on enough of the branches to give the overall tree a balanced shape and remove (pinch) out some of the excess fruit to let the rest grow safely and probably bigger as a result.
As I say, I'm no expert on the trees I do have and apricots are not in my repertoire at all, so look for more local expertise, but that'd be my concern. I have a plum tree that I let carry too much last year and a 3" branch cracked right up in the old wood which is really sad to see. It is still budding profusely all the way down from there, hundreds of fruit potentially on that section, but I will have to take it off in the summer and lose all those fruit, and it might still have got damp in by then. A real shame but I just pruned it too lightly trying to keep as much fruit as possible and not confident enough to really get in there.
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I try and create a radial array of new branches (3-4) and prune new growth hard to the third bud. Maybe this spurs lots of fruit on last years wood ( it is a mass of white flowers just now).
It is worth a note to others then to reduce load on the first branch above a graft and balance the load on the tree.
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So it's a free standing tree? How long is the trunk? 3-4 radial primaries and pruning the secondaries sounds good. I'm not sure the graft is relevant though - unless the graft is abnormally high (all of my grafted trees have the graft only a few inches above the ground so that's why I'm struggling with what yours looks like!).
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The trunk is about 4 feet and there were two main branches just after the graft. I have lost one when in leaf on a windy day. When I bought the tree I did not realise that the apricot had been grafted on but it came more visible with age.
What is left of the tree looks good in a mass of flower but ithe issue will be if it can hold up with a full load of fruit. Fingers crossed but I amy by at least one more next year.
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There's no rule to prevent you supporting heavy branches with posts, poles etc to help them through the fruit weight.
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good point Almost every Peach tree I see has branches supported, The apricot tree does not have such open and lateral brabch formation as the peach but I will offer up supports this year