We currently recommend various forms of crowns for apple and pear trees planted in production orchards, namely: almost natural, free and spindle line.
An almost natural crown is well known to us, because most of the trees in the existing intensive orchards have this form. It is suitable for strongly growing and semi-dwarf trees. It is very easy to form, not requiring large amounts of work. In the young orchard, up to the age of ten trees, it has many advantages. Nearly natural trees begin to bear fruit early after planting and initially bear high-quality fruit. In the older orchard, defects of the almost natural crown are revealed. Difficult access to the inside of the trees, limited possibilities of mechanization of works in the orchard, difficulties in obtaining well-colored fruit.
The cultivation of strongly growing and semi-dwarf apple trees and strongly growing pear trees in an almost natural form, requires spacing from 6 into 7 m between the rows and from 4 into 5 m in rows. The distances between the rows can be reduced to 4 m leading trees in the form of a free line. More work is required to form free lining crowns, but it makes it possible to obtain higher yields of fruit from the young orchard. Free sashes create good conditions for mechanization of works in the orchard. They make work more efficient and less strenuous.
We recommend the spindle shape for dwarf apple and pear trees, which require supports in the form of stakes or posts and wires stretched between them. The spindle shape ensures early fruiting of trees, high yields and very good fruit quality. The spindle-shaped rows of trees have similar advantages, like rows of trees in a lane form, that is, low thickness and easy access to the center of the crowns. Spindle crowns require spacing from 4,0 into 4,5 m between the rows and from 2 into 3 m in rows. In the case of stronger tree growth, these crowns can be flattened, giving them an oval or semi-paler cross-sectional shape.. Dwarf apple trees and pear trees can also be led in the form of a free row next to the wires, especially varieties growing strongly naturally or grafted on the M rootstock 26.