I have been doing some summer pruning. Whilst studying up on the subject I came across this article that pretty much says summer pruning has no value except in very limited circumstances and the practice has no research backing it up.
https://extension.psu.edu/frui.....g-cautions
Based on this article I have decided to defer further pruning until the winter.
Zone 6a in the moraines of eastern Connecticut.
But there always had been proper research everywhere that summer pruning on young trees with yet a small root spread delays the maturity of the roots. So roots are barely talked about in the article but need to for the reason of making this following simple point.
It's well proven that summer pruning aids in the reduced size of the tree by reduction of the speed of root formation. Think of bonsai that are not grafted to any dwarfing rootstock. They consistently prune all year long so that the even more effort into the pruning of roots is reduced.
It's the upwards flow of hormones based on root size that determines tree size, and equally, the upper growth -the quicker the maturity of terminal growth is maintained there also more of a sustained command to the roots to spurt growth. A proper pruning class from the standpoint of bonsai and hormone flow is missing in your point of view?
I'm not so sure bonsai are good examples because they are extreme cases and bonsai dwarfing efforts are not limited to pruning. Besides selecting particular cultivars that lend themselves to bonsai they typically do not use more than a cup of actual soil and are often plopped on a rock (no offense intended to bonsai enthusiasts).
I do take your point that pruning limits root growth. If my trees were standards it might be worthwhile to summer prune but most of them are already on rootstocks so weak that the worry is they will fall over and die. As a matter of fact during storm Isaias last week my Nadia (on Citation) did actually blow over. Fortunately the trunk and main root were intact so I was able to right it and tie it back up. The flexibility of Citation roots is pretty interesting and, based on my experience with managing suckers, the same can be said for Newroot1.
Zone 6a in the moraines of eastern Connecticut.
I wonder what happens though that whenever late season lush top growth is permitted and during which the root growth is put in check, can the soil microbes and mycelium eventually make up the difference such as in "suppressive soils"?
I doubt that the cup full of soil in a bonsai container would be enough to permit an established kind of soil so in such an enclosed environment the check in root growth would be solely responsible. That and the amount of nutrients such as phosphorus that encourage roots.
Which gets you into nutrients, of which nitrogen is a promoter of lush top growth, as well as per part of your article the summer pruning does. So there are really two ways of checking root growth by considering nitrogen applications this time of year which will promote that lush top growth needed to try and put the roots in check. I do however understand that you will need to stake your trees.
Having said that about later nitrogen applications then you can still avoid a summer pruning by going with dormant pruning, although the soils are warm in the fall and the draw of mature top growth, although cooler, the roots remain warmer. Which means earlier you prune in the fall the better.
I think that part of the deal has to do with what you're growing and what the weather is like at certain parts of the year.
I prune cherries, plums, quince, and divide cactus in the summer, because it's dry and will limit the entrance of disease into the plant.
I imagine your cold, snowy winters would limit disease spreading. We don't really get snow in the WIllamette Valley. We have wet rainy springs, so I try not to prune much then, but I will move plants in rainy weather.
JOhn S
PDX OR
Yes John. If it were only possible here to move trees in a way to limit irrigation. Which really counts to slow the tree down after it's large enough to bear fruit. But point well taken. I'm obviously in deep thought thanks to Crankyankee so I found an interesting view and another suggested tool to use which makes the transition during the lush growing period look easier yet!
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