Cutting fruit trees and shrubs is inextricably linked with the rational care of fruit plants. It has several purposes. After planting, trees and shrubs are trimmed, to facilitate their adoption. When transplanting plants from the nursery to the orchard 4/5 the root system is cut off. Trimming the shoots restores the balance between the root system and the above-ground part; limits excessive transpiration, it facilitates the acceptance of plants and their growth.
In the first years after planting the plants, a shaping cut is made, which aims to give the plants the right shape. In the past, the crowns of fruit trees were formed solely by pruning. When it turned out, that the pruning delayed fruiting, crowns were formed by bending the shoots. Currently, in intensive orchards, the basic shaping procedure is bending the shoots. Cutting is therefore a complementary procedure to bending. Some forms of trees, such as, for example, liner or spindle, can only be obtained by 'bending back the shoots and poor pruning. In commercial courts, where early entry of trees into fruiting period is very important, such forms are not derived, which require intensive pruning. Shaping cutting is now more widely used in home gardens and allotments, with artificial crown formation.
After trees and shrubs enter the fruiting period, annual pruning becomes a necessity. The purpose of pruning at this time is to regulate growth and fruiting. By cutting, we keep the crowns of trees and shrubs in the appropriate size and density. In orchards composed of vigorous trees, pruning is necessary to limit the height and span of the crowns. Trees that are too tall cannot be sprayed effectively, because the liquid from the sprayer does not reach the top. Also, harvesting fruit from tall trees is cumbersome and inefficient. The crown span must be kept within these limits, that tractors and accompanying machines can pass freely between the rows of trees.
Cutting thinning and rejuvenating the crown is aimed at obtaining fruitful fruits, fully grown and colored. As trees and shrubs age, it counteracts the tendency to bear too much fruit, unfortunately very small. By reducing the number of flowers and fruit buds, we allow the remaining fruit to grow to the size characteristic of a given variety. Pruning also promotes regular fruiting, because it prevents alternating fruiting.