Key Points of Waxberry Tree Pruning Techniques: Should You Fertilize After Pruning?

AbstractWaxberry trees need branch thinning, heading back, branch bending, and girdling to promote flower bud formation and increase fruit set rate and yield. After pruning, waxberry trees do not need fertilization. The first fertilization of waxberry trees is in February-March before bud break, mainly applying potassium fertilizer and nitrogen fertilizer, with about 50g of Liheng water-soluble fertilizer added per tree.

I. Pruning Techniques for Waxberry Trees

1. Branch thinning: Generally, branches or branch groups are cut from the base of the branch. For auxiliary branches that are too dense, the strong ones can be removed and the weak ones retained; remove the upright branches on the back of the main branches and secondary main branches, the excessively vigorous strong branches at the top of the canopy, or excess branches when shaping the canopy.

2. Heading back: A portion of the branch can be cut from the middle of the branch, which helps promote the growth of more new shoots, renew fruiting mother branches, and restore the growth vigor of weak trees.

3. Branch bending: Branches are pulled open toward the horizontal direction, which helps open up the canopy, allow sunlight penetration, and moderate tree vigor. It not only promotes flower bud differentiation but also increases fruit set rate and can advance fruiting.

4. Girdling: During this period, a knife is used to make a ring-shaped cut on a certain part of the branch, reaching the xylem in depth. This helps vigorous young and middle-aged waxberry trees that are not prone to flower bud formation to retain the products of photosynthesis in the upper part after girdling, which promotes flower bud formation and increases fruit set rate and yield.

II. Pruning Time for Waxberry Trees

1. Spring pruning

(1) The time for spring pruning is April-May. Spring pruning can promote part of the root system to uniformly shrink and die due to lack of nutrients. Also, the time for spring shoot sprouting is later than the time for flowering and fruiting, which can alleviate the contradiction between flowering and fruiting and shoot growth, and help increase fruit set rate.

(2) Spring pruning forms many new fruiting short branch groups, with sufficient carbohydrate supply, promoting full fruit enlargement and the growth of “waxberries under the leaves”.

2. Autumn pruning

(1) The time for autumn pruning is October-November, which helps promote flower bud differentiation and healthy development of floral organs. The period of flower bud differentiation is not only long, but for middle-aged waxberry trees, the formation time of summer and autumn shoots is July-September. Through heavy pruning in the previous autumn and spring pruning, the fruiting branch groups have already formed.

(2) At this time, cutting off late-growing water sprouts helps promote the transfer of tree nutrients entirely to flower bud differentiation and floral organ development in the following months, and can stimulate the formation of spring shoot fruiting mother branch groups. Generally, the earlier the pruning, the greater the possibility of leaf bud differentiation around the cut, the shorter the length of new spring shoots, and the easier it is to form flower buds in the second year. Autumn pruning is also the basis for the formation of 65% of spring shoots.

III. Should You Fertilize After Pruning Waxberry Trees

1. After pruning, waxberry trees do not need fertilization. The first fertilization of waxberry trees is in February-March before bud break, mainly applying potassium fertilizer and nitrogen fertilizer. About 50 grams of Liheng water-soluble fertilizer can be added per tree, which helps meet the nutrient needs of spring shoot growth, flowering, and fruit growth and development of waxberry trees. 

2. The second fertilization can be fruit-strengthening fertilizer applied in mid-May, mainly applying quick-acting potassium fertilizer, which can timely supplement the nutrient needs of fruit growth and development and help improve fruit quality.

3. The third fertilization can be applied in June-July after fruit harvest, mainly applying organic fertilizer and quick-acting nitrogen fertilizer, which helps timely supplement the nutrients needed by the tree.

4. The three applications account for 30%, 30%, and 40% respectively. If fertilizing twice a year, the first application can be before the first bud break, accounting for about 40% of the total, and the second application can be after fruit harvest, accounting for about 60%.