Cauldron crown (vase, cup).
Most often, peaches and apricots are used in a kettle form, less often apple trees. The cauldron consists of 5 branches growing from one place on the trunk. There is no guidebook. The branches, going from one point to the sides, form a kind of cauldron, cup or vase (Lynx.).
Lynx. Cauldron crown.
The sunlight on such a crown is perfect. However, it has a weak structure and requires supports to prevent it from tearing. In apple orchards, cauldron crowns are formed less and less frequently.
A cauldron crown is obtained by removing the guide on a 1-2-year-old tree and leaving five shoots. These shoots are shortened by 1/3 length. In the second year, these shoots are removed, which grow towards the center of the crown, a leaves the shoots growing outside. The shoots extending the branch axis are shortened again by 1/3. As in the second year, the same goes for the third and fourth years. Intensive pruning associated with the formation of the cauldron crown delays the fruiting of young apple trees and therefore this form is not used in intensive orchards. Apple tree crowns are still popular in apple orchards in Australia and New Zealand, and also in older orchards in Switzerland. In the latter country, the shaped apple trees are then cut according to Oestberg's original method. Every year, all the shoots growing upwards are cut out on the limbs and the horizontal shoots are thinned out, instead, all downward shoots are left. Trees cut according to this method have whole tails of fruit-bearing shoots hanging down from the branches (Lynx.).
Lynx. Apple tree cut by the Oestberg method with fruiting shoots hanging down.
In Australia and New Zealand, cauldron-shaped apple trees are cut during the fruiting period using the "short shoots" method.”. The kettle form is perfect for peaches and apricots grown in warm climates. These species tolerate intensive pruning well. The formed trees are cut during the fruiting period using the renewing method.
