Effective summer pruning, favouring lighting and vigour control, is essential in the physiological processes that ensure production potential for the following season.
One of the most important tasks for the garden during the summer is pruning, since this period is the ideal time to promote light or for the plants to “harvest” the light. During the post-harvest, this light must enter the canopy of the plant so that its physiological processes, mainly flower differentiation, function correctly.
Floral induction is considered to begin approximately 70 days after full bloom, and floral differentiation occurs around 110 – 140 DDPF, coinciding with the months of December, January and part of February. It is essential that the plant “harvests” light, as this is the most important factor in both of the aforementioned processes. The capture and recovery of light is essential for nutrition, in terms of bud formation and mineral nutrition.
Carlos Tapia, Founder and Technical Director of Avium, referred to the relevance of summer pruning, highlighting the objectives it pursues: “Summer pruning allows "provide more light to the plant canopy and control vigor. It is essential to establish this pruning as a general management in orchards in production, in which once the fruit is harvested, a significant pruning procedure should be carried out, especially in those orchards with greater vigor."
Regarding the timeframes for carrying out this important management at the orchard level, Tapia points out that it should be carried out as soon as possible after the harvest, but he also makes an important warning.
“It is recognized that very early summer pruning, mainly concentrated at the end of December, first half of January, generates a reaction on the vegetation, since a lot of thick material can sprout again during the season and said sprouts are undesirable because they do not manage to lignify before winter.”
The question then is: When is it advisable to carry out summer pruning?
“The safest period for removing material is from the second half of January to the end of the second half of February at the latest, as this will allow the plants to take advantage of the light to correctly carry out the processes specific to the time of the season,” said the specialist advisor on cherry production, clarified Carlos Tapia.
Summer pruning also has an effect on plant vigor control; if it is necessary to reduce the height of the plants or remove material, it is very important to carry out this work in summer, since the power reaction in vegetative terms is much lower than if it is carried out in winter.
“If we talk about dates, summer pruning should start from December 20-25, considering that it can sprout again, and it should end, for a powerful effect on vigor control, before March 15. This should be a practice year after year, especially in orchards with excess vigor or in those that need to reduce height.”, the specialist concluded.
According to the specialist advisor on cherry production, Carlos Tapia, producers are in time to begin summer pruning, a task that will allow the plant to receive more light and this will be a contribution to the fertility processes, and will also be beneficial for vigor control.
Summer pruning: Why is it such an important task?
Effective summer pruning, favouring lighting and vigour control, is essential in the physiological processes that ensure production potential for the following season.
One of the most important tasks for the garden during the summer is pruning, since this period is the ideal time to promote light or for the plants to “harvest” the light. During the post-harvest, this light must enter the canopy of the plant so that its physiological processes, mainly flower differentiation, function correctly.
Floral induction is considered to begin approximately 70 days after full bloom, and floral differentiation occurs around 110 – 140 DDPF, coinciding with the months of December, January and part of February. It is essential that the plant “harvests” light, as this is the most important factor in both of the aforementioned processes. The capture and recovery of light is essential for nutrition, in terms of bud formation and mineral nutrition.
Carlos Tapia, Founder and Technical Director of Avium, referred to the relevance of summer pruning, highlighting the objectives it pursues: “Summer pruning allows "provide more light to the plant canopy and control vigor. It is essential to establish this pruning as a general management in orchards in production, in which once the fruit is harvested, a significant pruning procedure should be carried out, especially in those orchards with greater vigor."
Regarding the timeframes for carrying out this important management at the orchard level, Tapia points out that it should be carried out as soon as possible after the harvest, but he also makes an important warning.
“It is recognized that very early summer pruning, mainly concentrated at the end of December, first half of January, generates a reaction on the vegetation, since a lot of thick material can sprout again during the season and said sprouts are undesirable because they do not manage to lignify before winter.”
The question then is: When is it advisable to carry out summer pruning?
“The safest period for removing material is from the second half of January to the end of the second half of February at the latest, as this will allow the plants to take advantage of the light to correctly carry out the processes specific to the time of the season,” said the specialist advisor on cherry production, clarified Carlos Tapia.
Summer pruning also has an effect on plant vigor control; if it is necessary to reduce the height of the plants or remove material, it is very important to carry out this work in summer, since the power reaction in vegetative terms is much lower than if it is carried out in winter.
“If we talk about dates, summer pruning should start from December 20-25, considering that it can sprout again, and it should end, for a powerful effect on vigor control, before March 15. This should be a practice year after year, especially in orchards with excess vigor or in those that need to reduce height.”, the specialist concluded.
According to the specialist advisor on cherry production, Carlos Tapia, producers are in time to begin summer pruning, a task that will allow the plant to receive more light and this will be a contribution to the fertility processes, and will also be beneficial for vigor control.
