The fruit woodcut cannot do without it. For skillful shape and maintenance pruning, the special pruning technique should also be part of the gardening repertoire. This guide will familiarize you with the correct procedure for the perfect lead cut.
What is the purpose of a lead cut?
Drainage pruning involves redirecting a tree's sap flow from an older, weaker branch to a younger, vital side branch to regulate growth and promote fruit production. This cutting technique is particularly suitable for fruit trees and for rejuvenating trees without strong new growth.
What is the aim of a derivation cut?
If you simply shorten the crown of a tree that has grown too large, you will have the exact opposite effect of reducing the size of the crown. Aintense sap buildupforms at numerous interfaces, which causesstrong new growth. By redirecting the sap flow from the main shoot, which is too long, to a younger, vital side branch, growth is stimulated to a much lesser extent. From then on, the tree uses the excess strength to increase the sprouting of all kinds of buds.
For the targeted regulation of the growth forces, resourceful tree pruning experts have developed the derivation pruning. As the illustration below shows, place the scissors (€14.00 on Amazon) or saw exactly where the older, senescent branch and its younger counterpart branch out.
When making a drainage cut, you redirect the flow of sap to a younger branch that is decorated with at least 2 buds.
This is how a fruit tree benefits from derivation pruning
In order to motivate a fruit tree to produce maximum fruit during the yield phase, the home gardener should be familiar with derivation pruning. So that the growth forces do not flow into worn-out, senescent shoots or shoots sparsely decorated with flower buds, direct the flow of sap into young fruit canes and vital fruit skewers.
The illustration below demonstrates how to make a professional cut using the example of a fruit shoot. Before cutting, the old, worn branch leans significantly towards the ground. Fruit is hardly to be expected here anymore. For the young fruit branch above, the forecast for a rich harvest looks better. By diverting the aged branchat the junctiononto the young wood, the fruit tree is rejuvenated at this point with one cut
A correctly carried out derivation cut is always accompanied by local rejuvenation to new fruit wood.
Tip
The derivation cut is the perfect pruning technique for slimming down the crown or shrub. To ensure that the growth height is maintained and continues as desired, do not cut back the shoot tip. Only sprawling branches are directed onto an upright, young side shoot. There is no significant sap buildup and new growth is minimal, so that the original character of the tree or shrub remains unchanged.
