a tutorial on how to prune them and make a success of your harvests in four steps

You are the proud owner of a family orchard of mirabelle plum trees but you do not know how to prune them to increase your harvests of golden fruits. With the help of Julien Marin, arborist in Lagney, everything is obvious. Follow the tutorial.

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Have you always dreamed of pruning your mirabelliers, but you don’t know which end to take them? Here is a tutorial with advice that goes well and the demonstration made by an arborist from Lorraine: Julien Marin, from the Vergers de Moncels estate in Lagney in Meurthe-et-Moselle.

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video length: 02:20
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Square module – Plum and mirabelle plum pruning tutorial (France Télévisions)

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– When should you prune your mirabelliers?

The size of plum trees is determined by the date of stopping sap, that is, from the moment when the tree has no leaves at all. During the sap period, it would not be good for him, it will hurt him, necrose him, it’s really bad. We will therefore prune it when there is no more sap. It is a period which goes from the beginning of November to the end of March: we have five months to do so. We have time. Avoid periods of frost. From -7 ° C, do not touch the tree, the wounds will freeze, it’s not good.

– How to proceed ?

1. We must first remove the greedy; these are the straight shoots of the year; this is what the tree has been able to emit in a year. It’s super powerful, super violent. There won’t be any good fruit growing on it. Plus, it’ll literally kill the rest of the tree structure. It is really imperative to remove them. We cut! Usually it will grow inside the tree.

Julien Marin holds a gourmand in his hands.
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© Philippe Drouot / FTV

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2. You must then prune the branches that come down. They are weakening. It is necessary to start again on points which start again towards the vertical. The weaker part of these branches is removed. (The one that falls).

Julien Marin shows a falling branch to be pruned.
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© Philippe Drouot / FTV

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3. Then you have to cut some shoots that make Y, I will simplify them. It’s called that. I transform them into I. It will allow the sap to be channeled: it means less mirabelle plums, but more beautiful, bigger. Better fed.

You have to cut the branches in Y and transform them into I.
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© Philippe Drouot / FTV

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4. Finally, pruning larger branches. It will stimulate the tree, regenerate it. It allows you to remove some diseased branches, to bring light inside the tree to improve the quality of the fruit, which really needs sunlight. When the tree is going to grow, it’s not good; the fruit will be in the shade and it is very bad.