How to prune a hardy kiwi tree in its second year of growth
SummaryDetermine the number of branches and buds to retain: winter pruning can retain more buds and fewer branches, keeping 5-9 fruiting mother branches per sq m. Handling the trunk: gradually remove curved, diseased, weak, aged and poorly growing trunks year by year, and slowly cultivate new trunks. Do not prune too much at one time, so as not to affect yield. Pruning: keep lower-position branches and remove peripheral branches; also cut off overly dense branches, overlapping branches, withered branches, dry stubs, etc. Training and tying vines: pull the branches flat on the trellis surface, then tie them tightly to the steel wire.
1. Determine the number of branches and buds to retain
For example, based on a yield of 2000 kg per mu, a plant spacing of 2 m, a row spacing of 4 m, and 70 plants planted, calculating an average yield of 20 kg per plant, with about 50 fruits per kg, plus 10% accidental loss, 200-350 flower buds can be retained. During winter pruning, retain more buds and fewer branches. Pruning each mother branch to 6-8 flower buds means 12-18 mother branches need to be retained, that is, about 5-9 fruiting mother branches can be retained per sq m.
2. Handling the trunk
1. For multi-trunk trellised trees, gradually remove trunks with damaged bark, pests and diseases, curvature, and poor growth year by year to avoid affecting yield. Do not remove too many at one time.
2. For main branches and main vines that have severely shifted outward, are diseased and weak, or aged, carry out appropriate pruning.
3. If the trunk grows poorly, vigorous shoots on the middle and lower parts can be cultivated and used as replacements. After the new trunk bears fruit, the old trunk can be removed. Generally, it can be sawed off immediately after fruit harvest to prevent spring wounds from causing bleeding.
3. Pruning branches
1. Generally, select and retain next year's fruiting mother branches, which should be far from the bare-legged branches on the trunk. If there are multiple mother branches at the same time, select and retain the lower-position branch and remove peripheral branches, branches shifted outward beyond the second trellis wire, curved and curled branches, thin and weak branches, and extremely short branches. In addition, overly dense branches, overlapping branches, withered branches, dry stubs, etc. also need to be cut off.
2. Mother branches should retain those with good maturity and strong branches with plump buds. To allow selection and comparison during re-pruning, 10-20% more fruiting mother branches can be retained.
4. Pruning shoot tips and retaining buds
After pruning is completed, the selected and retained fruiting mother branches can be handled. Generally, all plump buds on spring and summer shoots are retained on the cane, while dead buds, sprouting buds, and non-plump buds are cut off, and all autumn shoots are cut off. Autumn shoots can be cut off from the blind node, and the buds below the blind node should be retained because their quality is better. According to the principle of retaining fewer branches and more buds, strong fruiting branches can retain about 12-15 plump buds, medium ones can retain about 8-12 buds, and weaker mother branches are best with about 6-8 buds retained.
5. Re-pruning
Compare the selected and retained fruiting branches, keep only the good fruiting mother branches, and other unsatisfactory, missed, or inappropriate weak branches can be cut off again.
6. Training and tying vines
1. To avoid damaging branches during tying and causing bleeding in the plant, all branches and vines should be arranged in a certain proportional order and spacing. When straightening and tying the vines, first pull the branches flat on the trellis surface, then tie them tightly to the steel wire.
2. If trees have branches shifted outward with a hollow center, the branches can be crossed and tied. To fix them so they are not scattered by the wind, the branches can be tied repeatedly for about 5-10 rounds according to different situations.