What is the Difference Between Tipping and Topping Trees?
Reducing the height is an important step when pruning fruit trees. Shorter trees are easier to prune, maintain, and harvest from. How do you reduce the height of your tree without topping it? Well, lets discuss what it means to top a tree.
Topping is not usually done at a fork and some trees will grow adventitious branches so the tree can collect the energy it needs to grow around the pruning cut. Most trees will start to rot from the interior before the wound is fully closed.
Tipping trees can be beneficial if done right. If you stand back away from your tree, you will see that some vertical branches are taller than others. If you follow the tallest branches back to a fork and make your pruning cuts there, you will both reduce the height of your tree and thin the branches to allow more light through the canopy.
Tipping back one year old branches by removing the terminal bud is a great way to shorten leggy branches and stimulate more lateral growth in your fruit trees.
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Tipping is a great way to improve the health and productivity of your fruit trees, but make sure you are not removing large branches and leaving large stubs behind.
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I have a huge, straight up pear tree that is unworkable as far as fruit goes. I'm going to top it at four fee and put a shower cap over the top. There are no forks at the height I need the tree you can be baffled if you want.
ReplyDeleteIt probably won't kill you tree, but it will compromise the health of your tree. Also, there are better ways of reducing height.
DeleteCan you mention how to maintain your pruning equipment, disinfecting, sharpening, getting the best cuts from your pruners. Do you have any recommendations for brands?
ReplyDeleteI use 70% alcohol spray between trees, or if there is an obviously diseased branch, just make sure it dries thoroughly before using on your next cut. A pair (two) pruners helps.
DeleteI like the Corona brand, seems a good balance between price and quality.
I like to use an alcohol based aerosol spray beause it is so clean and easy. I just wish I could find a variety without all of the scent.
DeleteDo you like the telescoping pruners? I would love to use my ladder less often.
ReplyDeleteI use mine heavily in pruning season. Most customers let their fruit trees get way too big before calling us for pruning. The reach really helps keep us safely on the ground.
DeleteQuality counts, especially for the attachable saw blade (which we don't actually use that often)
I do think pole pruners are safer than ladders, but using a pole pruner for several hours will give a huge kink in the neck.
DeleteExcellent article.
ReplyDeleteIt might be a good idea to help those who have a limited vocabulary or an I.Q. of less than 250 by editing one spot. Immediately after the word 'adventitious' you could have a very short botanical definition of this word in parenthesis. Not many people stop to look up long words that appear once in their lifetime of reading.
Thanks Scott for the recommendation. I will update that now, and I agree that it is important to keep it simple because a lot of readers are just getting started.
Delete